Over the past 30 years, Canada has made substantial investments in a fully integrated system that ensures the right product is delivered to customers. Canadian Identity Preserved soybeans are grown to the customer’s specifications, then carefully segregated and tracked from seed to export.
The world’s most integrated system for quality and purity management
The Canadian Identity Preserved Recognition System (CIPRS) is a voluntary program created through a close partnership of the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) and the Canadian industry in consultation with global buyers. The strength of CIPRS is the commitment of the full soybean value chain, paired with the leadership and oversight of the respected CGC.
Production and delivery of Identity Preserved (IP) soybeans is administered by exporting companies. They are contracted by customers to deliver soybeans with defined attributes, which may include a certain variety, quality or specialty trait, such as high protein, high sugar or isoflavone content. The exporting companies contract farmers to grow soybeans that will meet these exact specifications.
IP soybeans are then carefully segregated, managed and monitored throughout every phase of production and handling, from field to grain elevator to port.
Quality assured by the Canadian Grain Commission
The CGC works closely with elevators, shippers and buyers to ensure full confidence that contract terms will be delivered. These terms are often above and beyond the already rigid standards of the Canada’s internationally respected grading system.
A high level of quality is assured in three ways:
- The CGC sets out the food safety and quality management requirements that must be met by an IP system, based on the need to identify and meet customer specifications.
- The CGC accredits third-party audit firms to evaluate company IP systems.
- A Certificate of Recognition is issued to an exporting company after it has successfully undergone an audit. The certificate confirms that the company’s IP processes are operating as they should, that potential food safety risks are mitigated and that the requirements of the CGC’s food safety and IP quality management standard have been met.
In this way, Canada’s IP system provides buyers with full and reliable traceability right back to the producer and the seed used. CIPRS is also compatible with other quality management systems, such as those developed by the International Organization for Standardization.
For more information visit the Canadian Grain Commission’s CIPRS website.
Rigorous control at every stage
Seed for growing IP soybeans must be certified to ensure variety purity and qualify for the Canadian Identity Preserved Recognition System (CIPRS). IP soybeans must be traceable right back to a certified seed grower.
At planting farmers clean equipment meticulously to prevent any other seed from being planted on fields earmarked for IP production.
Throughout the growing season IP soybean crops are managed according to the grain elevator’s specifications. Frequent contact with farmers ensures these standards are met.
IP fields are examined by experts several times to inspect for insects and weeds. The farmer receives a written report after each inspection to help with management of IP crops and attainment of the best possible quality.
Farmers must keep careful records for IP crops, including field maps, certified seed tags, invoices and chemical records.
At harvest farmers carefully clean combines, augers, trucks, wagons and bins to prevent other seeds from mingling with IP crops. To maintain purity, farmers store IP soybeans in separate bins based on variety or specialty trait.
Ideally soybeans are harvested at 14% moisture. To avoid staining the seed, harvest begins after soybean stems and weeds have dried down completely.
At the elevator farm deliveries of IP soybeans must be sampled and analyzed for purity and quality before the beans can be unloaded. The soybeans are then binned accordingly to maintain quality and purity.
Third-party testing and analysis is required at every stage to ensure best practices have been followed and rigorous standards have been met. For IP soybeans, grain companies document all of these practices in the CIPRS quality management system, which is audited annually by a trained and accredited third-party auditor.
At the port vessels are cleaned before loading. IP soybeans are transported in containers that have been thoroughly inspected to ensure they are sound and suitable to hold food-grade soybeans.
As the shipment arrives at its destination, the customer can have full confidence that purity and quality have been protected at every stage of production, handling