Freshcare

NCS International is now able to provide auditing to the Freshcare Food Safety Program as of the 1st August 2010.

Freshcare is an industry owned, not for profit on-farm assurance program, established in 2000 to provide benefits to both suppliers and customers. The program links food safety on farm to the quality and food safety management programs of the other members of the fresh produce supply chain taking a more integrated approach to food safety.

The Freshcare food safety program was originally developed as a stand-alone on farm system, similar to that of the HACCP food management system, for the fresh produce industry. Certification to the Freshcare Food Safety Code of Practice involves an independent (3rd party) verification by an approved certification body such as NCSI. The verification process recognises that the on farm food safety program is compliant to the Freshcare food safety program requirements.

Freshcare is currently the largest Australian on–farm assurance program for fresh produce.

Benefits of the Freshcare Food Safety Program:

• Freshcare provides Growers and Grower-Packers with an industry and customer recognised food safety program that is credible, easy to manage, cost-effective, and suitable for all fresh produce lines.
  

• Freshcare offers Wholesalers, Packers and Processors an independently audited food safety program that can easily be incorporate into their approved supplier programs.

Required Training for the Freshcare Food Safety Program

To ensure a full understanding of the Freshcare Food Safety Code of Practice and the requirements for its implementation on-farm, all participants in the Freshcare Program are required to complete a Freshcare approved training course.

Existing Freshcare members will be required to participate in ‘Transition Training’ workshops to move from the 2nd Edition to the 3rd Edition Code of Practice.

Freshcare training workshops are approved courses under the FarmReady Reimbursement Program – you may be eligible for full funding. Contact your trainer for more information or visit the FarmReady website – www.farmready.gov.au

For more information, and to find out how we can help, please email us on info@ncsi.com.au, or

call on 1300 856 554.