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If you are wondering how to get GMP certification, the first step is understanding that GMP certification is not simply a certificate you purchase. Your organization must demonstrate that its facilities, processes, personnel, documentation, and quality controls meet the applicable Good Manufacturing Practices requirements.
For Canadian food businesses, GMP principles are an important part of a broader food safety system and can support regulatory compliance, customer requirements, and readiness for third-party certification or audits.
The exact requirements depend on the industry, products, processes, regulatory framework, and certification program involved.
This guide explains how to get GMP certification, what the certification process generally involves, what documentation may be required, how audits work, and how a GMP consultant can help prepare your business.
Reviewed by Reza Eslami
CEO & Co-Founder, Arnika
25+ years of experience in food safety, HACCP, SFCR, GMP, SQF, BRCGS, and regulatory compliance.
What Is GMP Certification?
GMP certification demonstrates that an organization has implemented manufacturing practices and controls designed to ensure products are consistently produced and controlled according to applicable requirements.
GMP stands for Good Manufacturing Practices.
Depending on the industry, GMP requirements may address areas such as:
- Facility design and maintenance
- Personnel hygiene and training
- Equipment maintenance
- Cleaning and sanitation
- Raw material controls
- Production processes
- Quality control
- Documentation and records
- Traceability
- Product handling and storage
- Corrective actions
- Internal audits
The specific requirements are not identical across all industries.
For example, GMP requirements for pharmaceutical products are different from the preventive controls and food safety requirements applicable to Canadian food businesses.
For food businesses, GMP should generally be considered as part of a broader food safety system rather than as a replacement for HACCP or a Preventive Control Plan.
For more information about the fundamentals, see our main GMP guide.
How to Get GMP Certification: The Main Steps
The GMP certification process generally involves several stages.
Identify the Applicable GMP Requirements
Before making changes to your facility or documentation, determine which GMP requirements apply to your business.
Your requirements may depend on:
- Industry
- Product type
- Manufacturing activities
- Location
- Regulatory requirements
- Customer requirements
- Export markets
- Certification program
- Certification body
This is an important first step because there is no single GMP checklist that applies equally to every business.
For Canadian food businesses, GMP should also be considered alongside applicable SFCR and CFIA requirements.
Conduct a GMP Gap Assessment
A GMP gap assessment compares your current operation with the applicable requirements.
The assessment may review:
- Facility conditions
- Personnel practices
- Hygiene
- Cleaning and sanitation
- Equipment
- Pest control
- Raw materials
- Supplier controls
- Production processes
- Storage
- Documentation
- Traceability
- Training
- Quality controls
- Corrective actions
The purpose is to identify what is already compliant and what needs improvement before an audit or certification assessment.
A gap assessment can therefore provide a practical roadmap for GMP implementation.
Develop and Update GMP Documentation
Documentation is an important part of a functioning GMP system.
Depending on your operation, documentation may include:
- Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
- Sanitation procedures
- Personnel hygiene procedures
- Equipment maintenance procedures
- Receiving procedures
- Supplier approval procedures
- Storage procedures
- Product specifications
- Traceability procedures
- Corrective action procedures
- Training procedures
- Internal audit procedures
- Record-keeping requirements
The objective should not be to create paperwork simply for the sake of compliance.
Documents should accurately describe what your business actually does.
Improve Facility and Operational Controls
A certification audit does not only examine documents.
Auditors may also evaluate actual conditions and practices within the facility.
Depending on the applicable GMP requirements, improvements may include:
- Facility cleanliness
- Hygienic zoning
- Equipment condition
- Preventive maintenance
- Personnel hygiene
- Material storage
- Product flow
- Waste management
- Pest control
- Cleaning and sanitation
- Allergen controls
- Cross-contamination prevention
Your written procedures should therefore match what is actually happening on the production floor.
Train Employees on GMP
Employees are an essential part of GMP implementation.
Training should be appropriate to each employee’s responsibilities and may include:
- Personal hygiene
- GMP principles
- Cleaning and sanitation
- Cross-contamination prevention
- Allergen controls
- Equipment operation
- Documentation
- Corrective actions
- Food safety responsibilities
Training records should also be maintained.
Arnika provides food safety and GMP training for food businesses through online and, where appropriate, on-site programs.
