Proposal P1052 - PPP Requirements for Horticulture (Berries, Leafy Vegetables and Melons)

On 12 August 2022, new primary production and processing standards were introduced for berries, leafy vegetables and melons.

Three new standards have been included in the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code:

• Standard 4.2.7 - Primary Production and Processing Standard for Berries
• Standard 4.2.8 - Primary Production and Processing Standard for Leafy Vegetables
• Standard 4.2.9 - Primary Production and Processing Standard for Melons

The standards aim to strengthen food safety management on-farm and during initial processing to reduce food safety risks along the supply chain from farm to fork.

The new requirements will take effect from 12 February 2025. Guidance material to support implementation will be developed in collaboration with industry and governments.

Background 

In June 2018, the then Australia and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation (now the Food Ministers' Meeting (FMM)) noted the increase of foodborne illness outbreaks in Australia and requested that FSANZ reassess food safety risk management across three horticultural sectors.

FSANZ raised proposal P1052 to consider regulatory and non-regulatory food safety risk management measures for berries, leafy vegetables and melons. 

Proposal P1052 was assessed under FSANZ's major procedure, which required two rounds of public consultation held from February to March 2020 and November 2021 to February 2022. P1052 was approved by the FSANZ Board on 22 June 2022, and considered by food ministers at their meeting in August 2022.  

All assessment documents, including consultation submissions are below. 

Approval documents

• Approval Report (pdf 1.30 MB) | (Word 267 KB)
• Supporting Document 1 - Decision Regulation Impact Statement (DRIS) (pdf 1.50 MB) | (Word 300 KB)
• Supporting Document 2 -  Cost - Benefit Analysis (CBA)(pdf 1.94 MB) | (Word 1.91 MB)

NOTE: Costs of illness in the assessment of P1052 were estimated using a recently revised model developed for FSANZ by the ANU.

The Explanatory Statement for the Consequential Amendments to the Food Standards Code resulting from P1052 was updated on the Federal Register of Legislation to include the correct sunsetting and disallowance provisions under the Legislation Act 2003 on 11 October 2022.

Previous consultations

Second call for submissions

The second call for comment opened 17 November 2021 and closed 16 February 2022. 

Submissions received (zip 11 mb)

• Second call for submissions paper - 17 November 2021(PDF 413 kb) (word 247 kb)
• Consultation regulation impact statement (PDF 779 kb) (word 309 kb)
• Supporting document 1 - Current food safety measures for horticultural produce (domestic and international)(PDF 471 kb) (word 211 kb)
• Supporting document 2 - Microbiological assessment of berries, leafy vegetables and melons (PDF 2.52 mb)(word 1.88 mb)
• Supporting document 3 - Cost benefit analysis (PDF 1.23 mb) (word 1.90 mb)
• Supporting document 4 - Compliance plans(PDF 322 kb)  (word 133 kb)
• Supporting document 5 - Horticulture Standards Development Advisory Group(PDF 153 kb)(word 72.4 kb)

Information received in response to the second call for submissions helped to inform our decision on this proposal.

In December 2020 - January 2021, we invited berry, leafy vegetable and melon producers and processors to participate in a consultation survey. The purpose of the survey was to learn more about the business operations of these stakeholders, their food safety culture and the impacts of COVID-19. 

More information

• ANU cost of illness model 
• Australia's Reduction in Foodborne Illness Strategy
• Australia and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation Communiqué 29 June 2018
• PPP Standards (Chapter 4)
• Proposal P1015