Interpretive guide for

ASEAN

GAPGood agricultural practices

for production of fresh fruit and vegetables in ASEAN countries

PRODUCE QUALITY MODULENovember 2006

Quality Assurance Systems for ASEAN Fruit and Vegetables ProjectASEAN-Australia Development Cooperation Project

Copyright © ASEAN Secretariat 2006

All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of materials from this publication for educational or other non commercial purposes is authorised without any prior written permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of materials in this publication for resale or other commercial purpos-es is prohibited without written permission of the copyright holders.

Disclaimer

The views expressed in this information product are not necessarily those of the ASEAN Secretariat nor does the ASEAN Secretariat vouch for the accuracy of the material. No responsibility or liability will therefore be accepted by the ASEAN Secretariat in relation to any use or reliance on the material contained in this publication. Reference to any other organisations does not constitute endorsement by the ASEAN Secretariat of those organisations or any associated product or service.

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ContentsAcknowledgements

1. Introduction..................................................................................................................... 1

1.1 Purpose and scope of guide

1.2 Guide sections

2. Hazards and causes of quality loss.............................................................................. 3

2.1 Quality hazards

2.2 Quality loss during production

2.3 Quality loss at harvest

2.4 Quality loss during postharvest handling

3. GAP requirements...........................................................................................................10

3.1 Quality plan

3.2 Planting material

3.3 Fertilisers and soil additives

3.4 Water

3.5 Chemicals

3.6 Harvesting and handling produce

3.7 Traceability and recall

3.8 Training

3.9 Documents and records

3.10 Review of practices

4. Self-assessment checklist – good agricultural practices........................................... 27

5. Example quality plan...................................................................................................... 32

6. Examples of documents and records........................................................................... 37

Appendices

1. Glossary of terms

2. References and additional information

Acknowledgements

Editors• Mr. Scott Ledger, Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia• Dr. Robert Premier, Department of Primary Industries, Victoria, Australia

Working group

This publication was prepared by a working group involving representatives from all ASEAN member countries and the editors of this guide. The representatives from the ASEAN countries were:

• Mr Jamalludin Haji Mohd Yusoff, Department of Agriculture, Brunei Darussalam• Ms Hajjah Aidah binti Hj. Hanifah, Department of Agriculture, Brunei Darussalam• Mr Ly Sereivuth, Dept. of Agronomy & Agricultural Land Improvement, Cambodia• Mr Mean Chetna, Dept. of Agronomy & Agricultural Land Improvement, Cambodia• Ms Dwi Iswari, Directorate of Fruit Crops, Indonesia • Ms Susiami, Directorate of Fruit, Indonesia• Mrs. Khamphoui Louanglath, Department of Agriculture, Lao PDR• Mr Kham Sanatem, Department of Agriculture, Lao PDR• Mr Mohd Khairuddin Mohd Tahir, Department of Agriculture, Malaysia• Ms. Norma Othman, Department of Agriculture, Malaysia• Mr Mohd Hussin Yunnus, Department of Agriculture, Malaysia• Mr. U Kyaw Win, Myanma Agricultural Service, Myanmar• Mr Ko Ko, Myanma Agricultural Service, Myanmar• Mr. Gilberto F. Layese, Department of Agriculture, Philippines• Ms. Mary Grace Rivere Mandigma, Department of Agriculture, Philippines• Dr. Paul Chiew King Tiong, Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore• Ms. Khoo Gek Hoon, Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore• Dr. Supranee Impithuksa, Department of Agriculture, Thailand• Dr. Surmsuk Salakpetch, Department of Agriculture, Thailand• Mrs. Psyanoot Naka, Department of Agriculture, Thailand• Dr. Nguyen Munh Chau, Southern Fruit Research Institute, Viet Nam• Ms Nguyen Thu Hang, Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development, Viet Nam

Project funding

The development of ASEAN GAP is an activity within the project, Quality Assurance Systems for ASEAN Fruit and Vegetables (QASAFV). The QASAFV project is an initiative under the ASEAN Australia Development Cooperation Program (AADCP).

The AADCP is funded by Australia’s overseas aid agency, AusAID, and Cardno ACIL Pty Ltd is AusAID’s Australian managing contractor for the program.

The QASAFV project is managed by RMIT International Pty Ltd in association with the Department of Primary Industries, Victoria and the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Queensland. The project contact per-son is:

Mr Mick BellProject Coordinator – Business Development DivisionRMIT International Pty LtdLevel 5, 225 Bourke StreetMelbourne Victoria 3000 AustraliaTel. +61 3 9925 5139 Fax +61 3 9925 5153mick.bell@rmit.edu.au

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1. Introduction

1.1 Purpose and scope of guide

ASEAN GAP is a standard for good agricultural practices to control hazards during the production, harvesting and postharvest handling of fresh fruit and vegetables in the ASEAN member countries. ASEAN GAP is divided into four modules – 1. Food safety, 2. Environmental management, 3. Worker health, safety and welfare and 4. Produce quality.

ASEAN GAP has been developed to enhance the harmonisation of GAP programs amongst the ASEAN member countries. It covers the production, harvesting and postharvest handling of fresh fruit and vegetables on farm and postharvest handling in locations where produce is packed for sale.

This interpretive guide was designed to assist producers, packers, supply chain businesses, trainers, government representatives and others to understand the practices required for implementing the Produce Quality Module of ASEAN GAP. It provides guidance on “what has to be done” to implement the required practices. Separate inter-pretive guides are available for the other ASEAN GAP modules.

1.2 Guide sections

The guide contains background information on types of quality hazards and causes of quality loss, guidance on implementing the GAP requirements, a self-assessment checklist to review compliance with the requirements, examples of documents and records, a glossary of terms and references and additional information.

Section 2. Hazards and causes of quality loss

This section provides information about the potential quality hazards and causes of quality loss. A quality hazard is any characteristic that prevents the produce from meeting the requirements of a customer or government regu-lation. Produce quality can be lost at any step during production, harvesting and postharvest handling.

Section 3. GAP requirements

The good agricultural practices for controlling quality hazards are grouped into 10 elements. Each element has background information to explain how quality can be lost. Specific information is then provided for each practice to explain what is required to implement the practice. In some cases, two or more practices are grouped together as the guidance information is the same for both practices. Section 4. Self-assessment checklist

The self-assessment checklist enables the level of compliance with the good agricultural practices contained in the food safety module to be checked. The relevance of the practices will depend on the location of the farm or packing business, type of produce, and the systems used for production, harvesting, handling, packing, storage and transport. The person assesses whether the practice is done correctly or if attention is needed or if the prac-tice is not relevant. If attention is needed, the actions required are identified and recorded.

Section 5. Example quality plan

This section contains an example of a quality plan for production, harvesting and postharvest handling of man-goes. For each process step, the quality plan describes the quality hazards that may occur, the causes of quality hazards and the good agricultural practices required to prevent or minimise the risk of the quality hazards occur-ring.

Section 6. Examples of documents and records

The section contains examples of documents and record forms that are required to implement various practices in the produce quality module. The documents and record forms are examples only and other methods and formats can be used. ASEAN GAP specifies the information that has to be documented and the records to keep, but does not specify how to document information and keep records.

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Appendix 1. Glossary of terms

This appendix contains definitions for the abbreviations and terms used in the guide.

Appendix 2. References and additional information

This appendix contains references and additional information on control of quality hazards for fresh produce. It includes lists of training programs, GAP guidelines, publications, GAP systems and organisations.

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2. Hazards and causes of quality loss

2.1 Quality hazards

A quality hazard is any characteristic that prevents the produce from meeting the requirements of a customer or government regulation. For example the produce quality may not meet the requirement of a customer for size, colour, maturity, external appearance, flavour, or shelf life. The produce may also not meet the quarantine regula-tions of an importing country because of the presence of a pest or disease or it may be incorrectly labelled.

There are three types of quality characteristics – external appearance, internal quality, and hidden quality.

External appearance includes those characteristics that can be seen by the eye. Examples are colour, size, shape, disease, insects, blemishes, and packaging.

Internal quality includes those characteristics that can’t be seen from the outside and the produce needs to be cut or eaten to identify the quality. Examples are colour, firmness, texture, flavour, aroma, disease and insects.

Hidden quality includes those characteristics that can’t be seen, smelt or tasted. Examples are shelf life, nutri-tional value and genetic modification.

There are some basic quality characteristics that customers expect when purchasing fresh produce. Examples are:

• Free of major injury, spoilage or blemish likely to affect keeping quality

• Not overripe, excessively soft or wilted

• Free of excessive dirt, unacceptable chemical residues and other foreign matter

• Free of foreign odours and taste

• Free of quarantine pests

Produce quality can be lost at any step during the production, harvesting and postharvest handling of fresh produce.

Grading for quality

Not only is the quality of individual pieces important, but the overall quality of the combined saleable unit is also important. The buyer will have expectations for the quality of the saleable unit – for example, bundles of leafy veg-etables, a basket, crate or carton of fruit.

Many customers require the produce to be uniform in quality within the package. This may be uniform colour, size, weight, shape, or some other characteristic. To achieve uniformity, the produce is graded for quality either at harvest, packing or during a repacking stage. Grading is usually done by humans, either pickers or packers, although machinery or measurement devices are increasingly being used. Accuracy of humans is typically lower than with machinery, but can be improved with suitable training.

Achieving perfect uniformity is rarely possible so some level of variability has to be allowed. Decisions have to be made about what range of attribute between the lower limit and upper limit will be allowed. For example, for a pro-duce weight requirement of 250 grams with an allowance of 10%, the weight range would be 225 to 275 grams.

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Figure 1. Grading tomatoes by colour to satisfy the requirements of different buyers

2.2 Quality loss during production

The inherent quality of produce is determined by the production practices. Once produce has been harvested, produce quality can not be improved. Production practices affect all types of quality characteristics.

External characteristics such as colour, size, and shape are affected by practices that impact on plant growth and crop load such as water and nutrition management, pruning and thinning. External appearance can be reduced by disease infection, pest damage and mechanical injury such as wind rub.

The internal appearance, eating quality, shelf life and nutritional value of produce is reduced by water stress, inad-equate plant nutrition and excessive crop loads. GAP during production is aimed at increasing the inherent quality of produce at the time of harvest.

2.3 Quality loss at harvest

The maturity of produce not only affects the quality at harvest but also the self life of the produce. Maturity refers to the stage of development in the process of growing of the fruit or vegetable. Maturation continues until the start of senescence, leading to the death of the produce.

Determining when produce is mature and ready for harvest can be a difficult decision. For some crops, maturity indices have been developed to assist in the decision process. For other crops, harvesting at the correct time can be highly subjective.

The optimum maturity for harvest is when the plant has completed sufficient growth and development to ensure that produce quality and shelf is acceptable to the consumer. Most produce start to senescence once harvested, eventually leading to death. If this produce is harvested too mature, senescence may occur before the produce reaches the consumer. If this produce is harvested immature, quality characteristics such as colour, size, shape, flavour and texture will be reduced.

Fruit crops undergo a ripening process as part of maturation. Ripening involves changes in fruit characteristics that lead to increasing eating acceptability. Examples of these changes are softening, decrease in acids and tannins, increase in sugars, development of aroma and changes to skin colour. For some fruit such as mango, banana and tomato, these changes continue after the produce is harvested.

If fruit is harvested when they are not mature, they may lack the required flavour or texture for the consumer. If fruit is harvested too mature, senescence may occur before the produce reaches the consumer.

