Talking about fresh produce safety

Delegates at the International Fresh Produce Association Australian and New Zealand’s (IFPA A-NZ) second annual Food Safety Summit heard that Australian and New Zealand fresh produce growers must consider safe food practices a necessary step in the cost of doing business, and an insurance policy against outbreaks.

IFPA A-NZ Head of Food Safety Dean Mahoney and Natalie Dyenson, United States-based IFPA Chief Food Safety and Regulatory Officer, were among the speakers to address growers, packers, retailers, peak industry representatives, researchers and food regulators at the summit, which was held in Melbourne on 12 December 2023.

Food Safety Summit 2023 speakers included Fresh Produce Safety Centre Chair Dr Andreas Klieber, the University of Tasmania’s Professor Tom Ross, IFPA Chief Food Dafety and Regulatory Officer Natalie Dyenson, Safe Food Production Queensland Chief Executive Officer Jim Dodds and FSANZ Food Safety Officer Mark Rullo.

Key topics included an overview of the global food safety landscape; upcoming changes to production and processing standards for berries, melons and leafy vegetables due for implementation on 12 February 2025; and how the IFPA A-NZ can support growers on food safety.

The changes to the Food Standards Code gazetted by the federal government in 2022 will see horticulture included as a responsibility for state and territory regulators, according to Mahoney.

With some confusion about what the standards mean for the berry, melon and leafy vegetables sectors, the summit was an opportunity for Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and Safe Food Production Queensland (SFPQ) to address concerns and outline how food safety is approached differently in individual states and territories.

“The regulations are not that onerous. The general view is that if producers are already meeting stringent supermarket standards, they will meet the new regulations. However, there’s much work to be done by the regulators, including first registering growers and packers,” Mahoney said.

Dyenson said delegate feedback indicated growers appreciated the chance to be involved in the process.

According to Dyenson, the safety of Australia and New Zealand’s food supply chain is equivalent to that of the world’s leading nations, including the United States and parts of Europe.

Food safety is, however, a constantly evolving area and producers need to be ready for what could go wrong, Mahoney said.

“There are 4.86 million cases of foodborne illnesses in Australia each year, which has a pretty staggering $2.8 billion burden on the medical system. Life-limiting illnesses can be caused by Salmonella, Listeria, Campylobacter and E. coli in the food chain and can come out of nowhere. The industry needs to do all it can to protect consumers — at every step along the supply chain.

“Australians generally trust the food supply chain. However, they also have long memories, and an outbreak can affect their perception of a fresh produce line well after the issue has been rectified.”

Dyenson and Mahoney said pressure points for food outbreaks include climate change causing extreme events, labour shortages, rising costs of transportation, access to safe water and soil amendments.

“There’s the added pressure around the need for fresh produce growers to be sustainable. Packaging is a big one — it’s functional, protects against contamination and aims to reduce food waste, but is not always sustainable. Finding an intersection between food safety and sustainability is a challenge,” Mahoney said.

He said the next decade will see the emergence of new pathogens causing foodborne illnesses, yet there will also be better diagnostics such as genome sequencing to detect the cause of outbreaks.

“In the food industry, you can run but you can’t hide. There is hardly a product that cannot be affected by Salmonella or Listeria. Growers often don’t think of themselves as part of the food supply chain, but they need to. The IFPA A-NZ can help, and we urge growers to take advantage of our services and resources including webinars, newsletters and workshops,” Mahoney said.

A report from the summit will be issued in 2024 and another summit will be held in late 2024.

Top image credit: iStock.com/gerenme