Fresh Produce Safety Centre Australia & New Zealand

BerryQuest International 2025 showcased a thriving, forward-thinking berry industry - collaborative, innovative, and ready for what’s next. While concerns and risks persist, one clear takeaway: doing the work keeps you ahead. Other takeaways include: balancing supply with demand is key to maintaining value, and the shift to unity is gaining momentum. Seeing Ag Tech in action, alongside leading-edge breeding programs and strong industry connections, reinforced the sector’s resilience. With great people driving great innovation, the future of berries looks bright. #BQI25 #Collaboration #Innovation #AgTech #Foodsafety Berries Australia Farzana Adams Susannah Roelofsz

🚨 Thank you to AUSVEG Australian Grower magazine for featuring the Horticulture Food Safety Initiative (HSFI) in the latest edition, out now. The goal of the FPSC led HFSI is to elevate food safety standards, helping growers comply with new PPP standards and building long-term food safety capacity and capability through research, training, and collaboration. Read the latest edition here 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gHH7UkHU 💡 Key Highlights: ✅ Helping growers meet new Primary Production & Processing (PPP) standards for melons, berries, and leafy vegetables ✅ Community of Practice (COP) – 80+ industry leaders collaborating on food safety solutions ✅ FREE Resources to help growers implement best practices including the Guidelines for Fresh Produce Food Safety, Grower Guides (available in 6 languages) & Factsheets ✅ Need support? Our Fresh Produce Food Safety Helpdesk offers technical assistance via online chat, email, and hotline and is 100% FREE! 🟢 Join us at the International Fresh Produce Safety Symposium (#IFPSS25) in Sydney on 29-30 July 2025 for insights into food safety innovations. 🟢 Learn more & access resources: fpsc-anz.com 🟢 Get in touch: helpdesk@fpsc-anz.com 🟢 Let’s work together to build a safer, stronger fresh produce industry 🍏🥬 #FoodSafety #Horticulture #FreshProduce #FPSC #IFPSS25 . . The Horticulture Food Safety Initiative is funded through Hort Innovation Frontiers, with co-investment from FPSC-ANZ; University of Sydney; NSW Department of Primary Industries; Agriculture Victoria; South Australia Health; Coles; Zespri International; New Zealand Food Safety Science & Research Centre; Vegetable Research and Innovation Board; Hort NZ and in-kind contributions from University of Sydney; Food Standards Australia & New Zealand (FSANZ); Centre for Produce Safety (USA); New Zealand Food Safety Science & Research Centre (NZFSSRC); Agriculture Victoria; NZ Food Safety (MPI (Ministry for Primary Industries)); Zespri International; NZ Vegetable Industry Research Board; AUSVEG; and Berries Australia, and contributions from the Australian Government. 

🌍🔬 🫐 This morning at BerryQuest 2025 in Tasmania, our CEO Farzana Adams delivered an insightful presentation on "Bridging Industry, Science & Regulation – Food Safety in Transition." In our hyperconnected world - consumer safety and brand protection is more critical than ever. Farzana highlighted the power of collaboration—bringing industry, science, and regulation together to close research gaps, develop best practices, and future-proof our food systems. 💡 Key takeaways: ✅ Proactive risk management reduces supply chain risks ✅ Science-based guidelines strengthen industry trust ✅ Multi-disciplinary collaboration is essential for food safety excellence At the Fresh Produce Safety Centre, we’re committed to supporting growers, processors, and retailers with accessible food safety resources, industry partnerships, and a free helpdesk to navigate evolving challenges. Let’s build a safer, more resilient food system—together! 🌱🥗 We would also like to congratulate the team at Freshcare Ltd who were named "Supply Chain Champions 2025" 👏 #BQI25 #FoodSafety #Horticulture #FreshProduce #BerryQuest #FPSC #SafeFoodFuture

