HARPS Newsletter December 2025 Edition

Welcome to the December edition of the HARPS Newsletter.

In this edition, you will find:

• HARPS Christmas Message
• HARPS Christmas Holiday Office Closure
• Opening Hours for HARPS Approved Certification Bodies Over Christmas Holiday Period
• Scheduling Audits – Plan Ahead to Avoid Delays
• Preparing for Your HARPS Audit – HARPS Internal Audit Checklist
• Clarification Over HARPS Element 6.4 – Water Quality and Consumables for Handwashing
• Help Shape HARPS – Strategic Stewardship Roles Now Available
• Fresh Produce Safety Centre Launches Revised Fundamental Guidelines
• Want to have your say? Complete the HARPS Survey!

HARPS Christmas Message

As we reach the end of 2025, we would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to everyone involved in the HARPS community:  growers, packers, certification bodies, auditors, and retailers. Your collective efforts and ongoing commitment and professionalism play a vital role in maintaining compliance to food safety, legal and trade requirements. Your efforts are central to strengthening our standards and ensuring confidence throughout the supply chain.

We would also like to acknowledge those suppliers who continue growing and packing throughout the holiday period to keep fresh produce available across Australia. Your dedication, sacrifice, and hard work do not go unnoticed, and we remain deeply grateful.

Looking ahead, we are excited about the upcoming refresh of the HARPS program in 2026, shaped through the Hort Innovation review and the valuable insights shared by our stakeholders.  More to be announced in 2026!

As the festive season approaches, we hope you find moments to rest, recharge, and celebrate with those close to you. Thank you for your support throughout the year. We look forward to continuing our partnership in 2025 and wish you a safe, joyful, and prosperous New Year.

HARPS Christmas Holiday Office Closure Announcement

We would like to inform you of our upcoming office closure over the Christmas and New Year period. Thank you for your understanding.

Opening Hours for HARPS Approved Certification Bodies Over Christmas Holiday Period

Please find below a summary of the Christmas and New Year closure periods for all HARPS approved Certification Bodies. While this information reflects the latest details provided to HARPS, we recommend cross checking any direct communications from your Certification Body to ensure you have the most up-to-date information for your planning needs.

Scheduling Audits – Plan Ahead to Avoid Delays

HARPS would like to remind all suppliers of the importance of scheduling audits well in advance. Audits booked too close to certificate expiry dates can lead to insufficient time for Corrective Action Request (CAR) closure and certification processing, potentially leaving suppliers without a valid HARPS certificate.

To ensure a smooth certification process and avoid unnecessary disruption to your business, we strongly encourage sites to plan audits early, allowing adequate time for any corrective actions and administrative processing. Proper planning supports compliance continuity and ensures that certification remains valid without interruption.

Preparing for Your HARPS Audit – HARPS Internal Audit Checklist

We encourage all sites to make use of the HARPS Internal Audit Checklist. This practical tool is designed to help sites review processes, identify gaps, and prepare for an upcoming HARPS audit. By systematically working through each section, sites can ensure that both documentation and operational practices align with HARPS standards, while also identifying opportunities to strengthen existing systems. This proactive approach supports continuous improvement and builds confidence ahead of your formal audit.

The HARPS Internal Audit Checklist has recently been updated to align with the latest blanket exemptions under HARPS v2.0. Please note that the use of the internal audit checklist is voluntary.

You can access the HARPS Internal Audit Checklist here

Clarification Over HARPS Element 6.4 – Water Quality and Consumables for Handwashing

HARPS Element 6.4 states that “Packhouse and in-field handwashing facilities shall be connected to or otherwise provided with a supply of water which is tested as E.coli <1 cfu / 100mL.”

A question has been raised regarding whether local council water test results can be used as evidence to verify packhouse hand-wash water quality.

HARPS would like to clarify that local council water test results are not acceptable evidence for demonstrating compliance with Element 6.4.

