HARPS FAQ

In 2012 Horticulture Australia Ltd (now Hort Innovation) initiated a project to harmonise food safety certification requirements for the major retailers in Australia. The result of this project is the Harmonised Australian Retailer Produce Scheme (HARPS).

HARPS was an industry initiative. Industry approached Hort Innovation to ask for help in meeting multiple food safety schemes involved in supplying major retailers. Retailers agreed and were prepared to align their food safety requirements.

The initial HARPS project was funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia Ltd using across-industry levies and funds from the Australian Government. The scheme is voluntary and application for approval is open to all fresh produce businesses that supply the major grocery retailers. The project has been supported by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and the Australian Food and Grocery Council.

In May 2020, HARPS transitioned from being a project funded by Hort Innovation to a standalone entity, generating its own finances managed by One Direction ANZ.

Australia’s five leading grocery retailers (ALDI, Coles, Costco, Metcash (IGA) and Woolworths) have had different food safety system requirements for their suppliers. For those supplying multiple retailers, this meant numerous standards being audited, mostly but not necessarily concurrently. The need to implement, maintain and be audited to multiple systems that are largely similar, including bespoke additional requirements, is time-consuming, stressful, and expensive. Furthermore, the availability of auditors is under pressure as many auditors also find auditing multiple systems stressful and complex. A single audit of an approved GFSI scheme, plus HARPS, to supply all retail customers will lower the complexity of doing business, provide greater efficiencies in quality assurance and improve food safety outcomes across the entire fresh produce supply chain. It will also have positive outcomes for the certification sector, such as greater auditor retention.

HARPS charges a Royalty Fee of $295.00 + GST from each site that is audited to HARPS, which is collected by the Certification Body (CB) on behalf of HARPS. This is called the HARPS Royalty Fee.

The HARPS Royalty Fee remained unchanged since the launch of HARPS in October 2016 and increased to $295.00 + GST on 1st July 2022.

HARPS is self-financing, has received no funding from Hort Innovation, and relies on income from the HARPS Royalty fee, as well as contributions from the HARPS Participating Retailers, CBs that audit HARPS and Auditors via an annual registration fee.

HARPS was launched in Oct 2016 and the major retailers accepted HARPS audits as an alternative to their own specific standards from this date. 

In the last financial year, more than 1,600 suppliers became HARPS approved.

HARPS Version 2 was released on Monday 17^th October 2022.

The approved GSFI standards go a long way to ensure the delivery of safe fresh produce, focusing on key food safety requirements. HARPS has been designed to enhance the rigour around specific food safety, trade and regulatory criteria that do not appear in the GFSI standards or are specific to Australian local needs. Retailers identify specific issues that have led to consumer complaints, rejections, withdrawals and recalls, which are a cost to suppliers and retailers. They are also the cause of consumer dissatisfaction and loss of consumer trust that can have long-lasting impacts. The additional level of prescription, above the GFSI schemes, include criteria such as foreign object management, control of weights and measures and protocols around the proper management of packaging and labelling.

HARPS covers quality requirements in line with retailer requirements. For example, the Standard will refer to Customer Specifications where a supplier must follow these specifically.

In some instances, HARPS refers to quality requirements, such as criteria that relates to shelf-life testing or retention sampling. In addition to ensuring quality criteria is adhered to, this also serves to ensure weights and measurement requirements are met, and that suppliers are monitoring the performance of their products over its shelf-life.

HARPS is a voluntary scheme, applicable for suppliers to the major grocery retailers (ALDI, Coles, Costco, Hello Fresh, Metcash (IGA) and Woolworths), – so, growers can still supply farmers markets, central markets and independent greengrocers without HARPS.

HARPS applies to businesses that are either Tier 1 or Tier 2 suppliers. Tier 1 suppliers are those that supply directly to one or more of the HARPS participating retailers. Tier 2 suppliers are those that supply the Tier 1 suppliers, knowing their produce is destined for sale with one or more of the HARPS participating retailers.

