Posts from the "Latest News" category
Fresh Produce Safety Centre announces Harvest Moon as a new supporter
The Fresh Produce Safety Centre Australia & New Zealand today announced that Harvest Moon has joined the FPSC as a supporter.
The Chairman of the FPSC, Mr Michael Worthington, said: “We warmly welcome Harvest Moon to the growing list of supporters of the FPSC.”
“Now, more than ever, food safety must be front and centre of our industry’s focus. Committing to a strong food safety culture and practice in fresh produce businesses is always important, but the current crisis demands an even higher level of food safety commitment. We are delighted that Harvest Moon is demonstrating industry leadership through its support for the FPSC,” Mr Worthington said.
Harvest Moon is a privately-owned produce company with operations in Tasmania, Victoria and Queensland, supplying over 90,000 tonnes of vegetables and employing up to 300 people. Find more about Harvest Moon here.
Harvest Moon’s Managing Director Neil Armstrong said “We have joined the Fresh Produce Safety Centre because Harvest Moon has always regarded a strong food safety culture as central to our success. The work that the Centre has done and is continuing to do supports our industry in enhancing the safety of the fresh produce we grow.”
Harvest Moon will be joining the Fresh Produce Safety Centre at the Bronze supporter level.
The Fresh Produce Safety Centre’s supporters are:
Platinum Supporters: PMA Australia-New Zealand Limited | The University of Sydney Coles Supermarkets Australia Pty Ltd | Woolworths Ltd
Gold Supporters: AUSVEG | Freshcare Limited
Silver Supporters: Costa Group | Fresh Select | Harris Farm Markets Pty Ltd | Horticulture New Zealand | Perfection Fresh Australia Pty Ltd | Seeka | United Fresh New Zealand | Zespri International
Bronze Supporters: Harvest Moon | GS1 Australia | MG Marketing and LaManna | Metcash Food and Grocery | OneHarvest | PM Fresh Pty Limited | Symbio Laboratories
Conference Partners: Agriculture Victoria | Fresh Markets Australia | AUS-QUAL
Find out about how join the FPSC as a supporter here.
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FPSC A&NZ monthly newsletter out now!
The April 2020 edition of the Fresh Produce Safety Centre Australia & New Zealand newsletter has just been released!
Click here to view the latest newsletter.
Stay up to date with what’s happening in the Fresh Produce Safety community by signing up for the monthly newsletter.
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Fresh produce safety and COVID-19 positive workers in processing facilities: key points for industry
The ARC Training Centre for Food Safety in the Fresh Produce Industry has released information on fresh produce safety and COVID-19 positive workers in processing facilities. Key points are:
COVID-19 is unlikely to be passed on through fresh produceThere is a low risk of contracting COVID-19 from fresh produce if handled by a worker who is confirmed positive for COVID-19Immediately notify the health department if a worker in the facility tests positive for COVID-19Increase contact time and/or concentration of disinfectants on surfaces in the processing environment
For further information, visit the ARC Training Centre’s website here.
Additional resources:For additional information, visit these following sites: Australian Department of Health: Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources: https://www.health.gov.au/resources/collections/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-resourcesFreshcare: Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources: https://www.freshcare.com.au/resources/novel-coronavirus-covid-19/Institute for Food Safety at Cornell University: The Coronavirus (COVID-19) Food Industry Resources and FAQs: https://instituteforfoodsafety.cornell.edu/coronavirus-covid-19/frequently-asked-questions/New Zealand Food Safety Science Research Centre: https://www.nzfssrc.org.nz/node/154NZ MPI: Coronavirus and Food Safety on COVID-19: https://www.mpi.govt.nz/protection-and-response/responding/alerts/coronavirus/coronavirus-and-food-safety/
Read Article →FPSC defers April field day events
The FPSC and the ARC Training Centre for Food Safety in the Fresh Produce Industry are deferring two field days scheduled for April on mitigating the risks from animal agriculture and intrusion. The events were to be held on 23 April in Werribee and 27 April in Gatton. These events have been postponed until the current public health crisis has eased. We sincerely thank the industry supporters and speakers, who committed their time for these events. We will seek to reschedule this important topic for later in 2020.
Read Article →FSANZ: Primary Production and Processing Requirements for High-Risk Horticulture
FSANZ extends submission deadline to 25 MarchFood Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has extended the deadline for the call for submissions on primary production and processing (PPP) requirements to address food safety for high-risk horticultural products to 25 March 2020. More information is here. To make a submission to FSANZ, visit here.PPP standards are incorporated into Chapter 4 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code and apply to Australia only. Chapter 4 Primary Production and Processing Standards do not apply in New Zealand. FPSC is asking the wider fresh produce industry to feed-back information and suggestions on this proposal to FPSC. If you would like to discuss your submission or issues raised, please contact the FPSC Chairman Michael Worthington on +61 409 181 034 or FPSC Executive Officer Emma Walters on +61 419 204 454.
Read Article →AU-NZ: Primary Production and Processing Requirements for High-Risk Horticulture
A reminder to the fresh produce industry that the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) call for submissions on primary production and processing requirements to address food safety for high-risk horticultural products closes on 18 March 2020. More information is here. To make a submission to FSANZ, visit here.The Fresh Produce Safety Centre is on the Standards Development Advisory Group convened by FSANZ for information and advice on this issue. FSANZ is seeking submissions, particularly around the questions in the call for submission document. FSANZ is also seeking advice if there are any relevant area(s) that should be addressed which may be missing from the information provided in the call for submissions.FPSC is asking the wider fresh produce industry to feed-back information and suggestions on this proposal to FPSC. Please do so by COB 16 March 2020. If you would like to discuss your submission or issues raised, please contact the FPSC Chairman Michael Worthington on +61 409 181 034 or FPSC Executive Officer Emma Walters on +61 419 204 454.
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FPSC A&NZ monthly newsletter out now!
The March 2020 edition of the Fresh Produce Safety Centre Australia & New Zealand newsletter has just been released!
Click here to view the latest newsletter.
Stay up to date with what’s happening in the Fresh Produce Safety community by signing up for the monthly newsletter.
Read Article →
Coronavirus unlikely to be passed on through fresh produce
The ARC Training Centre for Food Safety in the Fresh Produce Industry and FSANZ have released information on the coronavirus and food safety. Key points are that coronavirus is unlikely to be passed on through fresh produce. The virus may survive up to three hours on dry inanimate surfaces, and several hours on hands, tissues, and other surfaces, although this depends on the nature of the surface, environmental conditions etc. The produce industry should reduce the risk of transmission through surface contamination by strictly following all good personal hygiene practices along with good agricultural practices. More (ARC Training Centre for Food Safety in the Fresh Produce Industry) and more (FSANZ)
Read Article →Outbreaks, occurrence and control of norovirus and Hep A in berries
The team from the ARC Training Centre for Food Safety in the Fresh Produce Industry has published a review paper in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition on norovirus and Hep A in berries. Dr Hayriye Bozkurt, Dr Kim-Yen Phan-Thien, Dr Floris van Ogtrop, A/Prof Tina Bell and Prof Robyn McConchie co-authored “Outbreaks, occurrence, and control of norovirus and hepatitis a virus contamination in berries: A review”. The review found that inadequate handler hygiene was the predominant source of pre- and post-harvest contamination, but that the current industrial processing methods (freezing, storage and washing) provided limited efficacy in reducing viral load. They recommended key interventions in personal and environmental hygiene and the development of alternative processing technologies to induce sufficient viral inactivation in berries while maintaining sensory and quality attributes.
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