NZ: Growers Show MPI Their Food Safety Practises
Horticulture New Zealand: Horticulture New Zealand hosted a tour last week for Ministry for Primary Industries’ staff working on the new Food Act. The tour visited growers in the Horowhenua region to discuss food safety practises. The MPI staff wanted to discuss the practicalities of food safety requirements, harvesting, and packing of fresh fruit and vegetables within each unique business. One key factor was regulators distinguishing between ‘fresh produce’ and ‘ready to serve produce’. Ready to serve has a lot more food safety requirements, whereas fresh produce must still be washed by consumers before eating. The MPI staff were impressed by what they saw, the robust systems growers have to keep their businesses running safely and efficiently. Thank you to John Clarke, Geoff Lewis and Hamish MacDougall for opening your gates to us! Pictures of the visit will be printed in HortNZ’s December magazines.