For all Tier 1 and 2 suppliers, HARPS approval is required in conjunction with certification to one of the HARPS approved GFSI programs, namely Freshcare, SQF, GLOBALG.A.P., or BRCGS. The decision around which standard to implement should be based on the scope of activities your business undertakes.  For further information please refer to the HARPS Decision Graphic

One Direction ANZ is the entity responsible for the ongoing management of HARPS. Following a competitive tender process run by Hort Innovation, a Management Agreement (Licence) was awarded to One Direction ANZ in May 2020 to manage HARPS. The Management Agreement details performance requirements to be met by One Direction ANZ on a six-monthly basis.

One Direction ANZ Pty Ltd is the entity responsible for ongoing managing and operating of HARPS, led by Tristan Kitchener.

Tristan has led the HARPS Project since it was initiated in 2012 with Hort Innovation. He is an ex-retailer and has held technical and commercial positions with Sainsbury’s (UK) and Coles supermarkets, and is now a management consultant providing advice and support along the grocery value chain, from major retailers through to manufacturers and primary producers. He has a focus upon fresh foods and was the Group Merchandise Manager, Fresh Produce, at Coles Supermarkets (2005-09). Increasingly Tristan assists businesses to understand the implications of the changing retail and consumer environment and helps identify solutions to key business challenges. Tristan is a strong advocate for supply chain members collaborating more closely to better understand and meet the needs of the consumer and believes that this can be most effectively achieved by transferring learning from other markets and sectors. Tristan’s formal qualifications include a MBA, MPhil (Horticulture Management) and BSc (Hons) Biological Sciences and he is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD). Please visit www.kitchenerpartners.com.au for more information.

Lena Christl has completed a Bachelor of Applied Science (Food Science & Technology) at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and brings over 20 years of knowledge and experience in the food industry.

Before joining HARPS, Lena was the National Quality Manager for Montague, a leading grower and packer of apples, pears, citrus, table grapes and stonefruit. Her role included continuous improvement around quality, environmental sustainability, social responsibility, and corporate governance.  Lena is passionate about helping suppliers, and previously worked as a Senior Food Safety Project Leader for Rulethirteen, where she worked closely with clients to help them achieve better food safety and quality controls to meet customer and certification requirements.  Lena is also a certified Food Safety Management System Lead Auditor and holds a Certificate IV in Training & Assessment.

• The HARPS Standard and Guidance Documentation
• The Version 2.0 Summary of Changes 
• HARPS Tools and Templates
• Version 2.0 Transition training videos

In order to achieve HARPS approval, the business must be certified to one of the approved GFSI standards. Suppliers are encouraged to conduct the GFSI and HARPS audits simultaneously. Given the GFSI standard forms the foundation of the food safety and quality plan, suppliers are encouraged to develop and implement the GFSI program first and then add the HARPS requirements where applicable. Use of the HARPS internal audit document for this purpose is encouraged. Please ensure you contact your Certification Body, to ensure that they add HARPS to your GFSI audit.

The HARPS Scheme Rules include important information that relates to the HARPS audit that is of a non-technical nature. Here you will find information relating to corrective action closeout timeframes, when the audit should take place and your roles and responsibilities as a supplier. Refer to the Scheme Rules

The table of Blanket Exemptions can be found here

Example templates have been developed for use, free-of-charge, covering all sections of the HARPS standard. Click to review the templates

HARPS 2.0 includes a guidance document to help with interpretation of HARPS and details if the requirement applies to a Tier 1 or 2 supplier (or both). This helps both suppliers and auditors in understanding what the expectations are more clearly and ensures accurate interpretation of HARPS elements.

For those of you who reviewed the original Version 2.0 Draft released in December 2019, you will recall sections on Food Fraud and Business Culture. Following a comprehensive review of the draft to ensure no duplication had occurred with the recently released Freshcare FSQ4.2 standard, the Retailer Committee agreed to remove these sections, given all GSFI standards have adequately addressed these essential components.

The standard looks different, it’s lengthier. However, this is not due to additional elements. In fact, in addition to removing the sections on Food Fraud and Business Culture, over nine other elements have been removed or re-written in combination with other elements to aid understanding and implementation. The increase in the size of the standard is due to the inclusion and focus on guidance for every element, where the specific element is explained in more detail with examples and further context regarding what outcomes the element is aiming to achieve.