For a broader overview of GMP training, see:
GMP Course: Complete Guide to GMP Training for Food Businesses in Canada
Implement the GMP System
Once procedures and controls have been established, they need to be implemented consistently.
This means your organization should actually follow the procedures described in its GMP documentation.
For example:
- Employees follow hygiene requirements.
- Cleaning activities are completed according to established procedures.
- Equipment maintenance is documented.
- Receiving controls are implemented.
- Required records are completed.
- Deviations are investigated.
- Corrective actions are documented.
A GMP system is effective only when it works in practice—not simply when the documents exist.
Conduct Internal Audits
Before an external certification audit, conduct an internal assessment of the GMP system.
An internal GMP audit can identify issues such as:
- Missing records
- Incomplete procedures
- Employee practices that do not follow SOPs
- Facility deficiencies
- Sanitation problems
- Equipment issues
- Inconsistent documentation
- Unresolved corrective actions
Internal audits provide an opportunity to correct deficiencies before an external auditor identifies them.
Arnika also provides food safety auditing and internal audit support for food businesses preparing for regulatory or customer audits.
Correct Non-Conformities
If your internal audit identifies deficiencies, corrective actions should be implemented before the certification audit.
A good corrective action process should determine:
- What went wrong?
- What caused the problem?
- What immediate correction is required?
- What corrective action will prevent recurrence?
- How will effectiveness be verified?
For significant issues, root-cause analysis may be necessary.
Corrective actions should be documented and verified rather than simply marked as completed.
Select an Appropriate Certification Body
If your business requires third-party GMP certification, identify a certification body that is appropriate for your industry and the specific certification program you are pursuing.
Certification requirements can vary significantly between industries and schemes.
Before selecting a certification body, confirm:
- The certification program
- Scope of certification
- Applicable standard
- Accreditation status where applicable
- Audit requirements
- Certification cycle
- Audit fees
- Surveillance or follow-up requirements
This distinction is important because a food business should not assume that every organization offering a “GMP certificate” provides the same type of certification.
Prepare for the GMP Audit
Before the external audit, conduct a final readiness review.
Review:
Documentation
Are procedures current and controlled?
Records
Are employees actually completing required records?
Facility
Does the facility meet applicable hygiene and operational requirements?
Employees
Can employees explain their responsibilities?
Corrective Actions
Have identified deficiencies been properly addressed?
Traceability
Can your business demonstrate effective product and material traceability where required?
Management
Can management demonstrate commitment to maintaining the GMP system?
A mock audit can be particularly useful before the certification assessment.
What Documents Are Needed for GMP Certification?
The exact documentation depends on the applicable requirements and industry.
However, a GMP system may include:
- GMP manual or system documentation
- SOPs
- Sanitation procedures
- Personnel hygiene procedures
- Training records
- Equipment maintenance records
- Calibration records
- Receiving records
- Supplier approval records
- Production records
- Quality control records
- Corrective action records
- Internal audit records
- Traceability records
- Complaint records
- Product specifications
The goal is to have documentation that is accurate, controlled, implemented, and supported by records.
How Long Does GMP Certification Take?
There is no single timeline for obtaining GMP certification.
The timeframe depends on factors such as:
- Size of the facility
- Complexity of operations
- Existing food safety system
- Condition of the facility
- Documentation status
- Employee training
- Number of deficiencies
- Certification program
- Audit availability
A company with an established food safety management system may require significantly less preparation than a business starting from the beginning.
For this reason, it is generally better to conduct a gap assessment before estimating the full implementation timeline.
How Much Does GMP Certification Cost?
There is no universal GMP certification price.
The total cost can depend on:
- Facility size
- Number of employees
- Number of production lines
- Product category
- Certification scope
- Certification body
- Audit duration
- Training requirements
- Documentation requirements
- Facility improvements
- Corrective actions
Costs may therefore include both implementation costs and third-party certification or audit costs.
Businesses should obtain a quotation from the applicable certification body rather than relying on a generic online GMP certification price.
GMP Certification vs. GMP Compliance
These terms are related but should not be treated as identical.
GMP Compliance
GMP compliance means that your operation follows the applicable GMP requirements.
GMP Certification
GMP certification generally involves an assessment by an independent certification organization against a defined standard or certification program.
A business can therefore have GMP controls in place without necessarily holding a third-party GMP certificate.
The exact distinction depends on the industry and certification scheme involved.
