Assurance Essentials is now LIVE!
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As part of our new course launch Freshcare, in partnership with Satinbird Education, is offering 25% off the full price of the Assurance Essentials course to all learners who register to undertake the course during the months of September and October.
Normally $495, sign up by 31st October to receive access to the full course for $370.
Start your Assurance Essentials training: CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Assurance Essentials has been developed to support building knowledge and skills in the areas of records management, training, & development, food contamination, traceability, and audit processes.
After extensive consultation and User Acceptance Testing (UAT) with 15 expert, industry professionals – we have created a user-friendly, accessible e-learning resource that aims to upskill a broad range of personnel in every business.
Assurance Essentials will benefit staff who are not directly responsible for the management of the Freshcare Program, but where their role requires them to have a general understanding. Some suggestions from UAT learners were packing shed and production line employees, supervisors, safety champions and administrative staff as well as non-Freshcare trained QA personnel.
Successful completion of the course results in the award of a secure digital badge for individual learners. The badge is endorsed by Freshcare Limited and can be used as evidence of learning to the benefit of employers and employees. Twelve people have already earned their badges!
Our UAT testers rated the course highly in all categories such as narrative, video, downloads and learning experience. Some of their feedback is below:
“It was a good learning experience even for a full time National QA manager who is meant to be on top of this.”
“All staff should undertake assurance essentials.”
“The material was excellent and flowed in perfectly to complement the standard.”
“It was overall a wonderful course.”
Freshcare and Satinbird Education would like to thank all the UAT learners who contributed their valuable time and feedback to help us bring Assurance Essentials to industry.
Take advantage of the special introductory offer for you and your employees and CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
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Freshcare Certified? You’re Globally Recognised!
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Freshcare Food Safety and Quality Standard Version 4.2 (FSQ4.2) has been globally benchmarked since late 2021. The Board of Freshcare decided to level up our standards to enhance our participant's assurance that their high-quality produce was viable for international markets.
Australian growers, wholesalers, and horticultural businesses produce some of the highest quality fruit and vegetables in the world. By providing our participants access to global markets and diverse revenue streams, Freshcare hopes to build resilience and longevity for our industry.
Our team is currently working with the Global Food Safety Initiative, to benchmark the Freshcare Supply Chain Standard Edition 2. By bringing this certification into line with international best practice, we hope to better support our businesses exporting capabilities.
As custodians of Australia’s most widely used standards Freshcare CEO Jane Siebum, says the recognition of our standards on a global scale, is a significant accomplishment for the domestic fresh produce industry.
“Our continued benchmark recognition provides validation that our certified growers are demonstrating their food safety systems align with world best practice, strengthening confidence and trust in Freshcare certificates in global supply chains,” Ms. Siebum said.
Freshcare can help in promoting your certification to export market buyers as required. Our team is committed to supporting your business, its outcomes, and the longevity of our industry.
If you would like any assistance regarding your produce or business certification journey or to find out more about certification requirements, please contact us at info@freshcare.com.au
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Farewell to Jolyon Burnett: CEO of the Australian Macadamia Society
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Freshcare CEO Jane Siebum with Jolyon Burnett.
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After 14 years as Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Macadamia Association (AMA), Jolyon Burnett has left an incredible legacy and created a partnership with Freshcare benefiting generations of future growers.
In the time Mr. Burnett has led the association, the AMA has helped to transform the domestic macadamia industry into a large and profitable portfolio, he attributes this to an increase in production, orchard management to supply to export markets.
Freshcare CEO thanks Mr. Burnett for his invaluable contribution to the industry and for supporting the development of commodity-specific resources for Macadamia growers seeking certification.
“Jolyon, like many in the Industry, I will miss your counsel and support.
“Freshcare has always valued your input and insights and wishes you all the very best in the next chapter of your life,” she said.
Over the past 18 months the AMA, in partnership with Freshcare, has developed a set of specific resources and tools for Australian Macadamia growers. Mr. Burnett says the development of a commodity-specific certification framework for the macadamia industry has been an important initiative.
“As supply increases and competition between origins heats up, our regulatory framework and record on food safety will become even more important as a competitive advantage,” he said.
Mr. Burnett says while the certification program has been challenging for some macadamia growers, its rigour is its strength, and creating the new resources has received positive feedback from producers.
“We need to be very careful, when we try and simplify the system, we do not weaken it. Having been through the process with the Freshcare team and some industry participants I am very confident that we have struck the right balance here.
“…the grower liaison officers and growers who were part of developing the new system have been very enthusiastic about the reduction in complexity and the focus on those parts of the program, that are most relevant to macadamias,” he said.
