🌱 Welcome to Fresh & Safe News. Our thoughts are with all those impacted by the recent flooding across New Zealand and Queensland. At the other extreme, Victoria has been dealing with the impacts of bush fires. Unfortunately, these events are becoming more common, so growers are needing to increase preparedness to mitigate the risks and respond to future events. The Fundamental Guidelines for Fresh Produce Food Safety and accompanying Quick Guides provide support for critical incident management, while the recently published Food Safety Essentials: Flood Incidents give growers practical guidance on relevant hazards and good practice for managing food safety risks.
In the coming weeks we will publish a similar guide with a focus on bushfire incidents. We are here to help and welcome any suggestions on food safety resources or extension needed by industry.
I am excited to say that we will soon be launching Early Bird ticket sales and announcing our keynote speakers for the International Fresh Produce Safety Symposium 2026. This year's theme is ‘Evidence to Action’ with emphasis on useful tools, approaches and practices which can be adopted to make an immediate impact. If you would like to sponsor the symposium, please have a look at our prospectus and reach out to discuss.
It is that time of year when we are evaluating funding from pledgers, symposium sponsors and Horticulture Food Safety Initiative project co-funders. We are extremely grateful for the funding we receive from Hort Innovation through Hort Frontiers, retailers, regulators, researchers, marketers and industry bodies alike, while we also greatly value the collaboration and in-kind time from all our stakeholders. Please reach out to me to discuss how you can get more involved and what benefits you will see from continued support for the FPSC.
All the best for 2026.
Damien Farrelly
CEO, Fresh Produce Safety Centre
ceo@fpsc-anz.com
+64 27 536 8063
In this issue:
International Fresh Produce Safety Symposium 2026 (IFPSS26)
New resource: Food Safety Essentials – Flood Incidents
Annual Engagement Survey Highlights
Fresh & Safe Podcast: Episode 6
Fresh Produce Food Safety Help Desk
New food safety requirements in NSW – Berries, Melons and Leafy Vegetables
Simple food safety principles by Frank Yiannas
Calendar of events
21-22 July 2026
IFPSS26 returns this July at the Novotel Sydney International Airport. This premier global event for the fresh produce sector will kick off with a field day tour, followed by two amazing days of programme content with expert speakers, panel discussions, case studies, interactive workshops and more!
Stay tuned for our keynote speaker announcements, Early Bird ticket sales and more details being announced very soon!
New resource: Food Safety Essentials - Flood Incidents
Recent flooding across Australia and New Zealand has created serious challenges for fresh produce growers, particularly when it comes to managing food safety risks.
We have released a new two-page guidance document, Food Safety Essentials – Flood Incidents, to help growers and packhouses assess risk and take practical steps to protect consumers and their businesses following flood events.
We look forward to launching our next Food Safety Essentials – Bushfire Incidents, along with other fresh produce food safety topics. If you have any suggested topics, please email technical@fpsc-anz.com
Annual Engagement Survey Highlights
Thank you to all respondents who participated in the 2025 FPSC Engagement Survey. Your insights help us understand where industry needs support. It is really encouraging to see that 77% of respondents reported their organisation has benefited from FPSC resources. CLICK HERE to view the survey highlights.
Your feedback also helps shape our work over the next 12 months, which will include creating more practical resources such as our food safety essential guides, checklists and tools linked to the Fundamental Guidelines, deliver more structured webinars, apply a greater technical focus at our annual Symposium and importantly, improve survey timing and targeted regional engagement to strengthen future participation.
Agroecology explained: How New Zealand growers are working with nature to reduce agrichemical use
Damien caught up with Livia Esterhazy from A Lighter Touch (New Zealand) to discuss how New Zealand growers are cutting pesticide use by up to two thirds, using technology such as ultraviolet light to reduce the reliance on synthetic chemistry without sacrificing yield. This is a practical, honest conversation about what is already working across the NZ horticulture sector not to be missed! Listen now and see what’s possible when food safety, productivity and the environment move in the same direction.
Fresh Produce Food Safety Help Desk
Our fresh produce food safety help desk is an accessible resource to address food safety inquiries from growers, particularly small to medium and those who are non-certified or English second language producers. The helpdesk includes an online chat, email support and a mobile line, with a set of FAQs covering frequently raised food safety topics. This resource is here to help you, it’s confidential and it’s for FREE! Whether you have a question about food safety standards, need compliance advice, or require guidance on where to find the right support or information, our help desk is designed to assist you with all your needs. Click the icon to access the help desk.
New Food Safety Requirements in NSW - Berries, Melons and Leafy Vegetables
New food safety requirements now apply for berry, leafy vegetable and melon primary production businesses in NSW. Effective from 12 February 2026, these businesses need to either notify their details to the NSW Food Authority, or apply for a Food Authority licence, and implement a range of food safety and traceability measures.
The Food Authority’s focus is on building awareness for the first 12 months. Routine compliance (inspections and audits) will not start until 12 February 2027. For more information on who needs to notify, who needs a licence, industry certification schemes,education programs and next steps, reach out to the Food Authority helpline: email food.contact@dpird.nsw.gov.au or phone 1300 552 406.
Simple food safety principles by Frank Yiannas
Frank Yiannas recently shared a set of guiding principles to help businesses make responsible food safety decisions across the food system. Frank was previously the U.S. FDA Deputy Commissioner for Food Policy and Response, and our keynote speaker from IFPSS24. In this opinion piece, Frank emphasises that safety must always be the foremost consideration, underpinning every choice we make about how food is produced. Follow this LINK to the full article, or click the button below.
Fact Sheet – Foreign Object Contamination of Fresh Produce 2021 > More
Fact Sheet – Impact of Animals on the Risk of Foodborne Illnesses in Fresh Produce 2021 > More
Fact Sheet – Reducing Listeria Contamination from Salad Vegetables 2021 > More
Innovation Agenda Rapid Diagnostic Methods for Foodborne Pathogens: Outlook for the Fresh Produce Industry (Summary) 2021 > More
Innovation Agenda Rapid Diagnostic Methods for Foodborne Pathogens: Outlook for the Fresh Produce Industry (Full Report) 2021 > More
Factsheet – Reducing Food Safety Risks From Pre-harvest Water 2020 > More
Reducing Food Safety Risks From Pre-harvest Water 2020 > More
Innovation Agenda Review of the Audit Process (Summary) 2020 > More
Innovation Agenda Review of the Audit Process (Full Report) 2020 > More
Prepare and prevent fresh produce tampering > More
Fresh Produce Safety Centre - Australia & New Zealand, Building F22, Room 517, Level 5, City Road, Life Earth & Environmental Sciences Building, The University of Sydney, NEW 2006, Australia, +64 27 620 2729
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