GMP Certification vs. HACCP
GMP and HACCP serve different purposes.
GMP establishes good manufacturing and operational practices that help create controlled conditions for production.
HACCP is a systematic approach to identifying and controlling food safety hazards.
They can work together within a broader food safety management system.
For more information about HACCP, see Arnika’s:
You can also read:
What Does HACCP Stand For? Meaning, Principles, and Food Safety in Canada
and
GMP and Food Businesses in Canada
For Canadian food businesses, GMP should be considered within the broader regulatory and food safety framework applicable to the operation.
Depending on the business, this may involve:
- Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR)
- CFIA requirements
- Preventive Control Plans
- HACCP principles
- Prerequisite programs
- Supplier controls
- Traceability
- Recall procedures
- Customer requirements
- GFSI-recognized certification schemes
A GMP system therefore should not be developed in isolation.
For businesses operating under SFCR requirements, see Arnika’s Preventive Control Plan Canada guide.
How Arnika Can Help With GMP Certification
Arnika supports food businesses across Canada with practical GMP implementation and audit preparation.
Our services can include:
- GMP gap assessments
- GMP system development
- SOP development and review
- Employee GMP training
- Internal audits
- Mock audits
- Corrective action support
- Food safety documentation
- Regulatory compliance support
- Certification readiness
We can help businesses understand their current gaps and develop a practical roadmap toward compliance and certification readiness.
Explore Arnika’s Food Safety Consulting Services
Maintaining GMP Compliance After Certification
GMP should not be treated as a one-time project.
After certification or implementation, businesses should continue to:
- Train employees
- Review procedures
- Conduct internal audits
- Monitor sanitation
- Maintain equipment
- Review records
- Investigate deviations
- Implement corrective actions
- Verify controls
- Review supplier performance
- Continuously improve the system
Maintaining the system is essential because an audit-ready GMP program should reflect your current operation, not simply the condition of the facility on the day of the original audit.
Conclusion
Understanding how to get GMP certification is only the first step.
A successful GMP program requires a combination of appropriate requirements, effective procedures, trained employees, suitable facilities, accurate records, internal verification, and continuous improvement.
The general process involves:
- Identifying applicable GMP requirements
- Conducting a gap assessment
- Developing documentation
- Implementing operational controls
- Training employees
- Conducting internal audits
- Correcting deficiencies
- Selecting the appropriate certification body
- Preparing for the external audit
- Maintaining the system after certification
For Canadian food businesses, GMP should also be integrated with the broader food safety and regulatory framework applicable to the business.
If you are preparing for GMP certification or need help determining what your business needs, contact Arnika for food safety consulting and certification-readiness support across Canada.
GMP Certification FAQs
What is GMP certification?
GMP certification is a formal assessment against applicable Good Manufacturing Practices requirements or a defined GMP certification program. The exact certification requirements depend on the industry and certification scheme.
How do I get GMP certification?
The process generally involves identifying applicable requirements, conducting a gap assessment, implementing GMP controls, developing documentation, training employees, conducting internal audits, correcting deficiencies, and completing an external assessment where certification is applicable.
Is GMP certification mandatory in Canada?
Whether GMP certification is mandatory depends on the industry, product, regulatory requirements, and customer requirements. Businesses should distinguish between legally required GMP controls and voluntary or customer-required third-party certification.
How long does GMP certification take?
The timeframe varies depending on the organization’s existing systems, facility condition, documentation, employee training, scope, and certification requirements.
How much does GMP certification cost?
There is no universal GMP certification cost. Fees depend on the certification program, certification body, facility size, scope, audit duration, and preparation requirements.
What is the difference between GMP and HACCP?
GMP establishes good manufacturing and operational practices, while HACCP provides a systematic approach to identifying and controlling food safety hazards. The two systems can complement each other.
Do food businesses in Canada need GMP?
Food businesses must comply with the requirements applicable to their activities and products. GMP principles are important components of effective food safety controls, but the exact legal requirements depend on the business.
Can a GMP consultant help prepare for certification?
Yes. A consultant can help with gap assessments, documentation, GMP implementation, employee training, internal audits, mock audits, and corrective action planning.
Does Arnika provide GMP certification?
Arnika provides GMP consulting, training, auditing, and certification-readiness support. Third-party certification, where applicable, is performed by the appropriate independent certification body.