Agriculture Victoria has released the fact sheet ‘Food Safety Requirements for Horticulture Melons Leafy Vegetables Berries’ ahead of new standards.

Food Standards Australia and New Zealand have introduced new food safety and compliance standards for berries, leafy vegetables and melons into the national Food Standards Code. These Standards will take effect from 12 February 2025 and will be regulated in Victoria by Agriculture Victoria.

The standards contain requirements including product traceability, managing safety of inputs, and worker and premises hygiene. The standards provide for a focus on food safety, protecting and enhancing confidence in the industry. The Standards apply to all leafy vegetable, melon and berry businesses that grow or complete primary or ‘early-stage’ processing.

Agriculture Victoria will work with all businesses who need to follow the Standards. This will include: Recognising current food safety arrangements where possible Providing a system to develop, document, approve, and verify (audit) your plans to meet the requirements Actively working to identify all relevant businesses that must meet the requirements and bring them into the food safety system Providing tailored resources and workshops to allow businesses to be prepared for and implement the Standards. These Standards will take effect from 12 February 2025 and will be regulated in Victoria by Agriculture Victoria.

Where to register

Depending on your business’s activities, you will need to register with Agriculture Victoria, local council or both. Businesses that grow or complete primary or ‘early-stage’ processing will need to register with Agriculture Victoria. Activities further along the supply chain may require registration with Council. Registration requirements based on activity are summarised in the table.

Registration pathways

Once you begin your registration with Agriculture Victoria, there are different registration ‘pathways’ dependant on commodity group, and whether you are in a Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) benchmarked food safety scheme or not. If your business is already in a GFSI scheme, you must register and provide information so that Agriculture Victoria can verify your certification(s). Provided your certification is maintained, and available for review and verification by Agriculture Victoria, your business will be immediately recognised as meeting the relevant standard.

How to register

Agriculture Victoria has developed an online system called Agriculture Victoria Connect. The system provides a single-entry point for accessing services related to regulatory compliance. Businesses are required to log into Agriculture Victoria Connect from 12 February 2025 to complete their food safety registration. Use the QR code to access Agriculture Victoria Connect.