View this email in your browser Issue 17 | January 2021

2021 Welcome from CEO Jane Siebum

I would like to thank the owner members, growers, and industry stakeholders for reaching out and welcoming me to the Freshcare community. While it has only been four weeks since I was appointed CEO it has been a very productive time with plenty of sessions with the Freshcare team bringing me up to speed on all the key matters.

In an effort to raise global awareness of the important role of fruits and vegetables in human nutrition, food security and health, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) have endorsed 2021 as the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables. A year to celebrate the producers that play a fundamental role in ensuring global food security.

While the horticulture and viticulture industries are major contributors to the Australian food supply chain they are also businesses that are owner operated and quite often key to rural communities economic and social success. In the coming weeks I will be meeting with a number of owner members and growers to get a hands on understanding of the challenges that Freshcare can work with Industry to overcome.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if there are matters that you would like to bring to my attention.

Best regards,

Jane Siebum
CEO Freshcare Ltd
ceo@freshcare.com.au

Freshcare Certification Logo Use

Certified businesses are encouraged to use the Freshcare logo (displayed below) in accordance with the Freshcare Rules and Freshcare logo style guide specifications available here.

If you are using the old Freshcare logo, or would like to receive the artwork to use the current Freshcare logo, certified businesses should submit a request via our website: Logo Permission Request

Upon approval of the request, the Freshcare certification logo artwork incorporating your business' unique certification number will be emailed.

Please note that the Freshcare logo is intended for trade use only. As per the program rules, the Freshcare name, corporate logo, or certification logo, is not intended for display on a product, consumer-level packaging, or at point of sale in direct connection to a single item.

If you have questions around the use of the Freshcare logo please email info@freshcare.com.au

Freshcare Certified Business Search

Freshcare certificates are provided to certified businesses in PDF for ease of sharing to customers and third parties as required. Freshcare is developing an integrated QR code that will be part of the Freshcare certificate to securely verify certification data once scanned.

The new look Freshcare certificates incorporating QR codes will be featured in next months newsletter.

The Freshcare Certified Business search currently enables customers and third parties the ability to verify certification details. This can be checked by looking up the Business Name or Freshcare Certification Number, to ensure a current and valid certificate is available.

The video below provides examples of current Freshcare certificates and explains the certification details displayed.

The Freshcare Recognised Suppliers Register provides industry with access to the credentials and downloadable compliance evidence for a number of suppliers of materials and services. Some of the currently registered Freshcare Recognised Suppliers are displayed above.

The Recognised Supplier Register offers the following functions:

• Search for new suppliers of products and services relevant to industry.

• Refine search results to specific categories and locations.

• Review supplier credentials and access supporting information.

• Find suppliers to source up-to-date compliance evidence.

For more information visit www.freshcare.com.au/recognised-suppliers

HARPS Version 2.0 public consultation extended to 31st January 2021.

Freshcare is providing feedback on the HARPS Version 2.0 criteria on behalf of our participating businesses, to address the concerns raised by industry on the duplications between the Freshcare Standards’ requirements and the HARPS Version 2.0 criteria.

Freshcare has provided transparency of its submission to our Owner Member Organisations, to ensure all our members priorities have been considered.

Kylie Collins of Blushing Acres in FNQ is a Freshcare Certified business and has shared her feedback on air with Charlie McKillop of Queensland Country Hour on 21 January 2021, to hear her comments listen here.

Want to have your say?

Download a copy of HARPS Version 2.0 Standard, Guidance Document and Version 1.0 and Version 2.0 Changes from the HARPS website: harpsonline.com.au/document-library

Complete the Version 2.0 Comments Form by Sunday 31st January 2021 and send it to: harps@harpsonline.com.au

Freshcare AWISSP Certification for Sustainable Winegrowing Australia

From 1 January 2021, audits to AWISSP-VIT1 or AWISSP-WIN1 will now be undertaken, requiring existing Freshcare participants to update and transition from the previous Freshcare Environmental Viticulture and Environmental Winery Codes of Practice.

Existing Freshcare viticulture and winery participants can access all the updated AWISSP resources including forms and factsheets, via their FreshcareOnline login. To have your login details reissued please email admin@freshcare.com.au

New participants to Sustainable Winegrowing Australia that are keen to progress to certification will need to undertake training to assist with program implementation and preparation for audit. Information on Freshcare Trainers that can deliver training to the AWISSP Standards can be found here: freshcare.com.au/training/trainers

For more information visit: Sustainable Winegrowing Australia or contact the AWRI helpdesk at helpdesk@awri.com.au or 08 8313 6600.

Hort Innovation, together with the vegetable industry, completed a study on the survival of human pathogens in soil and irrigation water, and on leafy vegetables. The Pathogen Persistence From Paddock to Plate project was led by the Fresh Produce Safety Centre, in conjunction with Applied Horticultural Research, Freshcare, and the University of Sydney. The published findings have been released in the Agriculture Journal Volume 11 - Issue 1, January 2021.

Download the article: Persistence of Human Pathogens in Manure-Amended Australian Soils Used for Production of Leafy Vegetables

Additional Resources