Published on Tuesday, 28 January 2025 at 1:27:15 PM
The Shire of Carnarvon advises primary producers of leafy vegetables, melons, and berries within the district that new Australia-wide food safety standards have been developed by Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ). These standards, aimed at improving food safety in the primary production and early-stage processing of these products, will come into effect on 12 February 2025.
The new standards apply to businesses of all sizes that are involved in growing or conducting early-stage processing activities, such as washing, trimming, sorting, sanitising, or storing of berries, leafy vegetables, or melons.
As part of these changes, producers of leafy vegetables and melons must legally register as a food business with the Shire of Carnarvon before 12 February 2025. Once registered, businesses will be subject to inspections by Shire officers and must implement a comprehensive food safety management system.
Many producers are already meeting the new requirements through existing industry food safety schemes. However, new registration requirements must now be managed through the Shire of Carnarvon on behalf of the Western Australian Department of Health.
Producers who are not currently certified under an industry food safety scheme will be required to submit a Food Safety Management Statement as part of their registration process. Guidelines on preparing this statement can be found on the WA Health Department website:
https://www.health.wa.gov.au/articles/n_r/primary-production-and-processing-standards-for-leafy-vegetables-melons-and-berries.
Additionally, berry producers and processors must notify the Shire of their contact details, activities, and locations before the compliance deadline.
For further information and to obtain registration forms, contact:
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