Copy
Issue 31    |    March 2022

NEWS JUST IN:

Seeking Expressions of Interest

Freshcare® is seeking expressions of interest to develop and provide a digitally enabled, user-friendly customer journey that facilitates compliance with horticultural standards. 

The project will start with a focus on the Freshcare Food Safety & Quality Edition 4.2 Standard (FSQ4.2) with the capability of further expansion to other standards.

Responses are welcome from providers and consortia who can develop or supply part of the solution, provided that their contribution can be integrated seamlessly with other components, to make up a complete end-to-end customer journey solution.

Download the Expression of interest (EOI) documentation below, for details on the call for this EOI, key attributes, EOI processes and timelines.

If your organisation is interested in pursuing this EOI, then it must register interest as a prospective Respondent by 1400 hrs Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) Thursday 14 April 2022.

Note: All queries regarding this EOI are to be made strictly by email to eoi@freshcare.com.au (not by phone). All queries received will form part of a FAQ set issued to all potential participants.

Download Freshcare Expression of Interest
Share Share
Tweet Tweet
Forward Forward

Wine Industry Update

2021 Impact Report: The results are in.

Sustainable Winegrowing Australia has released its inaugural 2021 Impact Report, which represents the community of growers and winemakers who are creating products that are better for people, better for the environment, and better for the industry. Together, we’re securing a thriving future for the whole Australian wine community. Discover the difference our members made last year.  

Qantas – Green Tier Frequent Flyer

From March, Qantas Frequent Flyers will start earning rewards for making sustainable choices at home and when they travel as Qantas switches on its new Green membership tier. Sustainable Winegrowing Australia is the exclusive ‘green’ partner for the wine category.   The Green Tier will sit alongside existing flying tiers – Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum One – to encourage and reward the airline’s 13 million frequent flyers for everything from offsetting their flights, to staying in eco-accredited hotels, purchasing sustainable wine and supporting environmental initiatives.  Through Qantas Wine, the Green Tier program includes onsite recognition of certified wineries who are contributing to sustainability via green leaf iconography on their products. Qantas Frequent Flyer members who qualify for green tier will be eligible to earn more loyalty points.

Are you a certified winegrowing producer?

If you’ve recently completed an audit against the Australian Wine Industry Standards of Sustainable Practice (for Viticulture or Winery) and achieved certification, make sure you upload your certificate into the Sustainable Winegrowing Australia member database, so that you are reflected as a certified member. You can access a copy of your certification from the FreshcareOnline login.

Freshcare Event Recap:

Supply Chain Networking Event at Sydney Markets

Freshcare would like to thank the NSW Government Small Business Month Program for funding our Supply Chain Networking event earlier this month

The event was a great opportunity for horticulture and supply chain businesses working in and out of Sydney Markets to connect and discuss the current opportunities and challenges facing our industry.

The Freshcare team would like to thank the following organisations who assisted with the promotion and information sharing at our event:

· Fresh Produce Group

· Fresh Produce Safety Centre ANZ

· Freshmark

· Sydney Markets Limited

We would also like to thank all the guests and industry organisations who attended our event, it was great to meet in person again, in a COVID safe environment.

During the event, Fresh Produce Safety Centre (FPSC), launched three new simple food safety flyers for the fresh produce industry. Developed with Freshcare, the three flyers draw from chapters from the FPSC’s Guidelines for Fresh Produce Food Safety and are easy-to-understand tools for businesses across the supply chain. 

FPSC Launches New Food Safety Resources

The three flyers focus on:
•    Managing water
•    Managing chemicals
•    Managing people

Chair of the FPSC, Dr. Andreas Klieber, said: “We are keen to promote tools and resources to help everyone in our industry understand the key food safety issues and the practices we need to follow to produce safe, quality food, day in and day out.”

Freshcare Strategic Initiative: Commodity Specific Framework

Freshcare CEO, Jane Siebum answers questions regarding Freshscare’s new framework, aimed at helping more growers and businesses attain certification.
 
What is Freshcare’s Commodity Specific Framework?  
 
Freshcare is currently piloting the framework, with the aim of developing more specific resources applicable to differing crops. The initiative has been developed to give growers more assistance in accessing and maintaining certification, without compromising on the standards and food safety outcomes. 
 
Why has Freshcare developed this Framework?
 
The expanded requirements of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) have broadened Australian growers' and businesses' access to international markets. However, some of the certification requirements have become onerous for single crop producers. In response to feedback from growers, Freshcare has developed specific tools and resources to assist with ongoing program management and preparation for audit. The Framework takes a risk-based approach to simplify the record-keeping process and implementation of the standard for single crops.
 
What will the Framework deliver?
 
Freshcare has successfully piloted this Framework with the Australian Macadamia Society. As single crop producers, their specific needs and requirements for certification differ from multi-crop producers. The process and feedback has been positive and we look forward to working with more Australian growers and associations.
 
Each commodity-specific assessment to the Framework takes approximately 3 to 4 months to develop. Freshcare technical experts will liaise with industry participants on the processes, determining what can be achieved through examining the standards and resources. Freshcare then develops resources and guidance material, ensuring auditors and trainers are aware Freshcare has created a Commodity Specific set of resources, which aligns with specific risks and needs per crop.
 
This robust and thorough process will ensure certification is accessible and matches international benchmarking while retaining the same standard of rigour. 
 
How can you support this initiative?
 