We look forward to seeing Mr. Burnetts continued contribution to industry as he remains serving on two Boards – a position on the NSW Government Local Land Services and a small organics food company.
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Dropbox for Business Premium Recognised Supplier
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What is Dropbox for Business?
Business and technology solutions provider The Glue has partnered with Dropbox for Business to bring you one of the best cloud storage systems available.
Dropbox is accessed by over 600,000+ teams worldwide-wide securely storing their data in the cloud. Available for businesses with at least 3 active users, Dropbox for Business (Standard) includes a whopping 5TB of storage space and allows you to recover files or rewind your entire account for 180 days.
Ready for audit:
Dropbox has the flexibility to securely (and temporarily) share your data, automatically back up your computer and connected external drives directly to the cloud while ensuring your data stays in Australia.
Offering secure, resilient storage for your important Freshcare documents and records, Dropbox for Business is the ideal place to store your records ready for audit.
How do I get Dropbox for Business?
Dropbox for Business is available for purchase from The Glue
The Glue is an Australian-based business and technology consulting firm with first-rate business acumen, servicing solo operators to large corporations in the healthcare, financial services, agriculture, and member services industries across Australia and the Asia-Pacific.
The Glue is a true end-to-end provider with services and support covering desktop applications, email solutions, data server management, domain registration, antivirus protection, web design and development, and powerful business software – all accessed in the cloud. We leave you free to run your business.
Find out more about Dropbox for Business here
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Applying for Use of the Sustainable Winegrowing Australia Trust Mark
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The Sustainable Winegrowing Australia trust mark may be displayed by certified members on promotional materials and wine packaging to publicise their commitment to operating sustainably. Options may include wine labels, packaging materials, stationery, websites and other marketing materials.
Two important requirements of certification that will be verified at audit are:
- Membership of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia. To qualify for certification, you must maintain membership by completing the data, workbook and membership payment before 31 August every year.
- Completion of certification training prior to audit (before 14 September, if fruit is to be included in wine bearing the trust mark for the following vintage) to ensure you understand all the processes and practices required to achieve certification.
The trust mark may only be used on wine labels and other packaging materials when the wine is produced in a Sustainable Winegrowing Australia certified member winery or wineries AND at least 85% of the grapes from which the wine was made have been grown in a Sustainable Winegrowing Australia certified member vineyards.
If you would like to use the Sustainable Winegrowing Australia trust mark, please read the rules carefully to ensure you understand the implications for your business. The trust mark rules of use are available here
Any other questions?
Answers to many of your frequently asked questions can be found online here. If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for, please get in touch with the friendly staff at the AWRI helpdesk on 08 8313 6600 or helpdesk@awri.com.au
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Register for Benestar Free Monthly Webinar
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For many, approaching and having a conversation about mental health can be a daunting experience. There is still a negative stigma surrounding mental health and mental health conditions, preventing many people from speaking up in the workplace.
This session enhances participants' confidence in approaching a mental health conversation with their peers and how to speak up for themselves if they need support in the workplace.
Sign up now at Benestar.
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This Month's Renewed Premium Recognised Supplier
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Tie Up Farming
TieUp Farming offers the only end to end operations platform (SaaS) for the horticulture industry, translating open field farming into an accurate, yield driven operation.
- Streamlined workflow
- Control and Commend multiple farms
- Complete traceability
- Reduced costs
- Improved yield
Find out more about Tie Up Farming here
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Bartle Frere Bananas Smart Farm
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Image Credit: Hitachi Vantara
Hitachi Vantara collaborated with Bartle Frere Bananas and Applied Horticulture Research to identify the data capture, measurement and decision requirements of the operation.
The smart farming solution developed for Bartle Frere Bananas forged new ground in informing horticulture best practices.
All of this data is analyzed and presented visually, as data, alerts, and prescriptive insights via the Hitachi Vantara Control Tower solution user interface at the farm office to inform daily management decisions and long-term planning.
Learn how Bartle Frere Bananas is establishing a data-driven smart farm here.
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Update to Testing and Frequency Requirements Article
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An update to the Testing Requirements and Frequency for Freshcare Food Safety Standards article originally published in Freshcare in Focus Issue 35 - June 2022 can be found here.
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Community Feature: Australian Farmers Telling Our Stories
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Check out the new podcast from the National Farmers Federation, Australian Farmers – Telling Our Story.
The series has been created to better connect Australians with their food, grower practices and the personalities behind the farm gate.
The podcast is hosted by Channel 7 weather presenter, newsreader and former Gundagai local, Angie Asimus. Angie pairs her expertise in journalism with her rural upbringing to share the stories of Australian farmers.
Find the latest episodes here.
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