Support for the Trans-Tasman Fresh Produce Safety Centre (FPSC) continue to grow, with over 40 representatives from the fresh produce industry attending events held by the centre in New Zealand’s Hawke's Bay in February.
Following the FPSC board’s quarterly meeting, around 30 industry members gathered to hear a review of the centre’s recent activities and plans for further collaboration on food safety between Australia and New Zealand. Guests were also provided with an update on issues facing the New Zealand industry from HortNZ.
The following day saw around 40 food safety practitioners attend the Food Safety Issues Forum held at T&GGlobal’s offices in Whakatu.
At the forum, FPSC’s technology manager Richard Bennett discussed recent developments with harmonising the food safety requirements of Australian retailers and the implications this may have for the New Zealand industry. This was followed by a wide-ranging discussion on recent food safety outbreaks, potential sources of contamination and the best current and upcoming methods to address these issues.
In a survey following the events, all respondents gave the forum a rating of at least good, with 75 per cent rating it very good or excellent. Over 90 per cent rated the content helpful, with 75 per cent saying it was very or extremely helpful.
“All respondents claimed that at least some of the information presented was new to them, with a third saying ‘most’ or ‘all’ the information was new,” FPSC said in a statement.