We are looking for partnerships with peak industry groups and crop-specific associations that wish to explore the relevance of this approach to the specific needs of their growers.
If you are interested, please contact ceo@freshcare.com.au 

With your help and support, we can continue to assure growers and businesses are able to supply Australians with some of the safest, highest quality produce in the world. Find out more about our Project Roadmap here. 
 
Let’s keep certification made by growers, for all growers to keep our industry thriving. 
 
Freshcare's commodity-specific resources for Macadamia producers will be released to Industry next month. Distribution of these resources will go directly to registered growers, processors, trainers, auditors and certification bodies. 

Getting on top of your Internal Audit


As Certification Bodies move into another peak auditing season, it’s a good reminder to get on top of the administration of your internal audit.
 

What are the benefits of internal auditing? 

An internal audit will help you reliably assess that you have your Freshcare system in place, production risks managed and ensure you are well prepared to meet the requirements of certification.

The internal audit record provided by Freshcare is similar to the ones external Auditors use when they come to verify your system is in control through the audit process for achieving certification. Completing your internal audit correctly provides you with the confidence that your system is current, with all records up-to-date, accurate, contain required information and risks have been assessed. This will help your external audit run smoothly, helping you make any necessary changes and improvements. By being well prepared and completing a thorough internal audit, you are showing the auditor you understand your business and its systems. 
 

Who can perform the internal audit? 

Ideally, an internal audit should be undertaken by a person in your business that is independent of the practices being reviewed. The internal audit assessment could also be split out into sections across a number of people in larger businesses.  Freshcare recognises this may not be possible for some businesses and any person representing the business may conduct an internal audit. This could be the business owner, a senior manager, a worker or an external consultant. If it is an external consultant, it is important that the owner and/or senior manager is made aware of the results of the internal audit, and the consultant is also part of the business' approved supplier system.

 

Completing your internal audit

The Freshcare internal audit record needs to be completed annually before your external audit, but please remember it doesn’t have to be completed all at once. It is good practice to break the internal audit into sections or modules of the Standard, completing the process as several smaller activities which can be spread throughout the year. 

The purpose of internal auditing is to:
•    confirm that practices are being carried out as required by the Freshcare Standard;
•    ensure records are up-to-date, accurate and contain all the required information;
•    ensure current versions of relevant documents are available;
•    identify inefficiencies and problems and correct them;
•    identify gaps or improvements in your processes.

Conducting an internal audit involves:
•    talking to workers;
•    observing operations;
•    checking system documentation;
•    checking records for accuracy and completeness;
•    recording the detail of what you find – both positive things as well as any areas to be addressed.
 

Completing corrective actions if faults are identified

The internal audit process allows you to identify if any requirements of the Standard, rules or legislation are not being met. From there you can address any faults identified in your business by undertaking a corrective action process. This process should be documented via an internal Corrective Action Record (CAR) as it provides a template for capturing the details to demonstrate that appropriate corrective action has been taken. An internal CAR will help you to document the problem, identify whether it has occurred before, how the problem is being managed and what resolve has been established to prevent the problem from occurring again. Please remember Auditors like to see where faults have been identified and corrective actions put in place, as it shows them that the business understands their system and is likely to be in control.

Copies of the Freshcare templates for internal auditing and corrective actions are available via your logon to FreshcareOnline

Freshcare Crop List Updated

The Freshcare Crop List is a published list of crops and crop groups as applicable to the Freshcare Standards. This list has been recently updated, with the current version available here

The Freshcare Crop List provides a reference guide for participating businesses, stakeholders and customers to verify the scope of certification on Freshcare Certificates.

Visit: www.freshcare.com.au/resources/freshcare-crop-list

Freshcare Welcomes New Recognised Supplier

Pestech Australia Pty Ltd

Manufacturers of PyBo the Natural Pyrethrum
Find out more about Pestech here.

2022 Renewed Premium Suppliers

FreshChain Systems Pty Ltd

FreshChain is a fully integrated, blockchain enabled, paddock to plate assurance system that verifies the food you eat. In just a few seconds, we can provide traceability throughout the supply chain and provide real time insights to make better decisions during a products life-cycle.

Find out more about Freshchain here.

EE Muir & Sons

Established in 1927, E.E Muir & Sons is an Independent, Family owned Rural Retailer. Our business is focused on providing superior services and products to a wide range of rural enterprises that concentrate on high value production agriculture.

Our significant investment in people with agronomic qualifications provides both our farming customers and input manufacturers with a professional approach to maximising farm production.

Find out more about EE Muir here.

March Industry Engagement

Freshcare has been involved in a number of industry events and working groups this month in support of extending our outreach on the value of resources and certification for the Industry. 

A recap of Freshcare's activities in March 2022 include:
  • Member and Peak Body meetings in Melbourne VIC. 
  • Member and Government meetings in Brisbane QLD. 
  • International Fresh Produce Association Networking Event in Sydney NSW. 
  • Horticulture Sustainability Summit in Sydney NSW.
  • Protected Cropping Conference in Coffs Harbour NSW.     
  • Stakeholder, Industry and Trainer Meetings in SA. 
Freshcare's industry engagement enables us to share insight into the value of our certification services, our certified participants and the data we have to support growth and opportunities for further collaboration within the industry, to avoid duplication where possible.   

Flood and Natural Disaster Resources

Image Credit: ABC News
Freshcare recognises that Australians are going through difficult times right now.

We have created a list for communities impacted by the natural disasters to seek help here, with information on relief grants, mental health resources and more.
Benestar® - Information for Freshcare Certified Participants

Quick links

Email
LinkedIn
Link
Facebook
Twitter
Website
Copyright © 2022 Freshcare Ltd, All rights reserved.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.