Primary production and processing standards for leafy vegetables, melons, and berries

Standard 4.2.8 Primary Production and Processing Standard for Leafy Vegetables (external site) applies to primary producers and to primary processors of leafy vegetables in Australia.

As defined in the Standard, a leafy vegetables means vegetables of a leafy nature where the leaf is consumed raw and includes, but not limited to:

• all lettuces including, iceberg (crisphead), rocket, romaine (cos), red leaf, butterhead, endive, oak leaf, watercress, radicchio, baby leaf, batavia, all other loose-leaf lettuces,
• kale
• chicory
• watercress
• swiss chard
• Asian leafy greens (e.g. bok choy),
• all leafy herbs consumed raw (e.g. parsley, basil, coriander, dill, fennel leaves, mint, thyme, rosemary, oregano, marjoram, chives)
• spring onions
• microgreens
• all spinach leaves
• silverbeet and
• cabbage.

As defined in the Standard, “melons” means fresh melons; and includes, but not limited to:

• watermelon
• rockmelon
• honeydew melon
• piel de sapo
• galia melon
• charentais melon
• Korean melon and
• hami melon.

Primary producers and processors of melons must register with their local government and comply with general food safety management requirements detailed in the standards. Refer to the sections below for more details.

Standard 4.2.7 Primary Production and Processing Standard for Berries (external site) applies to primary producers and to primary processors of berries in Australia.

As defined in the Standard, “berries” means fresh berries; and includes, but not limited to:

• strawberries
• blueberries
• raspberries
• blackberries
• boysenberry
• loganberry
• silvanberry
• youngberry

There are no registration requirements for primary producers and processors of berries. Only a notification is required to the local government agency.

Primary producers and processors of berries must notify their local government of their berry operations and must comply with the requirements of the new food safety standard. The following key food safety risk areas are covered in the new food safety standard for berries:

• traceability
• soil
• fertiliser
• water
• premises and equipment
• skills and knowledge
• health and hygiene of personnel and visitors.

As part of the notification requirement, the following information must be provided to the local government:

• Contact details including name and address of business;
• Description of activities undertaken in relation to berries; and
• Location(s) of the activities.

Food businesses under the notification requirement are typically not subjected to routine inspections. However, your local government may conduct random inspections to check that you are compliant with the standards.

Primary producers and processors of leafy vegetables or melons are required by the standards to manage your food safety risks by doing the following:

• Identify potential food safety hazards in your operations; and
• Implement control measures to manage the hazards; and
• Have evidence to show that the control measures have been implemented; and
• Verify the effectiveness of the control measures.

You will also need to formally document how you will be managing your food safety in a food safety management statement. The food safety management statement must then be provided to your local government for approval. During the routine inspections by your local government, they will check that you have been operating according to your food safety management statement.

The food safety management statement will need to describe how the key food safety risk areas in the standards will be managed:

• traceability
• soil
• fertiliser
• water
• seed/seedlings (leafy vegetables only)
• growing sites
• weather events
• premises and equipment
• temperature of harvested leafy vegetables
• washing and sanitation of harvested leafy vegetables
• animals and pests
• skills and knowledge
• health and hygiene of personnel and visitors

Refer to the following grower guide which details common practices to manage food safety risks in primary production and processing.

Food Safety Grower Guides – Fresh Produce Safety Centre Australia & New Zealand (external site)

Templates to assist growers will be available soon.

WA Health recognises food safety schemes such as Freshcare, SQF and Global GAP. Growers and processors on an existing food safety scheme will only be required to provide general business contact details and copies of a few forms that are already completed as part of their certification to complete the registration / notification with local government.

To further minimise regulatory burden on industry, growers and processors on a food safety scheme will not be subjected to additional routine inspections as they are already audited by a certified independent third-party auditor.

Further information will be provided by the local government during the registration process.

WA Health is currently working with peak industry bodies and local governments on the implementation of the new standards.

To support implementation, primary producers and processors of leafy vegetables, melons, and berries are requested to complete the following survey in order to connect you with your Local Government.

https://datalibrary-rc.health.wa.gov.au/surveys/?s=EMFW8RCAY8P9HW9J

The survey response will enable your Local Government to contact you to provide the relevant forms and resources to assist you with the implementation of the new standards.
Please complete the survey by 31 March 2024.

The primary production and processing standards do not apply to the retail sale or manufacturing processes (cooking, freezing, drying, preserving, blending or juicing) or the addition of other foods.

These activities are captured by other relevant standards in the food standards code and the business would have already been registered under the Food Act 2008.

New national Food Safety Standards for the primary production and processing of leafy vegetables, melons, and berries (PDF 312KB)

New national Food Safety Standards for the primary production and processing of leafy vegetables, melons, and berries | Bộ tiêu chuẩn an toàn thực phẩm quốc gia mới cho cơ sở sản xuất và chế biến rau màu, dưa và dâu các loại - Vietnamese | Tiếng Việt (PDF 383KB)

Fresh Produce Safety Centre Australia & New Zealand - Food Safety Grower Guides (external site)

Fresh Produce Safety Centre Australia & New Zealand - Guidelines for Fresh Produce Food Safety (external site)

FSANZ - Food safety in horticulture (external site)

Australian Farmers Market Food Safety Guide (PDF 1.4MB) (external site)