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Examples of the different types of produce are:

• Stems and leaves – asparagus, celery, lettuce, cabbage

• Flowers – artichoke, broccoli, cauliflower

• Partially developed fruit – cucumber, green bean, okra, sweet corn

• Fully developed fruit – apple, pear, citrus, tomato

• Roots and tubers – carrot, onion, potato

The methods for measuring maturity must be simple, as it may need to be assessed in different places such as in the field or packing shed or in the market.

2.4 Quality loss during postharvest handling

There are many causes of quality loss after harvest. Quality loss can be due to the normal biological processes, which can be slowed but not stopped, and can be the result of poor handling practices.

Major causes of quality loss after harvest are

• Acceleration of senescence (aging)

• Water loss

• Mechanical injuries

• Physiological disorders

• Disease infection

• Growth and development

Acceleration of senescence (aging)

All fruits and vegetables are alive and the biological processes continue to be active after harvest. Senescence is the process of aging leading to death, and it commences immediately at harvest. The rate of senescence has to be managed to minimise loss of quality. Common symptoms of senescence are excessive softening, tissue break-down, loss of colour, loss of flavour, off-flavours, and tissue discolouration.

Fruit and vegetables continue to use oxygen and produce carbon dioxide after harvest. This process is called res-piration. During respiration, heat is also produced.

There are two different types of respiration processes – climacteric and non-climacteric. With climacteric respira-tion, the produce undergoes a burst of respiration that coincides with the initiation of ripening in fruit. After reach-ing a peak, respiration falls again. Examples are ripening fruit such as mango, banana, papaya and tomato.

With non-climacteric respiration, there is no burst or rapid rise in respiration. Examples of non-climacteric produce are vegetables and fruits such as carambola, citrus, and pineapple.

Produce varies greatly in the rate of respiration rate. The rate of deterioration of produce is related to the respira-tion rate. The following table shows four categories of respiration and examples of produce for each category. Generally, mature plant parts have low respiration and actively growing plant parts have high respiration.

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Broccoli, asparagus, sweet corn, mushroom

Respiration rate Product

Low

Moderate

High

Garlic, onion, citrus

Cabbage, carrot, mango, tomato, banana

Cauliflower, strawberry

Very high

The respiration rate is temperature dependent – the higher the temperature, the higher the respiration rate. Control of temperature is crucial to minimising loss of quality through senescence.

Temperature control starts with rapid cooling after harvest to remove field heat. Common methods used to cool produce include cooling with air, water, and package icing.

Figure 2. Effect of temperature on quality of Chinese mustard after 4 days storage.

Water loss

All plants undergo water loss through a process called transpiration. This process continues after harvest. Produce varies greatly in transpiration rate. Generally produce with large surface areas have high transpiration rates and produce with protective skins have low transpiration rates.

Symptoms of water loss include shrinking, wilting, shrivelling, softening and loss of crispness and juiciness. The level of water loss where symptoms become visible varies between products. Some leafy products show symp-toms at about 2% water loss while some fruit do not show symptoms below 6% water loss. The rate of water loss rate is temperature dependent – the higher the temperature, the higher the water loss. Air movement across the produce surface can also accelerate water loss. For produce with high transpiration rates, protecting produce during storage or transport from excessive air movement is important.Water loss can be reduced by holding the product at reduced temperature and in an environment with high mois-ture content (for example in a plastic bag). Application of a surface coating such as wax can also reduce water loss but is suitable mainly for low respiration products because the coating can impede oxygen and carbon diox-ide movement.

Mechanical injuries

Mechanical injuries can occur at any stage of harvesting, grading, packing and transport. Injury symptoms can appear externally or internally. They may be visible almost as soon as they occur, or they may only become vis-ible at some later time.

Mechanical injuries not only cause a loss of appearance, they can also increase water loss, stimulate increased respiration or ethylene production, and allow entry of disease organisms.

The major types of injuries are

• Bruising

• Abrasion

• Wounds (cuts and punctures)

• Cracking and splitting

When soft produce are bruised, external symptoms are usually easy to recognise, such as flat spots or shape dis-tortions. On produce with firm or hard external surfaces, bruising is frequently not visible. The hard surface may

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Source: Dr. T. O’Hare, Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia

distort and return to normal shape after impact, leaving damaged areas inside that only become visible to the con-sumer. The areas of damage usually appear as translucent or discoloured areas.

Bruising can be caused by impact or pressure damage. Impact damage can occur from dropping of individual produce or packages or hard knocks on equipment and during transport. Pressure damage can occur in product stacked too high or packed in a container unable to support the required weight.

Abrasion (rubbing) of surface tissue leads to rupture of cells. Loss of water and cell death occurs, leaving dry black or brown areas on the surface. Some of this injury may be visible immediately, but frequently takes several days to become visible. Symptoms can be severe for fruit which undergo ripening such as banana. Common causes of abrasion injury are rubbing of produce against dirty or rough surfaces of containers and equipment and rubbing of loosely packed produce during transport.

Heavy impacts to rigid or hard produce can cause cracking or splitting. This can occur when a single produce is dropped on to a hard surface, a container of produce is dropped or loose produce bounce against each other during transport.

Figure 3. The major types of injuries are bruising, abrasion, cracking and splitting and wounds

Physiological disorders

External factors can cause some of the active biological processes occurring in produce to fail or be disrupted, resulting in quality loss. Examples of these physiological disorders are:

• Heat injury

• Chilling (cold) injury

• Ethylene damage

• Carbon dioxide damage

• Low oxygen (anaerobic) injury

Heat injury. When produce is exposed to high temperatures, some of the quality characteristics are adversely affected. The effect of high temperature is produce specific but generally occurs above 30°C.

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Bruising Abrasion

Cracking and splitting Wounds

Sources of heat can be the sun shining onto packed produce, or onto the side of a transport vehicle. Excess heat build-up can also occur in stacks of produce with high respiration rate. The heat of respiration causes the produce to self-heat, particularly if it has not been adequately cooled.

Colour changes can be affected, such as inhibition of green colour loss. In extreme cases brown areas can appear on the skin. Other symptoms include

• Excessive softness

• Off flavours

• Yellowing of leaves

• Wilting

Chilling injury. Produce exposed to excessively low temperatures can suffer chilling injury. Common symptoms are surface pitting, discoloured skin areas, darkening of flesh or water soaked areas of flesh. Chilling injury can occur during cooling, storage and refrigerated transport.

Produce varies greatly in sensitivity to low temperatures. For example, climacteric tropical and sub-tropical fruit are affected by temperatures below 12°C while pineapple has been shown to suffer chilling injury at 20°C.

Figure 4. Bananas (grey skin) can suffer chilling injury below 12°C and pineapples (flesh browning and blackening) below 20°C.

Ethylene damage. Ethylene is a hormone that is involved in plant growth, development, ripening and senes-cence. Climacteric fruit experience an increase in ethylene production rate that coincides with ripening. These fruit release ethylene during ripening. Non-climacteric produce generally have a low ethylene production rate.

Ethylene in the air around produce can have both a positive and negative effect. The positive effect is the use of ethylene to control the ripening of climacteric fruit such as banana and tomato. However if unwanted ethylene builds up in the air around sensitive produce, it can induce or increase the rate of ripening and water loss and cause injuries.

Symptoms of ethylene damage include surface pitting, increased disease incidence, yellowing, and increased softening. Ethylene damage is typically caused by the mixing of ethylene producing and ethylene sensitive pro-duce during storage and transport.

Carbon dioxide damage. Carbon dioxide produced by respiration can build up in situations where ventilation is inadequate. For example, plastic bags can be used to create a modified atmosphere to extend the life of the product. Carbon dioxide can build up and be difficult to manage, particularly when temperature control is below optimum.

Some leafy products such as lettuce and chinese cabbage are sensitive to 2% carbon dioxide, suffering brown spots or brown vascular tissue. Carbon dioxide injury in fruit usually appears as skin discolouration and internal discolouration and possibly with water-soaked appearance.

Low oxygen injury. Produce, particularly fruit, held at atmospheres below 2% oxygen can suffer injury. Normal respiration fails and the product undergoes anaerobic respiration. This can occur when controlled or modified atmosphere storage and transport is incorrectly managed. The most common symptom is the formation of off-flavours.

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Disease infection

Infection by disease organisms, mostly bacteria and fungi, is a major cause of quality loss in many fruit and veg-etables. Infection can occur in the field during growth, or during postharvest handling. Spoilage organisms can be spread in wash water, particularly when the water is not is not changed frequently.

The susceptibility of produce varies considerably and is affected by several factors. One important factor is mechanical injury, where bruises, abrasions, cracks and cuts allow the organism to enter the produce.

Subjecting produce to stress such as excessively high or low temperatures, high or low humidity or unsuitable atmospheres can allow infection to occur or can increase disease development. Disease develops quickly in produce in an advanced stage of senescence.

Figure 5. Mechanical injury increases the susceptibility of produce to disease infection. Bruises, abrasions, cracks and wounds allow disease organisms to enter the produce.

Disease symptoms may range from small surface lesions that degrade appearance to severe infections with external and internal breakdown of a substantial part of the produce. Symptoms of moderate severity commonly appear as areas of excessive softness, off-colour or off-flavour.

Growth and development

Some types of produce continue growing after harvest. This can detract from the appearance of the produce and also cause quality deterioration internally as the produce uses its reserves to support the growth.

Sprouting of potatoes, shooting of onions, and elongating and changing shape of asparagus are examples of con-tinued growth after harvest. Formation of fibres can also occur in some produce.

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3. GAP requirementsThe good agricultural practices for controlling produce quality hazards are grouped into 10 elements. For the first element, “Quality plan”, the method for developing a quality plan is described. For the other elements, potential causes for quality loss are described and specific information is then provided for each practice to explain what is required to implement the practice. In some cases, two or more practices are grouped together as the guidance information is the same for both practices.

3.1 Quality plan

The good agricultural practices required to control produce quality hazards vary with the type of produce and how it is grown, harvested, handled, packed and transported. Each farmer or employer must identify the practices that are critical to managing quality and document them in a quality plan.

A quality plan contains the following information:

Process steps What steps are involved in growing, harvesting and postharvest handling?

Quality hazards What quality loss can happen if something goes wrong during the process?

Causes of quality loss What can go wrong during the process to cause the quality loss?

Good agricultural practices What control measures, monitoring activities and record keeping are needed to

prevent or minimise the risk of the quality hazard occurring?

An example of a quality plan for production, harvesting and postharvest handling of mangoes is described in section 5.

3.2 Planting material

It is important that the crop variety selected to be grown is acceptable to the customers who purchase the produce. There are often many varieties available from which to select. The best way to identify the preferred varieties is to read industry publications and talk to customers such as traders, wholesalers and retailers.

The health of the planting material will directly affect the growth of the crop, which impacts on the quality of the produce. Unhealthy plants are more susceptible to pest and disease attack and disorders such as misshapen produce, and produce is typically smaller in size and has reduced shelf life.

To ensure that the planting material is healthy when obtained from another farm or nursery, the farmer should request the supplier to provide a recognised plant health certificate or a guarantee that the material is good quality.

3.3 Fertilisers and soil additives

Fertilisers are used to provide nutrients for plant growth and soil additives are used to improve soil structure. Some examples of soil additives are gypsum, animal and plant manures, sawdust and coconut pulp. Adequate nutrition is essential to ensure healthy plant growth. Unhealthy plants are more susceptible to pest and disease attack and disorders such as misshapen produce, and produce is typically smaller in size and has reduced shelf life.

Excessive fertiliser use can cause excessive plant growth, which can lead to quality loss such as poor colour, deformities, internal disorders and reduced shelf life.

