Australia’s strawberry tampering fiasco has reiterated the value of reviewing New Zealand’s traceability systems, according to the organisation leading the project.
Unite Fresh is working with the country’s fresh produce industry to ensure there is effective traceability from paddock to plate. This includes inspections of packing and distribution facilities, as well as regular assessment of the supply chain processes.
“These risk mitigation strategies need to be reviewed regularly and cover all steps in the supply chain,” said United Fresh president Jerry Prendergast.
Co-funded by the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Farming Fund, the project started this year and will continue for three years.
Under the project, fresh produce is currently being tracked from harvest through to retail stores.
Prendergast stressed that New Zealand-grown strawberries were not caught-up in the Australian contamination incident, which has seen the country’s leading retailers pull Australian-grown fruit from their shelves. With the approach of warmer spring weather, Prendergast said the New Zealand strawberry crop was shaping up nicely, with some fruit already making its way into stores this week.
“The current tampering in Australia, whether copycat or worse, is a major concern and we support the efforts of all of the industry and authorities both here and in Australia in dealing with these issues,” Prendergast explained.
“We want to re-iterate this is an Australian strawberry issue, there is no connection to New Zealand-grown strawberries.”
