GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) is the set of baseline hygiene and production controls — covering premises, cleaning, pest control, personnel hygiene, water quality and documentation — that underpin every food-safety management system.
In trade practice
Suppliers demonstrate GMP compliance through documented cleaning schedules, pest-control logs, personnel training records and maintenance programmes. Third-party auditors under BRCGS, IFS Food or FSSC 22000 treat GMP as a prerequisite programme; failures here can trigger major non-conformities even when HACCP plans are otherwise sound. A common mistake is maintaining records only during audit periods rather than continuously, which is quickly identified during unannounced inspections.
In a specification
Purchase specifications and supplier-approval questionnaires typically require a supplier to confirm GMP compliance as a minimum baseline, with a recognised food-safety certification as evidence of independent verification.