In addition, for each element:

• the documentation required is detailed.
• the Tier (1 or 2) the element is applicable to is noted; and
• comprehensive guidance has been included to explain why the element exists and how to go about implementation.

The glossary has been enhanced, with hyperlinks throughout the document that will take you to the specific glossary definition to further aid understanding. The HARPS Decision Graphic has been included within the Standard, as well as a guide to assist with defining “Who is my Customer for HARPS?”.

In addition to the Guidance embedded within the new standard, a range of supporting documentation and material has been developed; the following tools and training will be available to support your businesses transition to Version 2.0:

• HARPS Version 1.0 – 2.0 Summary of Changes (document);
• Version 2.0 Internal Audit (document that replaces the HARPS Pre-Assessment document);
• Transition Training online (short videos to support understanding, as an alternative to using HARPS Version 1.0 – 2.0 Summary of Changes;
• HARPS and Freshcare Gap Assessment (document that covers the additional requirements of HARPS for suppliers on FSQ4.2 and SC2); and
• Version 2.0 training for growers and suppliers offers online and face-to-face training options. Refer to the Version 2.0 Training Providers tab for further information.

As always, you can contact us via the HARPS Website by filling in an enquiry form or contact the HARPS Helpline.

Food Fraud was removed following a comprehensive review and recommendation to the retailer committee by the HARPS Technical Advisory Group (H-TAG). This section was considered a duplication of the existing GFSI standard requirements for business culture and, as a result, was removed.

Elements 5.3 and 5.4 have been removed from HARPS Version 2 after a comprehensive review by the H-TAG and a recommendation raised for exclusion to the retailer committee. These elements and their outcomes are better managed on a case-by-case basis. 

Given the current landscape, whereby the overwhelming majority of produce is sourced domestically for retailers (approximately 96%), the Retailer Committee have agreed that HARPS applies to domestic suppliers only, with overseas suppliers, such as those based in New Zealand, having the option to implement HARPS for their businesses, i.e., it is not mandatory. The HARPS retailers will only source produce from overseas businesses that are GFSI certified or approved under a retailer scheme and must also meet relevant biosecurity, import and other legislative requirements.

HARPS applies to businesses that are either Tier 1 or Tier 2 suppliers. Tier 1 suppliers are those that supply directly to one or more of the HARPS participating retailers. Tier 2 suppliers are those that supply the Tier 1 suppliers, knowing their produce is destined for sale with one or more of the HARPS participating retailers.

For all Tier 1 and 2 suppliers, HARPS approval is required in conjunction with certification to one of the HARPS approved GFSI programs, namely BRCGS, Freshcare, GLOBALG.A.P. or SQF. The decision for which standard to implement should be based on the scope of activities your business undertakes.  For further information please refer to the HARPS Decision Graphic to determine whether your business is in scope for HARPS.

The Retailer Committee has deliberately chosen schemes that are equivalent to the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) benchmark standard. Growers and packers should remind export customers that, depending on scope, these schemes are equivalent to the global benchmark and that there is no food safety outcome advantage to be gained in implementing another scheme. Conversely, if an export customer insists on a particular scheme that is not one of the schemes nominated by Australian retailers, speak to your retail customer/s to see if a switch will have any impact on supply arrangements.

The scope of the HARPS Standard is for the growing and packing of whole produce (whole fruit, whole vegetables and in-shell nuts).  The scope does not include the processing or value-adding of produce.

The scope covers all operations from site selection and preparation, growing, harvesting, packing, storage, and ripening. The addition of food service providers as HARPS Retail Customers has not led to an adjustment on the scope or increase in rigour of HARPS. The scope remains as whole fruit and vegetables and in-shell nuts. In addition to this, potted and sleeved herbs are in scope for HARPS.

For further information refer to the HARPS Crop and Product List.

