Freshcare’s commitment to delivering practical, future-focused assurance solutions is grounded in evidence, industry consultation and real-world research.
Through the combined insights gathered from grower feedback, industry submissions, the Regulatory Technology Project and the Freshcare Standards Review – Freshcare has built a clearer understanding of the compliance challenges facing Australian horticulture.
This data-driven approach has enabled the development of more streamlined, responsive and effective assurance programs designed to reduce duplication, support businesses and strengthen confidence across the fresh produce supply chain.
Data and Research Building Blocks
Following a two-year research project, in partnership with Hort Innovation funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry – Freshcare set out to use the collated data and project research findings, to build a better assurance programs for Australian producers, businesses and industry.
The Regulatory Technology (RegTech) project focused on identifying and addressing duplication and complexity in on-farm compliance for the fresh produce horticulture sector.
The project objectives were to develop an open-source RegTech framework capable of mapping where certification and regulatory requirements overlap and duplicate across the sector, and to identify practical technology-based solutions that could streamline those requirements for horticultural growers.
Freshcare’s goal was to understand the compliance landscape and real-world application, then build the evidence base needed to make the case for meaningful, lasting change.
Research Revealing Key Opportunities
The RegTech project set out to map duplication and complexity in on-farm compliance across the fresh produce sector. Following industry submissions and feedback, the project team of technologists and Freshcare researcher not only confirmed already existing industry sentiment towards compliance but now had the evidence to provide a path forward.
A grower survey conducted as part of the project revealed the scale of the problem. Among medium to large businesses, 93 per cent identified time and cost as significant compliance impacts. For large to very large operations, 81 per cent reported being affected by both keeping on top of regulatory changes and duplicated requirements. Even for smaller businesses, costs (73 per cent) and time (53 per cent) ranked as the most commonly felt pressures.
The data outlined industry compliance was difficult due to duplication and fragmentation causing pressure on growers already operating under significant cost and workforce pressure.
Shaping the Standards Review
In February 2024, a formal Standards Review was launched — the most comprehensive review of Freshcare’s programs in the organisation’s 25-year of operation. The review received 180 submissions from growers, certification bodies, industry partners, and supply chain stakeholders.
The submissions, combined with the RegTech research, pointed consistently towards key challenges to industry – the need for clearer requirements, less duplication, and standards that work with grower needs.
The review was guided by Freshcare’s Technical Steering Committee (TSC), comprised of passionate industry experts committed to developing and future-proofing our Standards for industry and participants.
Delivering for Industry
The result is the Freshcare Food Safety & Quality Standard Edition 5 (FSQ5). Freshcare will release the FSQ5 in September 2026, with comprehensive transition resources and information available from release date to support members through the change.
FSQ5 supports certification across both on-farm and supply chain activities within a single, integrated standard. These developments reflect the clear objectives which were directly informed by years of data collection, research and consultation.
Practical Solutions Requires Industry Investment
As a not-for-profit industry organisation, Freshcare has focused on doing what needs to be done for growers, businesses and industry. Using insights from RegTech, industry consultation and the Standards Review, Freshcare is investigating practical solutions including Smart Guides and The Platform. These are two integrated digital compliance proof-of-concepts, being designed to further reduce duplication, simplify language and improve usability. While the foundations and proof of concept are in place, further external investment is needed to develop the technology and deliver these solutions at scale across Australian horticulture.
Freshcare has created a framework and pathway others across the industry can follow and remains open to sharing these approaches to support broader industry improvement.