💚 Southern Farm Tour | BerryQuest International 2025 A fantastic day with Farzana Adams and Susannah Roelofsz on the Southern Farm Tour as part of BerryQuest International 2025! What a great opportunity to connect with local producers and gain valuable insights into their operations. Highlights of the day included: 🍓 Piñata Farms, Orielton – Tour of their packhouse facility and impressive raspberry and strawberry growing systems. 🍏 Willie Smith’s Apple Shed – A delicious lunch in a beautiful setting, celebrating Tasmania’s apple-growing heritage and emerging agri-tourism. 🍒 Hansen Orchards – A look inside their state-of-the-art packing facility and cherry grader, highlighting innovation in the industry. A big thank you to our hosts and organisers for an engaging and insightful experience. Shout out to Nutrien Ag Solutions - Australia for sponsoring the tour. Looking forward to more great discussions at #BQI25

🍓 🫐 FPSC Technical Officer Susannah Roelofsz will join Sandy Shaw for the Victorian Food Safety Standards for Berries Overview Webinar on 13 March. The webinar is designed to help Victorian berry growers meet the latest food safety requirements. 📅 When: Thursday, 13 March 2025 🕒 Time: 3:00 – 4:00 PM AEDT 💻 Where: Online via Microsoft Teams 👉 Register here: https://lnkd.in/gJJiRwc6 🎤 Expert Speakers: ✅ Angela Stein – Freshcare Head of Product and Engagement ✅ Emily Scott – Agriculture Victoria Engagement Officer ✅ Shane Herbertson – Biosecurity Manager, Regulated Crops ✅ Susannah Roelofsz – Fresh Produce Safety Centre Technical Officer 💡 What You'll Learn: 🔹 How to register for Victoria’s food safety standards 🔹 Data sharing between Freshcare and Agriculture Victoria 🔹 A walkthrough of AV Connect and key requirements 🔹 Practical steps for food safety without a global QA program 🔔 Don’t miss this opportunity to get ahead! 💪 Free to attend – Register now to secure your spot! 📅 Registration closes: 13 March 2025, 3:00 PM

https://lnkd.in/gGgu_ddm Fantastic to see New Zealand Food Safety Science and Research Centre off to a great start!

The 2023/24 Australian Horticulture Statistics Handbook is out now! Packed with insights across 75 categories, this year’s data tells a story of resilience, recovery, and growth. Here are four key takeaways: 🍓 Horticulture production value hits $17B – Despite challenges, production value continues to rise, with berries, citrus, bananas, and almonds leading the way. 🌏 Exports volumes surge by 8.7% – The highest export value growth since 2018/19, while export values reached a record high of near $3 billion, led by almonds, citrus, macadamias, avocados, and summer fruit. 🥜 Nut make a comeback – Almond production value rose by 63.3%, and macadamias increased by 94.1%. 🚀 Expansion & investment – From well-established commodities to emerging ones, industry growth is backed by R&D and marketing investment. 🔎 Dive into the full report here: https://lnkd.in/g5nXbeKf Brett Fifield Lucy Noble Freshlogic | Fresh Food Industry Market Research #HortInnovation #Horticulture #DataInsights #AustralianAg #AustralianHorticulture 

Come and say hi - I'll be at the Korumburra and Lindenow events. Agriculture Victoria AUSVEG AusvegVic Freshcare Ltd Fresh Produce Safety Centre Australia & New Zealand Berries Australia Melons Australia

❤️ 🍓 We couldn't agree more Hort Innovation! Happy Valentine's Day 🍓 ❤️ #ValentinesDay2025 #FPSC #FreshProduce

🌱 FPSC CEO Farzana Adams has just wrapped up a fantastic visit with the Costa team at their farms and Distribution Centre in Devonport, Tasmania✨ Thank you so much Rebekah Bill & Samara Bakes for hosting!  🛡️ It was incredible to see the commitment to food safety, sustainability, and innovation in action. These values aren’t just words—they are truly being lived across their operations.  🙏 A huge thank you to  Costa for their continued support as one of FPSC's Gold Pledger supporters. Your dedication to excellence is inspiring, and we appreciate your leadership in shaping a safer, more sustainable fresh produce industry.  🤝 FPSC is looking forward to strengthening our collaboration and driving food safety initiatives forward. #FPSC #FoodSafety #FreshProduceSafety #Costa #IndustryLeadership #Driscolls