The scope of the HARPS Standard is for the growing and packing of whole produce (whole fruit, whole vegetables and in-shell nuts).  The scope does not include the processing or value-adding of produce such as fresh-cut salads, sliced mushrooms and shelled nuts.

For further information refer to the HARPS Crop and Product List.

The ancillary services included in HARPS are ripening, brokerage activities (agent or merchant), storage and cooling, where product handling and traceability are the responsibility of the ancillary service provider.

Transportation services are excluded from the scope of HARPS.

HARPS is mandatory for Australian-based suppliers defined as Tier 1 or Tier 2 as per the HARPS decision graphic.

Given the current landscape, whereby the overwhelming majority of produce is sourced domestically for retailers (approximately 96%), the Retailer Group have agreed that HARPS applies to domestic suppliers only, with overseas suppliers, such as those based in New Zealand, having the option to implement HARPS for their businesses, i.e. it is not mandatory. The HARPS retailers will only source produce from overseas businesses that are GFSI certified or approved under a retailer scheme and must also meet relevant biosecurity, import and other legislative requirements.

Not all approved suppliers can have GFSI Certification. Not all packaging and seedling suppliers are certified to a GFSI standard.

GFSI standard certification applies to Tier 1 and Tier 2 businesses in conjunction with HARPS. For Tier 3 suppliers, HARPS is not required, only GFSI certification. This applies to fresh produce supply (products in scope) only.

If presented with this issue, contact HARPS support for advice

The Retailer Working Group is made up of representatives from major grocery retailers (ALDI, Coles, Costco, Hello Fresh Metcash and Woolworths) as well as McDonald’s Australia and Harris Farm Markets. The Retailer Committee was established in 2012 to guide the development of the HARPS program and is the final decision maker. Hort Innovation is a member of the HARPS Retailer Committee.

Requests in writing are made to the HARPS administrator, One Direction ANZ. Membership applications are discussed with the Retailer committee prior to approval.

The addition of food service providers as HARPS Retail Customers has not led to an adjustment on the scope or increase in rigour of HARPS. The scope remains as whole fruit and vegetables and in-shell nuts.

The HARPS Technical Advisory Group (H-TAG) is responsible for guiding and contributing towards the ongoing development of the HARPS Standard and associated technical documents, such as the Interpretive Guidance document and Scheme Rules.

The H-TAG aims to:

• Review HARPS Elements: Current elements that have resulted in challenge or complaint are reviewed and amendments proposed to make sure they are practical and realistic;
• Ongoing Improvement and Root-Cause Analysis: Learn from incidents (including recalls, withdrawals, or major non-conformances) and include proposing improvements in future revisions of HARPS to prevent / reduce the potential impact of any future incidents
• Industry Approach: Ensure key decisions adopt a “whole of supply chain” and risk-based approach.
• Horizon Scanning: Discuss upcoming food safety legislation and global issues as well as their impact on the industry.

Current membership is comprised of a broad cross-section of industry representatives, including grower-packers (large and small businesses), marketers, Certification Bodies, food safety scheme representatives, as well as industry association representatives and consultants. All members have deep technical experience from within the fresh produce industry.

We are currently looking for greater participation from Tier 2 growers, for further information or to apply to become a member please contact harps@harpsonline.com.au

We are currently looking for greater participation from Tier 2 growers, for further information or to apply to become a member please contact harps@harpsonline.com.au

The H-TAG is responsible for reviewing all applications and providing a recommendation to the HARPS retail committee. The final decision is made by the retail committee and decisions are made via a voting process.

One of the objectives of the H-TAG is to seek a diversified group of business types in its membership. The current membership includes both Tier 1 and Tier 2 businesses, Certification Body and schemes, trainers and industry group representatives.

• Training Subcommittee
  • Objective: To review the draft requirements of the Version 2.0 draft, specifically the additional elements beyond elements 5.1 and 5.2.

• Manure application Subcommittee
  • Objective: To review available literature and provide recommendations to the Retailer Committee for exclusion periods associated with the application of raw manure, uncomposted green waste and livestock stocking.

• Handwashing Water Subcommittee
  • Objective: To develop a recommendation to allow irrigation quality water to be used as handwashing water for in-field use following handwashing and sanitising practices.

