The Fresh Produce Safety Centre is pleased to announce the four workshops to be held as part of the 2021 Fresh Produce Safety Conference. The workshops will be available to all ticketholders to the conference, and will be held weekly on Wednesdays in the four weeks following conference day on 18 August 2021.

The workshops are designed as a weekly series of interactive skills sessions, each addressing a different topic within the field of fresh produce safety. With exciting workshop facilitators, the workshops promise to be an engaging and informative experience hosted by industry experts.

Attendees who register for the conference will receive complimentary registration for the workshops. Additional tickets will also be made available to those only wishing to register for the workshop skills sessions.

Choice of four skills workshops

Wednesday 25 August, 1-2pm AEST
Sharpening the Axe: Preparing for a Food Safety Crisis
with Peter McGee, Victual
The saying goes that if you have six hours to chop down a tree, spend the first four sharpening the axe. The same goes for navigating a crisis. The more you prepare the more likely you will successfully navigate. This workshop will step your through a scenario to help you understand some of the things you will need to think about in preparing for a crisis.

Wednesday 1 September, 1-2pm AEST
Produce Safety and HARPS – an Update for Growers and Suppliers
with Tristan Kitchener and Belinda Millard, HARPS
The HARPS Management Team will provide an update about HARPS, particularly in regard to the development and release of Version 2 of the HARPS standard, with an opportunity to ask questions and explore other challenges within the horticulture industry that could be solved using the HARPS business model as a platform to address wider industry issues.

Wednesday 8 September, 1-2pm AEST
Rapid Diagnostic Methods for Foodborne Pathogens: Outlook for the Fresh Produce Industry
with Dr Jo Rush, co-author of the FPSC Rapid Diagnostics report, and Professor Robyn McConchie, University of Sydney
A key issue facing the fresh produce industry is the time, expertise and cost of testing for pathogenic microorganisms to ensure produce safety. Despite the challenges presented by fresh produce, emerging Rapid Diagnostic Techniques may ideally make it possible to test on-site using inexpensive, simple and robust devices. It is important to compile information about industry requirements and preferences for RDMs. This interactive workshop will focus on potential ways to develop useful, robust prototype RDMs suitable for the “real world” environment.”

Wednesday 15 September, 1-2pm AEST
Challenging Perceptions: Unifying Industry’s Approach to Food Safety
with Jane Siebum, Fiona Grime and Angela Steain, Freshcare
Freshcare is hosting this engaging session aimed at challenging perceptions to unify our approach to food safety. This interactive workshop will explore food safety from the growers’ perspective, particularly food safety compliance, and facilitate a discussion between several expert panellists and workshop participants to explore the concepts of change, trust, future demands, and learnings to create a unified approach to food safety. This session is for anyone involved in the fresh produce industry who wants to engage with the grower’s perspective – from those who grow our food, to those that sell it and everyone in between.

To register for the conference and gain access to our four exciting skills workshops click here.