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Practice 1. Practices that are critical to managing produce quality during production, harvesting and post-harvest handling are identified in a quality plan for the crop grown.

Practice 2. Crop varieties are selected to satisfy market requirements.

Practice 3. If planting material is obtained from another farm or nursery, either a recognised plant health certificate or a guarantee that the material is good quality is provided by the supplier.

Nutrient requirements vary depending on the type of produce grown, the production method, the soil type and characteristics, and the previous application of fertilisers and soil additives. Nutrient application must be based on the nutritional requirements of the crop and recommendations from a competent authority or on soil or leaf or sap testing.

Recommendations for fertiliser application are typically available in industry publications produced by competent authorities such as the Department of Agriculture. Further advice can be obtained from advisers such as exten-sion officers, consultants and resellers. Before using an adviser, request them to show proof of their competence. Examples of proof are qualifications from an education institution, statement of knowledge and experience from a competent authority, and a training course certificate.

Advisers can also provide advice on soil and plant testing. Soil testing is done to check the availability of nutrients in the soil while leaf or sap testing is done to check the level of nutrients in the plant.

Faulty operation of equipment may lead to insufficient or excessive application of fertilisers and soil additives. Equipment must be checked by a technically competent person at least annually to ensure that application rates are within the acceptable range. A technically competent person can be the farmer or a worker who is skilled in operating the equipment or an adviser such as a representative from the equipment supplier.

Rainfall runoff from compost made from plant materials, particularly old crop residues, may be a source of dis-ease if the compost heap is located close to production sites and water sources. Compost areas and facilities need to be constructed with barriers, drainage systems, and covers to prevent contamination of produce from plant diseases.

Figure 6. Rainfall runoff from compost made from plant materials, particularly old crop residues, may be a source of disease if the compost heap is located close to production sites and water sources.

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Practice 4. Nutrient application is based on recommendations from a competent authority or on soil or leaf or sap testing and the nutritional requirements for the crop grown.

Practice 5. Equipment used to apply fertilisers and soil additives is maintained in working condition and checked for effective operation at least annually by a technically competent person.

Practice 6. Areas and facilities for composting of organic materials are located, constructed and maintained to prevent contamination of crops by diseases.

Practice 7. The application of fertilisers and soil additives is recorded, detailing the name of the product or material, date, treatment location, application rate and method, and operator name.

A record of fertilisers and soil additives applied must be kept to help guide the nutrient application for the crop grown and for future crops. The history of fertiliser application on the site is an important factor when determining the nutritional requirements of a crop. If problems occur with produce quality, the fertiliser and soil additive record may help determine if poor nutrition is the cause of the problem.

The record of the application of fertilisers and soil additives can be recorded in a log book or on a record form. An example of a record form is contained in Section 6. Examples of documents and records.

3.4 Water

Adequate water is essential to ensure healthy plant growth. Unhealthy plants caused by water stress are more susceptible to pest and disease attack and produce is typically smaller in size and has reduced shelf life. Excessive water application can also stress the plant and lead to quality loss such as splitting and reduced shelf life.

The need for irrigation varies with each type of produce grown and the location and production method. The important factors to consider are crop water requirements, water availability and soil moisture levels. Recommendations for irrigation use are typically available in industry publications produced by competent authorities such as the Department of Agriculture.

Further advice can be obtained from advisers such as extension officers, consultants and resellers. Before using an adviser, request them to show proof of their competence. Examples of proof are qualifications from an education institution, statement of knowledge and experience from a competent authority, and a training course certificate.

Water for irrigation may be available from a range of sources – for example, farm dams, underground bores, riv-ers and watercourses, irrigation schemes. A range of irrigation systems are available and selection depends on how much water is available, the type of produce grown, production system, availability of labour and finances. Irrigation systems vary from low volume, efficient systems such as trickle irrigation to high volume systems such as spray and flood irrigation.

Soil moisture levels can be measured by a simple method such as digging a hole in the soil or by using equipment such as tensiometers and soil moisture probes.

Figure 7. Selection of irrigation systems depends on how much water is available, the type of produce grown, production system, availability of labour and finances.

A record of irrigation use helps plan the application of water for crop growth. If problems occur with produce qual-ity, the irrigation record may also help determine if water stress or excessive irrigation is the cause of the problem.

The record should detail the crop, date of irrigation and location of the production site and either the volume of

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Practice 8. Irrigation use is based on crop water requirements, water availability, and soil moisture levels.

Practice 9. A record of irrigation use is kept, detailing the crop, date, location, and volume of water applied or duration of irrigation.

Spray irrigation Trickle irrigation

water applied or the duration of irrigation. Some irrigation systems are automated and work on a set time sched-ule. In this case the duration and volume of irrigation is set so only the crop, date of irrigation and location has to be recorded. A record of rainfall should also be kept.

The record of irrigation use can be recorded in a log book or on a record form. An example of a record form is contained in Section 6. Examples of documents and records.

3.5 Chemicals

Agrochemicals

Chemicals are used during the production of fresh produce for control of pests (insects, disease, weeds), regula-tion of growth and thinning of crops, and after harvest for treating produce for disease and insect control, applying surface coatings to reduce moisture loss or improve appearance, and for sanitising water and equipment surfac-es. To ensure that chemicals are used effectively to prevent or minimise quality loss, chemicals must be approved for use on the type of produce grown and must be applied according to label or permit instructions.

Integrated pest management systems are recommended where possible to reduce the risk of chemical resistance and excessive residues and the impact of chemicals on the environment.

Incorrect selection, mixing, and application of chemicals can lead to inadequate pest control, spray burn, residues exceeding the MRL or visible chemical residues on the produce. Training is important to ensure that employ-ers and workers have the appropriate level of knowledge and skills, which varies with area of responsibility. For example, the person who has overall responsibility for chemical use must have knowledge about all aspects and be able to train workers. A worker who applies the chemical must have knowledge and skills on preparing the spray mix and the operation of equipment.

Evidence is required to show that people have been trained to the appropriate level. This may vary from a certifi-cate from a formal training course to a note in a log book. The information to record is the person’s name, date of training and topics covered.

Figure 8. Employers and workers must be trained to a level appropriate to their area of responsibility for chemical use.

The crop protection measures required vary with the type of produce grown, the production system, pest pressure and environmental conditions. Recommendations for crop protection are typically available in industry publications produced by competent authorities such as the Department of Agriculture. Further advice can be obtained from advisers such as extension officers, consultants and resellers. Before using an adviser, request them to show proof of their competence. Examples of proof are qualifications from an education institution, statement of knowledge and experience from a competent authority, and a training course certificate.

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Practice 10. Employers and workers have been trained to a level appropriate to their area of responsibility for chemical application.

Practice 11. Crop protection measures are appropriate for the control of pests.

Source: Mr. S. Menon, QA Plus Asia-Pacific Sdn. Bhd., Malaysia

Practice 12. Integrated pest management systems are used where possible.

An integrated pest management (IPM) system integrates multiple strategies for managing pests to minimise the use of synthetic pesticides. The strategies include encouraging beneficial insects and microorganisms to flourish, good crop hygiene and plant health, regular monitoring of crops for pests, using biological control agents, and selective use of synthetic pesticides.

Evidence is required to show that an IPM system is used. Examples of evidence are records of crop protection practices such as pest monitoring results, use of biological control agents, and spray application.

Chemicals obtained from unlicensed suppliers may be incorrectly identified or not true to the label contents or may contain impurities. This can lead to inadequate pest control, spray burn, residues exceeding the MRL or visible chemical residues on the produce.

The use of approved chemicals is not only important for food safety but also to ensure that the chemicals are effective for the purpose and produce quality is maximised. Most countries have authorities responsible for regis-tering the use of chemicals on farms. Approval to use the chemical may be listed on the label or a permit may be issued for its use.

Chemicals are typically approved for a particular purpose for specified crops. The approved use and MRL must be confirmed for not only for the country where the produce is grown but also for where the produce is intended to be traded. It is possible that a chemical may be approved with a particular MRL in the country where the produce is grown but is banned or has a different MRL where the produce is to be traded. Biopesticides, which are made from biological sources, must also be approved for use on the produce grown.

Documented lists of approved chemicals and MRLs can be obtained from publications or downloaded from web-sites or direct contact with the appropriate authorities. The Codex Alimentarius Commission (www.codexalimen-tarius.net) provides standards for MRLs that many countries have adopted.

To ensure that chemicals are effective for the purpose, chemicals must be applied according to the label or permit directions. Ineffective use can occur if mixing is incorrect or the application rate is too low or high. Labels that are written in a foreign language must be translated accurately to ensure that mixing and application rates are correct.

14

Practice 14. Chemicals used on crops are approved by a competent authority in the country where the crop is grown and intended to be traded, and documentation is available to confirm approval.

Practice 13. Chemicals are only obtained from licensed suppliers.

Practice 15. Chemicals are applied according to label directions or a permit issued by a competent authority.

Practice 16. A chemical rotation strategy and other crop protection measures are used to avoid pest resistance.

Fiqure 9. Chemicals are applied according to label directions or a permit issued by a competent authority.

Continuous use of the same chemical may lead to pest resistance and loss of quality through pest damage. A chemical rotation strategy and the use of integrated pest management strategies reduce the risk of pest resis-tance to chemicals.

Faulty equipment may lead to incorrect application rates, either too low or too high. During each use, the equipment should be checked for leaks and faulty nozzles. At least annually, the equipment should be calibrated to check that the volume of spray delivered is correct. The calibration must be done by a technically competent person. This can be the farm owner, a farm worker, an advisor, or an equipment representative as long as they have been appropriately trained. A record of the calibration should be kept. The information to record includes the name of person who did thecalibration and the date and results of the calibration. The information can be recorded in a log book or on a record form.

A record of chemicals applied must be kept to show that chemicals have been applied correctly and for traceabil-ity in the event of unacceptable quality loss occurring due to pest damage. The records enable possible causes of pest damage to be investigated.

The information required can be recorded separately or together in a log book or on a record form. Examples of records for applying chemicals are contained in Section 6. Examples of documents and records.

3.6 Harvesting and handling produce

Quality can be lost during the harvesting operation, during handling and packing of produce and during storage and transport of produce to the customer. Good agricultural practices are aimed at preventing or minimising qual-ity loss through optimising maturity at harvest, handling produce carefully, grading produce to customer require-ments, and effective control of temperature and moisture loss.

Harvesting

Quality loss during the harvesting operation can be caused by:

• Incorrect maturity

• Acceleration of senescence (aging)

• Water loss

• Mechanical injury

• Disease infection

Determining when produce is mature and ready for harvest can be a difficult decision. For some crops, maturity (harvest) indices have been developed to assist in the decision process. For other crops, harvesting at the correct time can be highly subjective.

The optimum maturity for harvest is when the plant has completed sufficient growth and development to ensure that produce quality and shelf is acceptable to the consumer. Most produce start to senescence once harvested, eventually leading to death. If produce is harvested too mature, senescence may occur before the produce reach-es the consumer. If produce is harvested immature, quality characteristics such as colour, size, shape, flavour and texture will be reduced.

The methods for measuring maturity must be simple, as it may need to be assessed in different places such as in the field or packing shed or in the market. The best methods are those that are objective rather than subjective. The following examples of maturity indices can be used separately or in combination depending on the fruit or vegetable.

15

Practice 19. An appropriate maturity index is used to determine when to harvest produce.

Practice 18. The application of chemicals is recorded for each crop, detailing the chemical used, reason for application, treatment location, date, rate and method of application, weather conditions, and operator name.

Practice 17. Equipment used to apply chemicals is maintained in working condition and checked for effective operation at least annually by a technically competent person.

