Freshcare food safety & quality

Freshcare was developed by the fresh produce industry in response to the need for a practical, cost effective, industry–focussed food safety program.

Based on Good Agricultural Practice (GAP), Freshcare was designed to allow it to be implemented by all grower businesses, regardless of crop, size and location.
Freshcare continues to operate as an industry-led, not-for-profit program.
Regular reviews
Over the last 17 years, the Freshcare Food Safety & Quality standard has undergone regular reviews to ensure it incorporates the most current science, remains practical and relevant for industry, and complies with the requirements of its many users including growers, packers and the processing, retail and export market sectors.
Practical approach
Freshcare Environmental standards were initially developed in 2006 and service both the fresh produce and wine grape sectors.
Now in its 17th year of operation, Freshcares’ practical approach to helping growers and packers provide an assurance to customers that their produce is safe to eat and has been grown sustainably, has seen over 5500 fresh produce and wine grape grower businesses adopt the program—making it Australia’s largest and most widely adopted on–farm assurance program.
Freshcare Food Safety & Quality moves to accredited certification
Historically Freshcare operated as a private industry standard. However, to maintain its broad industry and market acceptance, in February 2016 the Freshcare Food Safety & Quality Standard (FSQ) was approved by JAS-ANZ* to operate as an accredited standard under ISO/IEC17065:2012.
All Freshcare FSQ certificates will transition to accredited certification during 2017 as individual audits fall due.
Accredited certification provides a more formal structure of Certification Body approval and compliance. As an accredited certification, an independent ‘check of the checkers’ takes place to provide a greater certainty and consistency of process.
This ensures that all Certification Bodies audit their clients consistently, in accordance with Freshcares’ clearly defined standards, in an impartial manner and always on the basis of evidence.
The auditors from those accredited Certification Bodies are required to formally demonstrate competence to audit to that agreed standard.
Whilst much of the rigour enforced through accredited certification was already in place when Freshcare operated as a private scheme (we reviewed Certification Body performance, set auditor competencies and checked audit reports) the independent recognition of the process through accreditation is key to the ongoing acceptance of Freshcare as a certification standard, both domestically and internationally.
(continued next month)

See this article in Tree Fruit March 2017

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