Freshcare brought together Certification Bodies from around Australia in September to workshop ideas, opportunities and challenges facing auditors and participants in the horticulture, supply chain and wine industries.
As Freshcare celebrates 25 years as the leading provider of assurance programs in Australia, it was important for this sector of industry to collaborate on experiences and learnings from training and auditing – helping to shape the future of certification processes.
The workshop was led by Freshcare CEO, Jane Siebum, who brought a constructive and motivating energy to the sessions, examining opportunities and areas for development.
“We value the input from all the Certification Bodies who work with Freshcare and audit to our programs.
“Their auditors are out on farms and businesses, seeing first-hand Freshcare programs being successfully implemented across our industry.
“They know the pain points auditors and participants are facing, providing a wealth of knowledge and experience on how we can further develop standards, resources and processes that are fit-for-purpose now and into the future,” said Jane.
General Manager of Quality and Food Safety and Lead Auditor from Sci Qual, Jasmina Ginovska, said workshops like this are important.
“You can hear us, what we’re facing… and the obstacles to certification, and it’s really beneficial – thank you.”
Jasmina also pointed out that one of Freshcare’s strengths is raising awareness of fresh produce and industry food safety culture.
“You’re raising awareness about why growers need Freshcare – you’re out in the field, not just behind monitors, and you’re visible,” said Jasmina.
Freshcare would like to thank the representatives from AusQual, Sci Qual, ACO Certification, Mérieux NutriSciences, Intertek SAI Global and SGS who attended the workshop.