Whilst local council may sample extensively at varied locations, the purpose of the council test is to verify water quality for general consumption.  This does not specifically guarantee the quality of water at the point where it is used in your facility. Once water travels through your own internal plumbing, pipes, fittings, or filtration systems, its quality may change due to factors such as:

• biofilm build-up inside pipes
• ageing or corroded plumbing
• maintenance issues or irregular water use patterns

For this reason, sites must test the water as it is delivered at the actual handwashing facilities within the packhouse. This ensures that the water used by staff meets the requirement of E.coli <1 cfu / 100 mL, based on conditions specific to your own system.

Therefore, to demonstrate compliance with HARPS Element 6.4, your own site-specific water testing is required, and council-supplied results cannot be accepted.

Further guidance on water quality, risks, and treatment considerations can be found in the NEW Fundamental Guidelines for Fresh Produce Food Safety – Version 5 (2025), Section 7.5: “Water Quality and Treatment.”

Help Shape HARPS:  Strategic Stewardship Roles Now Available

Hort Innovation is calling for Expressions of Interest for an Independent Chair and Panel Members to lead the inaugural Stewardship Panel for the Harmonised Australian Retail Produce Scheme (HARPS).

The EOI is open to anyone with relevant industry experience and may be of interest to individuals who work outside of HARPS certified businesses.

This new governance body will guide the strategic direction of HARPS, oversee key committees, and strengthen collaboration across the fresh produce supply chain.

If you have strong governance experience, retail insight, or deep supply chain knowledge in Australian horticulture, this is a rare opportunity to shape the future of food safety and retail harmonisation.

Applications close 3pm (AEDT), Tuesday 16 December 2025.

To find out more click here  

FPSC Launches Revised Fundamental Guidelines

The Fresh Produce Safety Centre (FPSC) has announced the release of the

Fundamental Guidelines for Fresh Produce Food Safety version 5, 2025 – a refreshed,

science-based framework to help the fresh produce industry manage food safety risks from

production through to post-harvest handling.

Developed through extensive scientific review and consultation with industry, these

Fundamental Guidelines reflect the latest evidence, good practices and regulatory alignment to support the continued safety and integrity of fresh produce in Australia and New Zealand.

The Fundamental Guidelines are designed for all businesses across the fresh produce supply

chain regardless of size, crop or complexity. They provide practical, HACCP-based insights to

help businesses identify and manage food safety hazards, implement good practices and

continuously improve.

These Fundamental Guidelines are accompanied by Quick Guides for Fresh Produce Food

Safety which provide a user-friendly summary for day to day use by growers and team

members. The ‘Quick Guides’ enable rapid identification of key hazards and practices for

each management area. They have been developed using the same structure as these

Fundamental Guidelines so users can easily find more information on a topic.

Key updates in 2025 include:

• New chapters on Managing Critical Incident and Recalls, and Food Safety Culture
• Additional Appendices:
  • Appendix 02: Food Safety Regulation and Assurance Programmes
  • Appendix 04: The Use and Significance of Faecal Indicator Bacteria
• Enhanced guidance on water quality criteria and microbial testing protocols
• Updated content and layout for improved usability
• Updated visuals including refreshed images, figures and decision trees
• Development of complementary Quick Guides for Fresh Produce Food Safety.

These resources are available to download for FREE now from FPSC’s website: www.fpsc-anz.com

Want to have your say? Complete the HARPS Survey!

Since the release of the HARPS standard in 2016, the delivery, accuracy, and consistency of audits, as well as the cost of auditing, have been topics of significant discussion within the industry. To gain deeper insights into these concerns and improve the audit experience for growers and suppliers, the HARPS Retailer Committee has initiated post-audit surveys to collect valuable feedback.

After completing your audit, you will receive an email containing a survey link along with your HARPS Certificate and final audit report. We encourage you to use this link to share your feedback. Alternatively, you can provide your thoughts by clicking here.