• Days from flowering

• Mean heat units – calculated from weather data

• Development of abscission layer – visual or force of separation

• Surface structure – visual appearance

• Size – length or diameter

• Specific gravity – floatation techniques

• Shape – dimensions, ratio charts

• Solidity – feel, bulk density, x-rays, near infrared (NIR)

• Textural properties – firmness, tenderness, toughness

• Colour – external, internal – use of colour charts

• Internal structure – visual, NIR

• Compositional factors such as content of sugar, starch, acid, juice and oil

Figure 10. Some maturity indices are non-destructive such as skin colour of lychee while others are destructive such as measuring the sugar content of melons with a refractometer.

Mechanical injuries during harvesting can be caused by unsuitable harvesting methods and rough handling by workers. To prevent mechanical injury, the harvest technique must be appropriate for the produce and workers trained in correct methods. Dirty equipment and tools can be a source of disease infection and should be checked before use and cleaned as required.

The harvesting technique will vary depending on the type of produce, the availability and cost of workers, and the size of farm. The method can be simple such as hand picking into baskets or more complex such as using har-vesting aids with conveyors for transferring produce into bulk containers.

Rough handling can occur when the produce is removed from the plant and placed into a container. Some pro-duce is removed by hand while others are removed by cutting with a knife or secateurs. Dropping produce from excessive heights into the harvest container will caused impact damage. The softer the produce, the more sus-ceptible it is to impact damage.

16

Practice 20. An appropriate technique is used for harvesting of produce.

Practice 21. Equipment and tools are suitable for harvesting and are checked for cleanliness before use and cleaned as required.

Practice 22. Containers are suitable for harvesting of produce and are not overfilled.

Practice 23. Liners are used to protect produce if containers have rough surfaces.

Practice 24. Containers are covered to reduce moisture loss and exposure to the sun.

Visual appearance Destructive test

The type of harvest containers and the packing method can be a source of quality loss. Sharp and rough surfaces on the inside of the container can cause wounds and rub damage. Overfilling the container with produce packed too high can cause pressure damage. Dirty containers can cause rub damage and disease infection. Produce that is susceptible to moisture loss, such as leafy vegetables, can lose moisture quickly if left exposed in the container.

Liners can be used to protect produce if the containers have rough surfaces. Examples of liners are banana leaves, paper, and straw. The liner must be clean to ensure it is not a source of food safety hazards and spoil-age organism. Moisture and exposure to the sun can be reduced by covering containers with materials such as banana leaves, paper, hessian bags, and plastic. Containers should be checked before use for soundness and cleanliness and cleaned or discarded as required.

Figure 11. Liners will protect produce if harvesting containers have rough surfaces.

The process of senescence, aging leading to death, commences immediately at harvest. The higher the tempera-ture and the longer the produce is held at high temperatures, the faster the rate of senescence. To minimise the effect of high temperature, particularly for produce that deteriorates quickly, harvest during the coolest time of the day, cover harvest containers, remove produce from the field as quickly as possible and place harvested produce in the shade if there are long delays before removing from the field.

If produce is harvested in the rain, it may remain wet for a long period and provide a favourable environment for disease development. Disease will develop quickly if produce such as leafy vegetables remain wet at high temperature. Harvesting during rain is best avoided.

Figure 12. Removed produce from the field as quickly as possible or place in the shade if there are long delays before removing from the field.

17

Practice 26. Produce is harvested in the coolest time of the day and harvesting in the rain is avoided if possible.

Practice 27. Produce is removed from the field as quickly as possible.

Practice 28. Harvested produce is placed in the shade if long delays occur before transport.

Practice 25. Containers are checked for soundness and cleanliness before use and cleaned or discarded as required.

Source: Dr. Vong Nguyen, Department of Primary Industries, NSW Australia

Mechanical injury can occur if containers are stacked on top of each other and the container is not designed to support the weight above. Examples are using open top baskets, boxes and crates. The container must have sufficient stacking strength and either have a lid or stacking device to allow the container above to placed on top without causing pressure damage. Shelves or raised floors can be used in the transport vehicle to allow multiple layers of open top containers to be stacked. Containers must be secured during transport to prevent rub damage from excessive vibration or impact damage from containers bouncing or falling over. Different methods of securing the containers can be used such as ropes, straps or canvas covers.

Figure 13. Shelves can be used in the transport vehicle to allow prevent pressure damage when stacking multiple layers of open top containers.

Handling and packing produce

Produce may be prepared for marketing either in the field or in a separate packing area or shed. Quality loss dur-ing handling and packing can be caused by:

• Incorrect grading

• Acceleration of senescence and water loss

• Mechanical injuries

• Physiological disorders

• Disease infection

• Growth and development

Excessive drops and impacts can occur when produce is removed from harvest containers and placed onto benches or tables for packing or onto grading and packing equipment. They can also occur at points along the grading and packing equipment and at the end when produce drops into packing bins or packages. Appropriate equipment design and training of workers are needed to minimise physical injury.

Dirty equipment, containers and packaging materials can cause rub damage and disease infection and should be checked before use and cleaned as required.

18

Practice 29. Packed containers are not stacked on top of each other unless they are designed to support the container and minimise mechanical damage.

Practice 30. Containers are secured during transport to minimise mechanical damage.

Practice 31. Equipment is constructed to minimise excessive drops and impacts.

Practice 32. Equipment, containers and materials that contact produce are regularly cleaned and maintained to minimise mechanical damage.

Pests such as rats, mice, birds and cockroaches can chew and eat produce while produce is being held in han-dling, packing and storage areas. The presence of pests can be minimised with physical barriers or chemical treatments. Examples of control measures are:

• Use baits and traps to control rodents.

• Use blinds or fixtures over openings in walls (doors and windows) to prevent entry of birds.

• Regularly dispose of waste from areas where produce is packed, handled and stored.

• Store containers and materials off the ground or floor and keep them dry, ventilated and covered.

Some produce can be treated after harvest to minimise disease development. The treatment can be a chemical treatment such as dipping or spraying with a fungicide or a physical treatment such has hot water or storage at a low temperature.

Figure 14. Disease development can be reduce by dipping or spraying with a fungicide or a physical treatment such has hot water or storage at a low temperature

Water used after harvest for handling, washing and produce treatment can be a source of spoilage organisms. The water must be either changed frequently or treated with a sanitiser or a non-recirculating system is used where water runs to waste.

Figure 15. To avoid a build of spoilage organisms, water used to wash produce must be either changed frequently or treated with a sanitiser or a non-recirculating spray system is used where water runs to waste.

There are a number of chemical and non-chemical sanitising methods that can be used to treat water for spoilage

19

Practice 33. Measures are taken to prevent the presence of pests in and around handling, packing and storage areas.

Practice 34. Where required, produce is treated to minimise disease development and loss of quality.

Practice 35. Water used after harvest for handling, washing, and produce treatment is treated or changed regularly to minimise contamination from spoilage organism.

organisms. Chemical sanitisers must be approved for use by a competent authority. Technical advice should be sought to ensure that the best option is used. Common options are:

• Chlorine

• Chlorine dioxide

• Chloro-bromine compounds

• Hydrogen peroxide

• Peracetic acid

• Peroxy compounds (combinations of hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid)

• Ozone

• Ultraviolet light

Packing and storing of produce in areas that are exposed to the sun will accelerate the rate of senescence and can cause sunburn of produce in open top containers. Covering these areas reduces the temperature of the sur-rounding air and direct exposure to the sun. It can be a simple structure with a roof on supports with no walls to a fully enclosed packing shed.

Once produce is harvested, it should not be placed in direct contact, particularly the cut surfaces, with the ground or the floor of handling, packing and storage areas. Soil and dirty floors can be a source of spoilage organisms. The cut surfaces of produce can provide entry points and nutrients for growth of spoilage organisms.

Materials such as paper, plastic and timber can be placed on the ground or floor to prevent contact of harvested produce with dirt and other matter. The materials should be clean to prevent them being a source of contamination.

Figure 16. Once produce is harvested, it should not be placed in direct contact, particularly the cut surfaces, with the ground or the floor of handling, packing and storage areas.

Many customers require the produce to be uniform in quality within the package. This may be uniform colour, size, weight, shape, or some other characteristic. To achieve uniformity, the produce must be graded for quality.

Grading is usually done by humans, although machinery or measurement devices are increasingly being used. Accuracy of humans is usually less than machinery, but can be improved with suitable training. Photographs or produce samples showing different quality grades can be used to train workers.

Achieving perfect uniformity is rarely possible so some level of variability has to be allowed. Decisions have to be made about what range of attribute between the lower limit and upper limit will be allowed. For example, for a produce weight requirement of 250 grams with an allowance of 10%, the weight range would be 225 to 275 grams.

20

Practice 36. Produce is packed and stored in covered areas.

Practice 37. Produce is not placed in direct contact with soil or the floor of handling, packing or storage areas.

Practice 38. Produce is graded and packed according to customer or market requirements.

Figure 17. Grading citrus for size. The sizing rings increase in diameter along the machine and fruit from small to large drop through into different bins for packing.

Rough surfaces on the inside of the container must be covered with protective materials to prevent wounds and rub damage. Examples of protective materials are banana leaves, paper, straw and bubble plastic. The material must be clean to ensure it is not a source of food safety hazards and spoilage organism.

If produce susceptible to moisture loss is packed in open top containers or in containers with excessive ventilation in the sides, liners may be required to reduce moisture loss. Examples of liners are banana leaves, paper and plastic film and bags.

Figure 18. Lettuce in this open package is susceptible to both mechanical damage and moisture loss

The rate of senescence, moisture loss and disease development is dependent on temperature. The higher the temperature of the produce, the higher is the rate of deterioration. Removing field heat from the produce mini-mises quality deterioration.

21

Practice 39. Protective materials are used where required to protect produce from rough surfaces of containers and excessive moisture loss.

Practice 40. Field heat is removed using appropriate cooling methods.

The need to cool produce depends on the type of produce and the time from harvest to consumption. For exam-ple, produce that is sold at a local market within 1 day of harvest or produce with a low rate of senescence and moisture loss usually do not require cooling. Produce with moderate to high rates of deterioration that are trans-ported long distances or held for long periods should be cooled to reduce quality loss. Common methods used to cool produce include cooling with air, water, and package icing.

Two methods are used for air cooling – room cooling or forced air cooling. Room cooling is where cool air is swept passed stacks of produce or packed containers. Space is required around containers for airflow and cool-ing is typically slow and uneven. Forced air cooling is where cool air is pulled through packed containers. The containers must be vented to allow air flow past each piece of produce. Cooling is fast and uniform.

Cooling with water is called hydrocooling. Produce is immersed in or showered with cold water. The produce and containers must be able to tolerate water. Cooling is very fast and even.

Top icing is where ice is placed on top of produce or an ice slurry is injected in the the container. Produce must be able to tolerate ice. Cooling is slow if ice is just placed on top of the container.

Figure 19. Field heat can be removed from produce by cooling with air, water or ice.

Storage and transport

Packed produce may be transported directly to the customer, the next business in the supply chain, or held for a duration before transport. Quality loss during storage and transport can be caused by:

• Acceleration of senescence, water loss, disease infection

• Mechanical injuries

• Physiological disorders

If produce is held for long periods before or during transport, it should be held at the lowest temperature suit-able to the produce. Holding produce at high temperature will accelerate senescence, moisture loss and disease development. The recommended temperature for storing and transporting produce varies with the type of pro-duce. Most leafy vegetables can be held at 0°C while tropical and sub-tropical fruit are best stored at between 10 to 13°C. Storing at lower temperatures will cause chilling injury.

