Funding has been secured to develop occupational standards specific to the fresh produce industry.
The Fresh Produce Consortium is working closely with Improve, the sector skills council that has the financial backing to devise the standards. The council has to ensure the availability of both national occupational standards and qualifications to support the development of people within food and drink manufacturing, including the fresh produce industry.
The project will be led by Patrick McDaniel of RI Training for Improve. He has already identified some of the areas where generic industry standards can be applied and where specific standards are required.
Generic standards covering food safety, health and safety, quality management and management have been revised recently. Now McDaniel plans to develop the produce-industry specific standards. They will be applicable for everyone working with fruit, vegetables and flowers, including wholesalers, processors, packers, importers, retailers and growers.
The FPC is calling for input from the industry for the project.
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