Update on COVID-19, SFFF Traceability, Food Safety Risk Ranking and Recycled Packaging Projects

This edition provides an update on the work conducted towards sustainability of the fresh produce sector, as well as highlighting the importance of food safety, Traceability and how to improve them.

Within the wider Food Safety landscape, we would like to draw your attention to an emerging risk, related to the behaviour of pathogens, and especially the learning that is occurring on how some pathogens are adapting to different environmental conditions in the open world.

This is a topic that is not going to go away in a hurry, like it or not. In its own right, COVID-19 clearly represents a risk to human health, as well as a risk to our economy.

The objective of the Food Safety Risk Framework project is to provide to industry a science based New Zealand centric framework that identifies the highest food safety risks to the industry and allows effective targeting of research funds and activities.

Reliable and robust Traceability systems are no longer an optional extra in the produce industry, but a baseline requirement of increasing importance.

To follow is the most up-to-date information from the Ministry for Primary industries on the unlikely transmission of COVID-19 by food or food packaging.

A consultation document seeking the input of New Zealand’s fresh produce industry has been released this month as part of a significant project to assess and improve traceability within the industry.

This edition discusses activities and initiatives underway in the food safety and traceability arena over the last year. We examine the increasing collaboration across industry in food safety and a proposed New Zealand Fresh Produce Food Safety Framework Research Project.

The New Zealand Food Safety Science Research Centre (NZFSSRC) have released an update of the potential for foodborne transmission of Covid-19 literature review.

New Zealand Food Safety, a business unit of the Ministry for Primary Industries, has published the results of its recent Food Residues Survey Programme (FRSP). 

The government website for COVID-19 has been updated with the correct information for consumers around the washing of fresh fruit and vegetables once they get them home. We had asked them to remove their advice of using soapy water last week so it is great to see this has happened.

New Zealanders can safely purchase fresh fruit and vegetables during COVID-19 and our country’s only pan-produce organisation that represents the entire value-chain, United Fresh, is reminding Kiwis to wash all produce as you normally would by rinsing it under the tap before consuming it.

United Fresh and the New Zealand Food Safety Science Research Centre (NZFSSRC) jointly ran a Food Safety workshop in Auckland on 12th March 2020. 

This edition discusses food safety aspects related to fresh berryfruit, melons and leafy vegetables. 

United Fresh is pleased to present this valuable workshop for members in partnership with the New Zealand Food Safety Science and Research Centre.

Climate Change increasingly affects food production. The changes to temperatures and rainfall patterns from climate change are being predicted to lead to a 2-6% decline crop yields every decade, as droughts, fires, floods, shifting seasons, and increased insect populations impact on our ability to grow crops.

In this issue we are looking at three articles on climate change and its potential impact on foodborne illness, production and business management.

FPSC Ltd is seeking nominations to fill two Board vacancies, one from New Zealand (effective from 27 November 2019).

Welcome to the first edition of our Technical Advisory Group's Food Safety Updates. This update covers the release of MPI's Draft Food Safety Strategy.

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has completed an administrative review of Import Health Standards (IHSs) for fresh fruit and vegetables for human consumption.

United Fresh Technical Advisory Group Representative Anne-Marie Arts will be presenting an update on the Sustainable Farming Fund Traceability Project.

Following our attendance at the PMA-ANZ Fresh Produce Safety Conference we have produced a document to share the new findings on Listeria. 

We have created a PowerPoint presentation to simplify the findings of the Literature Review and to enable organisations to share this with their team.

As you are aware, United Fresh was awarded a Sustainable Farming Fund project in June 2018, which is entitled “Effective Fresh Produce Traceability Systems” (Project 405482).

In light of the recent shocking Australian strawberry tampering event, the New Zealand produce industry is taking every action possible to reassure customers their safety systems are robust.

Applications for PLU Codes are now managed by United Fresh here in New Zealand, if you require a PLU Code please make contact with TAG Chair, Dr Hans Maurer hmaurer@agrichain-centre.com

The NSW Food Authority is advising consumers who are most vulnerable to Listeria infection such as older persons, and people who have weakened immune systems due to illness or pregnancy, to avoid eating rockmelon after a recent spike in listeriosis cases in elderly people has been linked to the fruit.

An outbreak of listeriosis has taken place in New South Wales with an unexpected increase in cases in January and February.

Consumers, retailers, wholesalers, packhouses and growers alike are all familiar with fruit label- the tiny stickers commonly found on oranges, apples, kiwifruit, avocadoes and a myriad of other produce.

United Fresh Technical Advisory Group members have attended several conferences as reported in this update.

As you can see from the banner, our name has changed. We are no longer the Food Safety and Traceability Committee, but the Technical Advisory Group (TAG).

On Thursday the 9th of March at 11am, LeaderBrand Produce Ltd. was advised that one of its salad product lines tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes bacteria or ‘Listeria’ as it is more commonly known.

The Food Act is a new law for Food Safety, which came into effect on 1st March 2016.

Health officials in Havelock North have issued a boil water notice for Council water supply.

In May 2016 the United Fresh Food Safety & Traceability Committee submitted a “Strategic Assessment in the New Zealand Domestic Fresh Produce Industry”

Our United Fresh AGM & Members meeting held in Auckland on Thursday 12th May 2016 was well received by around 80 of our members

Please join us for our United Fresh Members Meeting and AGM.

New Food Act and Guidelines for Fresh Produce Food Safety

Results from testing have now confirmed that the fifth person, who recently contracted Hepatitis A, as reported last week, has the same strain of the virus as the other four people who fell sick with Hepatitis in late October and early November this year.

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has released a media statement today regarding imported frozen berries and four reported cases of Hepatitis A.

October and November have been busy for the United Fresh Food Safety & Traceability Committee.

If you haven’t already registered for next Tuesday members’ workshop (being held in partnership with MPI) you will need to do so today

We are pleased to present our Biosecurity, Food Safety & Traceability and Food Law Workshop in partnership with the Ministry for Primary Industries.

This project focuses on the external traceability challenges arising in the domestic fresh market strawberry supply chain, as the fruit passes from grower to retailer. United Fresh is working with GS1 New Zealand in this pilot project.

United Fresh partnered with Horticulture New Zealand to present a 90 minute breakout session on Food Safety, Food Security and Your Business Planning at the HortNZ 2015 Conference this year.

For over two decades United Fresh has worked on behalf of the New Zealand produce industry on Food Safety, Traceability and Industry Standards. To further strengthen this framework and safeguard food safety, we recently established the Food Safety and Traceability Committee.