Covering the transport vehicle reduces the heating of produce from the surrounding air and the direct impact of the sun and also minimises air flow through the load.

Recommendations for storage and transport of produce are typically available in industry publications produced by competent authorities such as the Department of Agriculture. Further advice can be obtained from advisers such as extension officers and consultants.

22

Practice 41. For long delays before transport, produce is held at the lowest suitable temperature available.

Practice 42. Transport vehicles are covered and appropriate temperature conditions are used to minimise quality loss.

Cooling with air Top icing

Figure 20. Covering the transport vehicle reduces the heating of produce from the surrounding air and the direct impact of the sun and also minimises air flow through the load.

Dirty transport vehicles can be a source of pest infestation and disease infection and mechanical damage when produce is stacked loose in the vehicle. The vehicle should be checked before use for cleanliness, foreign objects and pest infestation and cleaned as required.

Incompatibility of produce during transport can occur if produce of different sensitivity to low temperature is transported together or if ethylene producing produce is mixed with ethylene sensitive produce. For example if bananas are transported with lettuce at temperatures below 10°C and if ripening tomatoes are transported with cucumbers.

Advice on mixing of produce during transport can be obtained from industry publications produced by competent authorities such as the Department of Agriculture or from advisers.

A delay in the transport of produce to the customer increases the risk of quality loss, particularly when the pro-duce has not been cooled and the transport is not refrigerated.

3.7 Traceability and recall

An effective system for identifying and tracing produce is needed to investigate causes of quality loss when it occurs and to prevent re-occurrence of the problem. The essential requirements for an effective system are:

• each production site is identified by a name or code,• each batch of packed containers is clearly marked with an identification code,• a record is kept of the batch identification, date of supply, source and destination, and • records of farm operations are kept.

A batch is defined as all produce harvested and packed on the same day from the same source, which has been treated in the same way.

23

Practice 44. Mixing of non-compatible produce during transport is avoided.

Practice 45. Produce is transported quickly to the destination.

Practice 43. Transport vehicles are checked before use for cleanliness, foreign objects, and pest infestation, and cleaned if there is a significant risk of mechanical damage and contamination from spoilage organisms.

Practice 46. Each separate production site is identified by a name or code. The name or code is placed on the site and recorded on a property map. The site name or code is recorded on all documents and records that refer to the site.

A site is a defined area on the farm. If there is more than one production site on the farm, they must be identified by a name of code. For example, sites may be identified with names like road block, house block or dam block or with codes like block A, B, C or block 1, 2, 3 and so on.

The whole farm can be treated as one production site. The consequence of not distinguishing separate production sites is that if a problem occurs with produce quality, it may not be possible to identify the source of the problem. If the different production sites are identified, the quality problem may be traced to a particular production site.

The different production sites must be physically identified with a sign showing the site name or code. This can be as simple as a peg with the name or code written on the top of the peg. Placing a sign on the site minimises the risk of workers accidentally applying incorrect treatments.

The location of the site must be identified on a farm plan, with the name or code shown. The site name or code must also be recorded on all documents and records for cross-referencing and to enable trace back.

Packed containers that are prepared for sale must be marked with an identification to enable trace back to the farm or production site. This includes produce packed on the farm and produce in field containers ready for trans-port to another establishment for packing.

Simple methods can be used to identify the farm. Examples are attaching a card or label onto the container with the name of the farm or using a particular colour for the container. Markings and labels should be waterproof to prevent deterioration.

If more than one production site is present on a farm, marking the site name or code on the container enables trace back to each individual production site. For example the letter “A” marked on a container would indicate that the produce was harvested from Block A.

Similarly, where produce is harvested a number of times from one production site, traceability is enhanced by marking the date of packing or a code on the container. An example of a packing code is the day number for the month and the year – for example 240906 would refer to the 24th day of September, 2006.

Where produce from more than one farm is packed together in the same batch, the name of the farm or a code must be marked on each container to identify the farm. For example, each farm could be allocated a number and the number is then marked on the container.

Figure 21. Where produce from more than one farm is packed in the same brand, marking of field and packed containers with a name or code will enable produce to be traced back to each farm.

24

Practice 47. Packed containers are clearly marked with an identification to enable traceability of the produce to the farm or site where the produce is grown.

Practice 48. A record is kept of the date of supply, quantity of produce and destination for each consignment of produce.

The date of the supply of the produce, quantity of produce and the destination where the consignment was sent must be recorded. This information can be recorded in a log book or on a record form. An example of the informa-tion to record is as follows:

“30 baskets of tomatoes from Block B were picked and packed on the 20th April 2006 and sold to trader X in Ho Chi Minh City”.

3.8 Training

People whose roles may impact on produce quality must have adequate knowledge and skills to perform their duties. Their training needs should be considered and appropriate training planned and carried out. The training may take the form of on-the-job training or formal training. Refresher training and signs in the work area help to reinforce the correct methods for doing tasks and reduce the risk of quality loss.

A record of training must be kept to show that employers and workers have been trained. This information can be recorded in a log book or on a record form. An example of a job responsibility and training record form is con-tained in Section 6. Examples of documents and records.

3.9 Documents and records

Records enable tracing back of consignments to investigate possible causes of quality loss and also provide evi-dence for auditors and customers that good agricultural practices have been implemented. They must be kept for a minimum of 2 years or longer if required by government legislation or customers.

To avoid the use of obsolete documents, any out of date documents must be discarded and only current versions used. Placing the date of preparation at the bottom of the document will identify the latest version.

3.10 Review of practices

A review of practices is necessary to confirm that practices are being carried out as required and records are accurate and contain the required information. This self-assessment identifies the practices that are not being done correctly and actions needed to investigate and rectify the problem.

All practices must be reviewed at least once each year. The practices do not have to be reviewed at the same time. It is best to review the practices at the time when they are being undertaken. For example at harvest time, review the practices that are associated with harvesting and preparation of the product for sale. A review of the application of pesticides during production would be undertaken before produce is harvested.

Despite best intentions, problems arise from time to time. The review may identify a practice that is not being done correctly. The problem must be investigated and actions taken to correct the problem and prevent it happening again.

A record must be kept of the practices reviewed and corrective actions taken. A self-assessment checklist is a useful tool. It provides a simple, systematic outline for reviewing practices and when completed it provides a record of the review and corrective actions taken. Examples of a self-assessment checklist and corrective action form are contained in Section 4. Self-assessment checklist.

25

Practice 49. Employers and workers have appropriate knowledge or are trained in their area of responsibility relevant to good agricultural practice and a record of training is kept.

Practice 50. Records of good agricultural practices are kept for a minimum period of at least two years or for a longer period if required by government legislation or customers.

Practice 51. Out of date documents are discarded and only current versions are used.

Practice 52. All practices are reviewed at least once each year to ensure that they are done correctly and actions are taken to correct any deficiencies identified.

Practice 53. A record is kept of practices reviewed and corrective actions taken.

Practice 54. Actions are taken to resolve complaints related to produce quality, and a record is kept of the complaint and actions taken.

Complaints from customers or others concerning produce quality must be investigated and actions taken to resolve the complaint. A record of the complaint and actions taken must be kept. This information can be recorded in a log book or on a record form.

26

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tion,

app

licat

ion

rate

and

met

hod,

and

ope

rato

r na

me.

Wat

er

8.

Irrig

atio

n us

e is

bas

ed o

n cr

op w

ater

req

uire

men

ts,

wat

er

av

aila

bilit

y, a

nd s

oil m

oist

ure

leve

ls.

Yes

Nee

ds

atte

nti

on

No

t re

leva

nt

Act

ion

s re

qu

ired

/ ta

ken

28

Wat

er -

co

nti

nu

ed

12.

Inte

grat

ed p

est

man

agem

ent

syst

ems

are

used

whe

re p

ossi

ble.

Ch

emic

als

10.

E

mpl

oyer

s an

d w

orke

rs h

ave

been

tra

ined

to

a le

vel a

ppro

pria

te

to

the

ir ar

ea o

f re

spon

sibi

lity

for

chem

ical

app

licat

ion.

9.

A r

ecor

d of

irrig

atio

n us

e is

kep

t, de

taili

ng t

he c

rop,

dat

e, lo

catio

n

an

d vo

lum

e of

wat

er a

pplie

d or

dur

atio

n of

irrig

atio

n.

11.

Cro

p pr

otec

tion

mea

sure

s ar

e ap

prop

riate

for

the

con

trol

of

pest

s.

13.

C

hem

ical

s ar

e on

ly o

btai

ned

from

lice

nsed

sup

plie

rs.

14.

C

hem

ical

s us

ed o

n cr

ops

are

appr

oved

by

a co

mpe

tent

aut

horit

y

in

the

cou

ntry

whe

re t

he c

rop

is g

row

n an

d in

tend

ed t

o be

tra

ded,

an

d do

cum

enta

tion

is a

vaila

ble

to c

onfir

m a

ppro

val.

15.

C

hem

ical

s ar

e ap

plie

d ac

cord

ing

to la

bel d

irect

ions

or

a pe

rmit

issu

ed b

y a

com

pete

nt a

utho

rity.

16.

A

che

mic

al r

otat

ion

stra

tegy

and

oth

er c

rop

prot

ectio

n m

easu

res

are

used

to

avoi

d pe

st r

esis

tanc

e.

17.

E

quip

men

t us

ed t

o ap

ply

chem

ical

s is

mai

ntai

ned

in w

orki

ng

co

nditi

on a

nd c

heck

ed f

or e

ffect

ive

oper

atio

n at

leas

t an

nual

ly b

y

a

tech

nica

lly c

ompe

tent

per

son.

18.

T

he a

pplic

atio

n of

che

mic

als

is r

ecor

ded

for

each

cro

p, d

etai

ling

the

chem

ical

use

d, r

easo

n fo

r ap

plic

atio

n, t

reat

men

t lo

catio

n,

da

te,

rate

and

met

hod

of a

pplic

atio

n, w

eath

er c

ondi

tions

, an

d

op

erat

or n

ame.

Har

vest

ing

pro

du

ce

19.

A

n ap

prop

riate

mat

urity

inde

x is

use

d to

det

erm

ine

whe

n to

ha

rves

t pr

oduc

e.

20.

A

n ap

prop

riate

tec

hniq

ue is

use

d fo

r ha

rves

ting

of p

rodu

ce.

21.

E

quip

men

t an

d to

ols

are

suita

ble

for

harv

estin

g an

d ar

e ch

ecke

d

fo

r cl

eanl

ines

s be

fore

use

and

cle

aned

as

requ

ired.

22.

C

onta

iner

s ar

e su

itabl

e fo

r ha

rves

ting

of p

rodu

ce a

nd a

re n

ot

ov

erfil

led.

Yes

Nee

ds

atte

nti

on

No

t re

leva

nt

Act

ion

s re

qu

ired

/ ta

ken

28 29

Har

vest

ing

pro

du

ce c

on

tin

ued

27.

P

rodu

ce is

rem

oved

fro

m t

he f

ield

as

quic

kly

as p

ossi

ble.

24.

C

onta

iner

s ar

e co

vere

d to

red

uce

moi

stur

e lo

ss a

nd e

xpos

ure

to

th

e su

n.

25.

C

onta

iner

s ar

e ch

ecke

d fo

r so

undn

ess

and

clea

nlin

ess

befo

re

us

e an

d cl

eane

d or

dis

card

ed a

s re

quire

d.

23.

Li

ners

are

use

d to

pro

tect

pro

duce

if c

onta

iner

s ha

ve r

ough

surf

aces

.

26.

P

rodu

ce is

har

vest

ed in

the

coo

lest

tim

e of

the

day

and

harv

estin

g in

the

rai

n is

avo

ided

if p

ossi

ble.

28.

H

arve

sted

pro

duce

is p

lace

d in

the

sha

de if

long

del

ays

occu

r

be

fore

tra

nspo

rt.

29.

P

acke

d co

ntai

ners

are

not

sta

cked

on

top

of e

ach

othe

r un

less

they

are

des

igne

d to

sup

port

the

con

tain

er a

nd m

inim

ise

mec

hani

cal d

amag

e.

30.

C

onta

iner

s ar

e se

cure

d du

ring

tran

spor

t to

min

imis

e m

echa

nica

l

dam

age.

Han

dlin

g a

nd

pac

kin

g p

rod

uce

31.

E

quip

men

t is

con

stru

cted

to

min

imis

e ex

cess

ive

drop

s an

d

im

pact

s.

32.

E

quip

men

t, co

ntai

ners

and

mat

eria

ls t

hat

cont

act

prod

uce

are

regu

larly

cle

aned

and

mai

ntai

ned

to m

inim

ise

mec

hani

cal

da

mag

e.

33.

M

easu

res

are

take

n to

pre

vent

the

pre

senc

e of

pes

ts in

and

arou

nd h

andl

ing,

pac

king

and

sto

rage

are

as.

34.

W

here

req

uire

d, p

rodu

ce is

tre

ated

to

min

imis

e di

seas

e

deve

lopm

ent

and

loss

of

qual

ity.

35.

W

ater

use

d af

ter

harv

est

for

hand

ling,

was

hing

, an

d pr

oduc

e

tr

eatm

ent

is t

reat

ed o

r ch

ange

d re

gula

rly t

o m

inim

ise

co

ntam

inat

ion

from

spo

ilage

org

anis

m.

36.

P

rodu

ce is

pac

ked

and

stor

ed in

cov

ered

are

as.

37.

P

rodu

ce is

not

pla

ced

in d

irect

con

tact

with

soi

l or

the

floor

of

hand

ling,

pac

king

or

stor

age

area

s.38

.

Pro

duce

is g

rade

d an

d pa

cked

acc

ordi

ng t

o cu

stom

er o

r m

arke

t

re

quire

men

ts.

Yes

Nee

ds

atte

nti

on

No

t re

leva

nt

Act

ion

s re

qu

ired

/ ta

ken

30

Han

dlin

g a

nd

pac

kin

g p

rod

uce

co

nti

nu

ed

43.

T

rans

port

veh

icle

s ar

e ch

ecke

d be

fore

use

for

cle

anlin

ess,

fore

ign

obje

cts,

and

pes

t in

fest

atio

n, a

nd c

lean

ed if

the

re is

a

si

gnifi

cant

ris

k of

mec

hani

cal d

amag

e an

d co

ntam

inat

ion

from

spoi

lage

org

anis

ms.

40.

F

ield

hea

t is

rem

oved

usi

ng a

ppro

pria

te c

oolin

g m

etho

ds.

Sto

rag

e an

d t

ran

spo

rt

41.

F

or lo

ng d

elay

s be

fore

tra

nspo

rt,

prod

uce

is h

eld

at t

he lo

wes

t

su

itabl

e te

mpe

ratu

re a

vaila

ble.

39.

P

rote

ctiv

e m

ater

ials

are

use

d w

here

req

uire

d to

pro

tect

pro

duce

from

rou

gh s

urfa

ces

of c

onta

iner

s an

d ex

cess

ive

moi

stur

e lo

ss.

42.

T

rans

port

veh

icle

s ar

e co

vere

d an

d ap

prop

riate

tem

pera

ture

cond

ition

s ar

e us

ed t

o m

inim

ise

qual

ity lo

ss.

44.

M

ixin

g of

non

-com

patib

le p

rodu

ce d

urin

g tr

ansp

ort

is a

void

ed.

45.

P

rodu

ce is

tra

nspo

rted

qui

ckly

to

the

dest

inat

ion.

Trac

eab

ility

an

d r

ecal

l

46.

E

ach

sepa

rate

pro

duct

ion

site

is id

entif

ied

by a

nam

e or

cod

e.

T

he n

ame

or c

ode

is p

lace

d on

the

site

and

rec

orde

d on

a

pr

oper

ty m

ap.

The

site

nam

e or

cod

e is

rec

orde

d on

all

do

cum

ents

and

rec

ords

tha

t re

fer

to t

he s

ite.

47.

P

acke

d co

ntai

ners

are

cle

arly

mar

ked

with

an

iden

tific

atio

n to

enab

le t

race

abili

ty o

f th

e pr

oduc

e to

the

far

m o

r si

te w

here

the

prod

uce

is g

row

n.

48.

A

rec

ord

is k

ept

of t

he d

ate

of s

uppl

y, q

uant

ity o

f pr

oduc

e an

d

de

stin

atio

n fo

r ea

ch c

onsi

gnm

ent

of p

rodu

ce.

Trai

nin

g

49.

E

mpl

oyer

s an

d w

orke

rs h

ave

appr

opria

te k

now

ledg

e or

are

trai

ned

in t

heir

area

of

resp

onsi

bilit

y re

leva

nt t

o go

od a

gric

ultu

ral

pr

actic

es a

nd a

rec

ord

of t

rain

ing

is k

ept.

Do

cum

ents

an

d r

eco

rds

50.

R

ecor

ds o

f go

od a

gric

ultu

ral p

ract

ices

are

kep

t fo

r a

min

imum

perio

d of

at

leas

t tw

o ye

ars

or f

or a

long

er p

erio

d if

requ

ired

by

go

vern

men

t le

gisl

atio

n or

cus

tom

ers.

Yes

Nee

ds

atte

nti

on

No

t re

leva

nt

Act

ion

s re

qu

ired

/ ta

ken

30 31

Do

cum

ents

an

d r

eco

rds

con

tin

ued

54.

A

ctio

ns a

re t

aken

to

reso

lve

com

plai

nts

rela

ted

to p

rodu

ce

qu

ality

, an

d a

reco

rd is

kep

t of

the

com

plai

nt a

nd a

ctio

ns t

aken

.

Rev

iew

of

pra

ctic

es

52.

A

ll pr

actic

es a

re r

evie

wed

at

leas

t on

ce e

ach

year

to

ensu

re t

hat

they

are

don

e co

rrec

tly a

nd a

ctio

ns a

re t

aken

to

corr

ect

any

de

ficie

ncie

s id

entif

ied.

51.

O

ut o

f da

te d

ocum

ents

are

dis

card

ed a

nd o

nly

curr

ent

vers

ions

are

used

.

53.

A

rec

ord

is k

ept

to s

how

tha

t al

l pra

ctic

es h

ave

been

rev

iew

ed

an

d an

y co

rrec

tive

actio

ns t

aken

are

doc

umen

ted.

Nam

e o

f as

sess

or:

Sig

nat

ure

: D

ate:

Yes

Nee

ds

atte

nti

on

No

t re

leva

nt

Act

ion

s re

qu

ired

/ ta

ken

5. Example of a quality plan

The good agricultural practices required to control produce quality hazards vary with the type of produce and how it is grown, harvested, handled, packed and transported. Each farmer or packer must identify the practices that are critical to managing quality and document them in a quality plan.

A quality plan contains the following information:

Process steps What steps are involved in growing, harvesting and postharvest handling?

Quality hazards What quality loss can happen if something goes wrong during the process?

Causes of quality loss What can go wrong during the process to cause the quality loss?

Good agricultural practices What control measures, monitoring activities and record keeping are needed to prevent or minimise the risk of the quality hazard occurring?

The following table contains an example of a quality plan for production, harvesting and postharvest handling of mangoes.

32

33

Pro

cess

ste

p

Cro

p pr

otec

tion

Not

eno

ugh

cons

ulta

tion

done

w

ith p

oten

tial c

usto

mer

s an

d ch

ecki

ng o

f in

dust

ry

publ

icat

ions

.

Unh

ealth

y pl

antin

g m

ater

ial

Inef

fect

ive

cont

rol o

f pe

sts

and

dise

ase

– in

suffi

cien

t pe

st m

onito

ring,

wro

ng p

es-

ticid

e, w

rong

con

cent

ratio

n,

poor

spr

ay c

over

age,

inco

r-re

ct t

imin

g of

spr

ays,

fau

lty

equi

pmen

t.

Pes

ticid

e co

ncen

trat

ion

too

high

or

appl

ied

too

clos

e to

ha

rves

t.

Pes

ticid

e co

ncen

trat

ion

too

high

or

inco

mpa

tible

spr

ay

mix

ture

use

d.

Pla

ntin

g tr

ees

•

Var

ietie

s ar

e se

lect

ed t

o sa

tisfy

mar

ket

requ

irem

ents

.

• T

he s

uppl

ier

of t

he n

urse

ry t

rees

is r

eque

sted

to

prov

ide

a re

cogn

ised

pla

nt h

ealth

cer

tific

ate

or a

gua

rant

ee t

hat

the

mat

eria

l is

good

qua

lity.

• E

mpl

oyer

s an

d w

orke

rs h

ave

been

tra

ined

to

a le

vel a

ppro

pria

te t

o th

eir

are

a of

res

pons

ibili

ty f

or c

hem

ical

app

licat

ion.

• C

rop

prot

ectio

n m

easu

res

are

appr

opria

te f

or t

he c

ontr

ol o

f pe

sts.

• I

nteg

rate

d pe

st m

anag

emen

t sy

stem

s ar

e us

ed w

here

pos

sibl

e.

• C

hem

ical

s ar

e on

ly o

btai

ned

from

lice

nsed

sup

plie

rs.

• C

hem

ical

s us

ed o

n cr

ops

are

appr

oved

by

a co

mpe

tent

aut

horit

y in

the

cou

ntry

whe

re t

he c

rop

is g

row

n an

d in

tend

ed t

o be

tra

ded,

and

doc

umen

tatio

n is

ava

ilabl

e to

con

firm

app

rova

l.

• C

hem

ical

s ar

e ap

plie

d ac

cord

ing

to la

bel d

irect

ions

or

a pe

rmit

issu

ed b

y

a c

ompe

tent

aut

horit

y.

• A

che

mic

al r

otat

ion

stra

tegy

and

oth

er c

rop

prot

ectio

n m

easu

res

are

use

d to

avo

id p

est

resi

stan

ce.

• E

quip

men

t us

ed t

o ap

ply

chem

ical

s is

mai

ntai

ned

in w

orki

ng c

ondi

tion

and

che

cked

for

effe

ctiv

e op

erat

ion

at le

ast

annu

ally

by

a te

chni

cally

com

pete

nt p

erso

n.

• T

he a

pplic

atio

n of

che

mic

als

is r

ecor

ded

for

each

cro

p, d

etai

ling

the

che

mic

al u

sed,

rea

son

for

appl

icat

ion,

tre

atm

ent

loca

tion,

dat

e, r

ate

and

met

hod

of a

pplic

atio

n, w

eath

er c

ondi

tions

, an

d op

erat

or n

ame.

Var

iety

not

sui

tabl

e fo

r m

arke

t

Incr

ease

d su

scep

tibili

ty t

o pe

st a

nd d

isea

se d

amag

e,

frui

t di

sord

ers,

sm

all f

ruit

size

, re

duce

d sh

elf

life

Pes

t an

d di

seas

e da

mag

e

Vis

ible

che

mic

al r

esid

ue

Spr

ay b

urn

Man

go

Qu

alit

y P

lan

Qu

alit

y h

azar

dC

ause

s o

f q

ual

ity

loss

Go

od

ag

ricu

ltu

ral

pra

ctic

es

34

Pro

cess

ste

p

Irrig

atio

n

Har

vest

ing

Unh

ealth

y tr

ees

from

poo

r nu

triti

on.

Exc

essi

ve t

ree

grow

th f

rom

to

o m

uch

nitr

ogen

fer

tilis

er.

Unh

ealth

y tr

ess

from

eith

er

insu

ffici

ent

or t

oo m

uch

wat

er

appl

ied

Mat

urity

is n

ot c

heck

ed

befo

re h

arve

stin

g of

blo

ck.

Lack

of

skill

and

car

e of

pi

cker

s.

Rou

gh h

andl

ing

by p

icke

rs.

Dirt

y pi

ckin

g co

ntai

ners

.O

ver

fillin

g of

pic

king

co

ntai

ners

Ste

ms

brea

k du

e to

lack

of

skill

and

car

e of

pic

kers

.D

irty

pick

ing

cont

aine

rs a

nd

pick

er h

ands

.

Pro

duce

in c

onta

iner

s is

left

expo

sed

to t

he s

un f

or lo

ng

perio

ds

Cro

p nu

triti

on•

Nut

rient

app

licat

ion

is b

ased

on

reco

mm

enda

tions

fro

m a

com

pete

nt

au

thor

ity o

r on

soi

l or

leaf

or

sap

test

ing

and

the

nutr

ition

al r

equi

rem

ents

for

man

go p

rodu

ctio

n.

• E

quip

men

t us

ed t

o ap

ply

fert

ilise

rs is

mai

ntai

ned

in w

orki

ng c

ondi

tion

and

ch

ecke

d fo

r ef

fect

ive

oper

atio

n at

leas

t an

nual

ly b

y a

tech

nica

lly

co

mpe

tent

per

son.

• T

he a

pplic

atio

n of

fer

tilis

ers

is r

ecor

ded,

det

ailin

g th

e na

me

of t

he p

rodu

ct

or m

ater

ial,

date

, tr

eatm

ent

loca

tion,

app

licat

ion

rate

and

met

hod,

and

oper

ator

nam

e.

• Ir

rigat

ion

use

is b

ased

on

crop

wat

er r

equi

rem

ents

, w

ater

ava

ilabi

lity,

and

soil

moi

stur

e le

vels

.

• A

rec

ord

of ir

rigat

ion

use

is k

ept,

deta

iling

the

cro

p, d

ate,

loca

tion,

and

volu

me

of w

ater

app

lied

or d

urat

ion

of ir

rigat

ion.

• F

lesh

col

our

and

dry

mat

ter

of a

sam

ple

of m

ango

es is

che

cked

to

de

term

ine

whe

n to

sta

rt h

arve

stin

g bl

ocks

of

tree

s.

• P

icke

rs a

re t

rain

ed in

cor

rect

fru

it se

lect

ion

and

pick

ing

met

hods

bef

ore

star

ting

wor

k.

• E

quip

men

t, co

ntai

ners

and

too

ls a

re c

heck

ed f

or s

ound

ness

and

clea

nlin

ess

befo

re u

se e

ach

day

and

clea

ned

or d

isca

rded

as

requ

ired.

• F

ruit

are

not

harv

este

d du

ring

rain

.

• H

arve

sted

pro

duce

is p

lace

d in

the

sha

de if

long

del

ays

occu

r be

fore

tran

spor

t to

the

pac

king

she

d.

Incr

ease

d su

scep

tibili

ty t

o pe

st a

nd d

isea

se d

amag

e,

frui

t di

sord

ers,

sm

all f

ruit

size

, re

duce

d sh

elf

life,

gr

een

ripe

frui

t

Incr

ease

d su

scep

tibili

ty t

o pe

st a

nd d

isea

se d

amag

e,

frui

t di

sord

ers,

sm

all f

ruit

size

, re

duce

d sh

elf

life

Fru

it im

mat

ure

or

over

mat

ure.

Impa

ct a

nd a

bras

ion

inju

ry

Sap

burn

Sun

burn

Man

go

Qu

alit

y P

lan

Qu

alit

y h

azar

dC

ause

s o

f q

ual

ity

loss

Go

od

ag

ricu

ltu

ral

pra

ctic

es

35

Pro

cess

ste

p

Unl

oadi

ng p

icki

ng

cont

aine

rs

Des

tem

min

g

Col

laps

e of

pic

king

co

ntai

ners

.

Con

tain

ers

not

secu

red

prop

erly

.

Car

eles

s dr

ivin

g.

Exc

essi

ve d

ust

in u

ncov

ered

lo

ad

Ste

ms

brea

k du

e to

rou

gh

tran

spor

t.

Rou

gh h

andl

ing

Con

tact

of

sap

on s

kin

due

to

lack

of

skill

and

car

e of

w

orke

rs.

Sap

bui

ld u

p on

equ

ipm

ent,

wor

kers

’ han

ds,

and

dipp

ing

solu

tions

Sap

and

dirt

rem

ains

on

frui

t du

e to

inad

equa

te w

ashi

ng

and

brus

hing

.D

irty

or w

orn

brus

hes.

Dirt

y cl

oths

use

d to

wip

e fr

uit.

Tra

nspo

rt t

o pa

ckin

g sh

ed•

She

lvin

g is

use

d on

pic

king

tra

ilers

for

sta

king

tw

o la

yers

of

cont

aine

rs.

• C

onta

iner

s ar

e tig

htly

sec

ure

on t

he p

icki

ng t

raile

r.

• D

rivin

g ar

e in

stru

cted

to

driv

e ca

refu

lly t

o av

oid

roug

h tr

ansp

ort

and

exce

ssiv

e du

st.

• W

orke

rs a

re t

rain

ed in

cor

rect

han

dlin

g m

etho

ds.

• G

rade

rs a

nd p

acke

rs c

heck

fru

it fo

r sa

p an

d di

rt a

nd in

form

pac

king

she

d

man

ager

if le

vels

are

exc

essi

ve.

• B

rush

es a

nd c

loth

s ar

e re

gula

rly c

heck

ed a

nd c

lean

ed o

r di

scar

ded

as

re

quire

d.

• W

orke

rs a

re t

rain

ed in

cor

rect

des

tem

min

g m

etho

ds.

• F

ruit

is d

ippe

d in

a d

eter

gent

sol

utio

n be

fore

the

ste

m is

rem

oved

.

• F

ruit

is p

lace

d on

rac

ks a

fter

stem

is r

emov

ed.

• E

quip

men

t is

che

cked

for

bui

ld o

f sa

p an

d cl

eane

d as

req

uire

d.

• D

ip s

olut

ions

are

che

cked

for

bui

ld u

p of

sap

and

rep

lace

d as

req

uire

d.

• W

orke

rs c

heck

han

ds a

nd g

love

s re

gula

rly f

or s

ap a

nd c

lean

as

requ

ired.

Impa

ct a

nd a

bras

ion

inju

ry

Sap

burn

Impa

ct a

nd a

bras

ion

inju

ryS

apbu

rn

Sap

burn

, sk

in b

row

ning

Sap

burn

, sk

in b

row

ning

, ab

rasi

on in

jury

Cle

anin

g

Man

go

Qu

alit

y P

lan

Qu

alit

y h

azar

dC

ause

s o

f q

ual

ity

loss

Go

od

ag

ricu

ltu

ral

pra

ctic

es

6.

36

Pro

cess

ste

p

Gra

ding

and

pac

king

Ine

ffect

ive

tre

atm

en

t d

ue

to

in

corr

ect

mix

ing

, in

suffi

cie

nt

dip

tim

e,

stri

pp

ing

of

dip

co

nce

ntr

atio

n,

dir

ty d

ip

solu

tion

.

Bro

wni

ng o

f th

e sk

in w

hen

frui

t ar

e pa

cked

wet

Inco

rrec

t gr

adin

g an

d pa

ckin

g du

e to

lack

of

skill

or

care

of

wor

kers

.

Exc

essi

ve d

ropp

ing

of f

ruit.

Dirt

y eq

uipm

ent

Pac

kage

col

laps

e

Bui

ld u

p of

sap

on

equi

pmen

t (c

onve

yors

, ta

bles

, be

nche

s.

bins

)

Fru

it rip

ens

at h

igh

tem

pera

ture

.

Fru

it he

ld f

or t

oo lo

ng b

efor

e tr

ansp

ort

or t

rans

port

te

mpe

ratu

re t

oo h

igh.

Sto

rage

and

tra

nspo

rt t

em-

pera

ture

too

low

.

Pes

t bu

ild u

p in

rip

enin

g ar

eas

and

tran

spor

t ve

hicl

es.

Fun

gici

de t

reat

men

t•

Wor

kers

are

tra

ined

and

inst

ruct

ions

are

fol

low

ed f

or m

ixin

g an

d

oper

atio

n of

fun

gici

de d

ip.

• D

ip s

olut

ion

is t

oppe

d u

p an

d di

scar

ded

as r

equi

red.

• F

ruit

are

drie

d be

fore

pac

king

.

• P

rodu

ce is

gra

ded

and

pack

ed a

ccor

ding

to

buye

r re

quire

men

ts.

• W

orke

rs a

re t

rain

ed in

cor

rect

gra

ding

and

pac

king

sta

ndar

ds.

• E

quip

men

t is

des

igne

d to

pre

vent

exc

essi

ve d

ropp

ing

of f

ruit.

• E

quip

men

t is

che

cked

reg

ular

ly f

or b

uild

of

sap

and

dirt

and

cle

aned

as

requ

ired

• P

acka

ges

have

suf

ficie

nt s

tack

ing

stre

ngth

for

han

dlin

g an

d tr

ansp

ort

to

bu

yers

.

• C

orre

ct t

empe

ratu

res

and

met

hods

are

use

d fo

r rip

enin

g, s

tora

ge a

nd

tr

ansp

ort

as r

ecom

men

ded

by a

com

pete

nt a

utho

rity.

• M

easu

res

are

take

n to

pre

vent

the

pre

senc

e of

pes

ts in

and

aro

und

ripen

ing

area

s an

d in

tra

nspo

rt v

ehic

les.

Dis

ease

dev

elop

men

t

Ski

n br

owni

ng

Fru

it do

es n

ot m

eet

qual

ity a

nd p

acki

ng

stan

dard

s of

buy

er

Impa

ct a

nd a

bras

ion

dam

age

Sap

burn

, sk

in b

row

ning

Dis

ease

dev

elop

men

t,gr

een

ripe

frui

t

Red

uced

she

lf lif

e

Chi

lling

inju

ry

Che

win

g of

pro

duce

by

rats

, m

ice

and

cock

-ro

ache

s

Rip

enin

g, s

tora

ge

and

tran

spor

t

Man

go

Qu

alit

y P

lan

Qu

alit

y h

azar

dC

ause

s o

f q

ual

ity

loss

Go

od

ag

ricu

ltu

ral

pra

ctic

es

Examples of documents and recordThe section contains examples of documents and record forms that are required to implement various practices in the produce quality module. The documents and record forms are examples only and other methods and formats can be used. ASEAN GAP specifies the information that has to be documented and the records to keep, but does not specify how to document information and keep records.

The example documents and record forms contained in this section are:

• Farm plan

• Planting material record

• Chemical inventory

• Spray record

• Postharvest chemical record

• Fertiliser and soil additives record

• Irrigation record

• Harvesting and packing record

• Job responsibility and training record

• Cleaning and pest control plan

• Corrective action report

37

38

Far

m P

lan

39

Pla

nti

ng

Mat

eria

l R

eco

rd

Bu

sin

ess/

Gro

wer

Nam

e:

Dat

eC

rop

Var

iety

Su

pp

lier

(nam

e an

d a

dd

ress

)Q

uan

tity

ob

tain

edL

oca

tio

n w

her

e p

lan

ted

40

Ch

emic

al I

nve

nto

ry

Bu

sin

ess/

Gro

wer

Nam

e:

Dat

e p

urc

has

edN

ame

of

pro

du

ctQ

uan

tity

Pla

ce o

f p

urc

has

eB

atch

no

.(w

here

ava

ilabl

e)M

eth

od

an

d d

ate

of

dis

po

sal

Man

ufa

ctu

re

/exp

iry

dat

e

Sto

ckta

keD

ate:

Nam

e:D

ate:

Nam

e:

4140

Sp

ray

Rec

ord

Cro

p/

Var

iety

:Y

ear:

Bu

sin

ess/

Gro

wer

Nam

e:

Dat

e/T

ime

Blo

ck/

Ro

wC

rop

sta

ge/

ta

rget

Pro

du

ctD

iluti

on

rat

eE

qu

ipm

ent

/ m

eth

od

u

sed

Dat

e sa

fe t

o

har

vest

or

WH

PC

om

men

ts/

wea

ther

co

nd

itio

ns

Op

erat

or

Ap

plic

atio

nra

te

42

Postharvest Chemical RecordBusiness/Grower Name:

Chemical Tank Size Tank Mixing Rate Application MethodFresh Top-up

Date Time Chemical Fresh (F) or Top-up (T)

Comments Signature

43

Fer

tilis

er a

nd

So

il A

dd

itiv

es R

eco

rd

Bu

sin

ess/

Gro

wer

Nam

e:

Dat

eC

rop

/ va

riet

yB

lock

Ro

wP

rod

uct

Su

pp

lier

of

pro

du

ctA

pp

licat

ion

rat

eC

om

men

ts

Yea

r: Op

erat

or

44

Irri

gat

ion

Rec

ord

Bu

sin

ess/

Gro

wer

Nam

e:

Dat

eC

rop

Var

iety

Blo

ck/

row

Vo

lum

e o

f w

ater

ap

plie

dR

ain

fall

Co

mm

ents

Yea

r:

44

45

Har

vest

an

d P

acki

ng

Rec

ord

Bu

sin

ess/

Gro

wer

Nam

e:

Cro

p /

V

arie

tyP

lan

tin

g

dat

eB

lock

ID

Har

vest

/ p

acki

ng

dat

eB

atch

co

de

Am

ou

nt

pac

ked

Des

tin

atio

n /

Co

nsi

gn

men

t N

o.

Co

mm

ents

(eg.

qua

lity,

tem

pera

ture

)

46

Job

Res

po

nsi

bili

ty a

nd

Tra

inin

g R

eco

rd

Bu

sin

ess/

Gro

wer

Nam

e:

Nam

eC

hem

ical

ap

plic

atio

nF

erti

lisin

gIr

rig

atio

nH

arve

stin

gG

rad

ing

an

d

pac

kin

gC

lean

ing

Per

son

al

hyg

ien

eR

epai

rs a

nd

m

ain

tain

Sel

f as

sess

men

t ch

eckl

ist

C =

atte

nded

far

m c

hem

ical

use

r co

urse

= p

erfo

rms

job

and

trai

ning

com

plet

ed

= p

erfo

rms

job,

tra

inin

g co

mpl

eted

and

has

res

pons

ibili

ty f

or a

rea

46 47

Bu

sin

ess/

Gro

wer

Nam

e:D

ate:

Cle

anin

g a

nd

Pes

t C

on

tro

l P

lan

Are

a /

equ

ipm

ent

clea

ned

Fre

qu

ency

Res

po

nsi

bili

tyM

eth

od

48

Bu

sin

ess/

Gro

wer

Nam

e:

Co

rrec

tive

Act

ion

Rep

ort

Dat

e

Pro

ble

m a

nd

cau

se

Act

ion

tak

en t

o f

ix p

rob

lem

Sig

nat

ure

/ d

ate

wh

en p

rob

lem

fix

ed

49

Appendix 1. – Glossary of terms

Abbreviations

AADCP ASEAN-Australia Development Cooperation ProgramASEAN Association of Southeast Asian NationsAusAID Australian Agency for International DevelopmentGAP Good Agricultural PracticeMRL Maximum Residue LimitQA Quality AssuranceQASAFV Quality Assurance Systems for ASEAN Fruit and Vegetables

Terms

Biopesticide A pesticide that is manufactured from biological sources.

Biosolids Solid, semi-solid or slurry material produced from the treatment of human sewage.

Cleaning The removal of soil, dirt, grease or other foreign matter.

Competent authority An organisation or company that is a recognised authority to develop or monitor standards, rules of operation, codes of practice, regulations, and policies. Examples include government departments, international committees such as CODEX, industry organisations, QA/GAP system owners, and auditing companies.

Composting A managed process where organic materials are subjected to moisture, heat and microorganisms for a specified period to produce a product known as compost.

Contamination Food safety – the introduction or transfer of a food safety hazard to produce or to the inputs that contact produce, such as soil, water, equipment, and people.

Critical limit The level of acceptability for a practice or standard. Exceeding the critical limit will result in a practice being unacceptable or high risk of a food safety hazard occurring.

Customer A business or person who buys or receives produce. For example, a packer, marketing group, distributor, wholesaler, exporter, processor, retailer, or consumer.

Domestic animals Animals that are raised as family pets or as a source of food for the family– for example dogs, cats, cows, chickens, ducks, birds, sheep, monkeys, mice, rabbits.

Farm animals Animals that are raised for commercial purposes – for example, cows, sheep, chickens, ducks.

Faeces The waste from the intestinal tract of animals, – also known as manure.

Fertigation The application of nutrients through an irrigation system.

Food safety hazard Any chemical, biological or physical substance or property that can cause fruit and vegetables to become an unacceptable health risk to consumers.

Foreign objects Unwanted objects in or around produce that may affect food safety or quality – for example, glass, metal, wood, stones, soil, leaves, stems, plastic, and weed seeds.

Fumigation The applicant of a chemical to control pests in the soil or substrate, such as insects, diseases and weeds.

Good agricultural practice Practices used to prevent or reduce the risk of hazards occurring during production, harvesting, postharvest handling of produce.

Integrated pest management A system for managing pests that integrates multiple strategies to minimise the use of chemical pesticides, such as encouraging beneficial insects and

microorganisms to flourish, good crop hygiene and plant health, regular monitoring of crops for pests, using biological control agents and soft pesticides, and selective use of chemical pesticides.

Maximum level (ML) The maximum amount of a heavy metal in fruit and vegetables for sale for human consumption, which is permitted by a competent authority.

Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) The maximum amount of a chemical in fruit and vegetables for sale for human consumption, which is permitted by a competent authority.

Obsolete chemical A chemical that is no longer suitable for use. For example approval for use of the chemical may be withdrawn, the chemical is older than the use by date, the container may be damaged and the chemical soiled.

Organic material/ product A material or commercial product originating from plants and animals and not from synthetic sources.

Persistent chemicals Organochlorine pesticides, heavy metals and other chemicals that remain for long periods in soil, water and the general environment (for example, herbicides in ground water).

Pest An unwanted animal or plant that affects the production, quality and safety of fruit and vegetables – for example, insects, diseases, weeds, rodents, birds.

Pesticide Products used to control pests – for example, insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, fumigants. Pesticides can be manufactured from chemical or biological sources.

Potable water Water that is suitable for human consumption as approved by WHO or equivalent country regulations.

Produce Fruit and vegetables (including herbs)

Property The whole area of a farm or business. It includes all houses, buildings, production areas, roads, fauna and flora, and watercourses within the surveyed boundaries of the property.

Remedial action/ corrective action Action taken to remove or minimise or prevent re-occurrence of a hazard.

Risk The chance of something happening that will impact upon a hazard (for example, food safety). It is usually measured in terms of likelihood and consequences. Sanitise Reducing the level of microorganisms through using chemicals, heat and other methods.

Side dressing The application of a fertiliser or soil additive beside a growing plant either on top of or beneath the ground.

Site A defined area on the property – for example, a production site.

Soil additives Products or materials that are added to the soil to improve fertility, structure or control weeds. Examples are animal manure, sawdust, compost, seaweed, fish- based products.

Target The item or site to which an activity is directed. For example, applying a pesticide spray to a target crop to control a target pest or applying fertiliser to a target pad dock for crop nutrition.

Traceability The ability to follow the movement of produce through the specified stages of production and distribution.

Withholding period The minimum period permitted between application of a pesticide and harvest of the produce.

Workers All people working on a farm or in a business, including family members and contractors.

50

Appendix 2. – References and additional information

Global organisations= World Trade Organisation of the United Nations - WTO www.wto.org= World Health Organisation of the United Nations - WHO www.who.int= Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations www.fao.org= Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) www.codexalimentarius.net

Guidelines for good agricultural practice:= Guidelines for On-Farm Food Safety for Fresh Produce – Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Australia. 2004 www.daff.gov.au/content/publications.cfm?Category=Food= Food Safety Begins on the Farm: A Grower’s Guide. Good Agricultural Practices for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables – Cornell University, USA. 2004 www.gaps.cornell.edu= Food Safety Begins on the Farm: A Grower Self Assessment of Food Safety Risks – Cornell University, USA. 2004 – www.gaps.cornell.edu= Good Agricultural Practices. University of California, Davis, USA. 2004 http://ucgaps.ucdavis.edu= A summary of on-farm food safety programs or guidelines for fresh fruits and vegetables worldwide – www.foodsafetynetwork.ca/food/onfarm.htm= Commodity specific food safety guidelines for the melon supply chain. 2005. Produce Marketing Association and United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association www.pma.com or www.uffva.org= Commodity specific food safety guidelines for the lettuce and leafy greens supply chain. 2006. Produce Marketing Association and United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association – www.pma.com or www.uffva.org= Improving the safety of fresh fruit and vegetables. Wim Jongen. 2005. Woodhead Publishing Limited. – www.woodheadpublishing.com

Training programs= Quality Assurance Systems for ASEAN Fruit and Vegetables project www.aphnet.org= Improving the quality and safety of fresh fruits and vegetables: a practical approach manual for trainers. FAO 2004 www.fao.org/es/ESN/food/foodandfood_fruits_en.stm= Improving the safety and quality of fresh fruits and vegetables: a training manual for trainers. University of Maryland, USA. 2002 – www.jifsan.umd.edu/gaps.html= Food Quality and Safety Systems – A Training Manual on Food Hygiene and the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) System. FAO. 1998 www.fao.org/docrep/W8088E/W8088E00.htm

Codex/ FAO publications:= Recommended International Code of Practice – General Principles of Food Hygiene. Codex – www.codexalimentarius.net= Draft Code of Hygienic Practice for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables. Codex www.codexalimentarius.net= International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides. FAO. ww.fao.org/ag/agp/agpp/Pesticid/Default.htm

On-farm quality and food safety programs

Program WebsiteEUREPGAP www.eurep.orgChileGAP www.chilegap.comFreshcare On-Farm Food Safety Program (Australia) www.freshcare.com.auSQF 1000 and 2000 www.sqfi.comCIES – The Food Business Forum www.ciesnet.comThailand Q system, Malaysian SALM system, Singapore GAP-VF system, Indonesian INDON GAP system – QASAFV project website www.aphnet.org

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