• Process Scope/Tier 2 involvement Subcommittee
  • Objective: To establish why the involvement of Tier 2 suppliers in HARPS is essential for a whole of supply-chain approach

• GAP Analysis Against GFSI Base Standards Subcommittee
  • Objective: To identify and mitigate duplication in HARPS with other GFSI standards.

HARPS was designed to enhance the rigour around specific food safety, trade and regulatory criteria that do not appear in the GFSI schemes. Retailers had never accepted the GFSI schemes alone, and prior to HARPS, each retailer had their own requirements, as set out below:

• Woolworths Quality Assured (WQA)
• Coles Supplier Requirements (CSR)
• ALDI Addendum
• Costco Requirements

HARPS has harmonised the individual retailer requirements into a single standard that meets the requirements of all retailers.

This harmonised approach is unique to the fresh produce sector; all suppliers in other sectors across grocery and fresh foods, are still required to meet the retailers’ individual requirements, in addition to the GFSI base scheme(s).

Not only Tier 1, but Tier 2 suppliers are involved in the growing, harvesting and packing activities for fresh produce, and in some cases further handling such as ripening and storage. Food safety, trade and legal issues are not limited to Tier 1 suppliers only, food safety must be a focus throughout the supply chain. More often than not, the greater potential risks to food safety occur with activities that must be conducted by the Tier 2 supplier, where there is more opportunity to exposure through inputs such as soil, water and chemical use.

Requests for exemptions must first be made with the HARPS administrator.

Provide details of the nature of the request along with any supporting information/evidence to harps@harpsonline.com.au using the HARPS Exemption Form.

In the subject header please type HARPS EXEMPTION request followed by the Company Name.

HARPS will notify your business via email along with the respective Certification Body of the outcome once the request has been processed.

The H-TAG provide opinion and recommendations on the elements through the standard development process. Recommendations are then provided the Retailer Committee for final review. Prior to the Version 2.0 standard being released a series of pilot audits were conducted to conduct a proof-of-concept for all technical documentation and to allow for any necessary adjustments.

All feedback received is subject to review. The HARPS Management Team work with the HARPS Technical Advisory Group to develop recommendations for changes that will then be reviewed by the HARPS Retailer Committee. The HARPS Retailer Committee will review all recommendations and provide a response. Discussion and negotiation will occur until an agreement is reached on the best approach to meet the desired outcomes.

Since its inception in October 2016, the HARPS Helpline has been a service available to all industry members, free of charge. The Helpline aims to assist suppliers and growers involved in HARPS.

All calls to the 1300 Helpline number or emails to harps@harpsonline.com.au are responded to by a One Direction ANZ representative.

There are a range of questions that come through to the Helpline number, including, getting started with HARPS, which Certification Bodies can conduct audits for their business, what training requirements are necessary in order to meet the HARPS requirements, as well as questions relating to the interpretation of the standard.

The key objective of the Helpline is to offer general information so that those making enquiries feel they have received the appropriate level of support to take the next step, whether that is around determining which auditing company they are able to use or to assist with implementing a specific requirement.

Importantly, the HARPS Helpline is a service available to you if you are faced with an issue or would like to raise a complaint.

Any enquiry to the HARPS can be treated as confidential, that being said, if you would like your feedback passed on to the HARPS Retailer Committee this can be facilitated by our Helpline facility. 

Alternatively, you can email HARPS at harps@harpsonline.com.au or complete an enquiry form, by clicking here.

A series of videos has been developed to assist Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers in transitioning from HARPS Version 1.0 to the Version 2.0 Standard. These short videos, available to access free of charge, provide an overview of changes for each section of the Version 2.0 Standard and are designed to: 

• Provide an explanation for any structural changes
• Highlight and explain any new elements
• Outline elements that have been re-worded for further clarification
• Deliver further context for areas of focus for implementation
• Outline any new features of the standard, such as new definitions and terminology used throughout the standard and supporting documents
• Remind businesses that templates are available for use in the Tools and Templatessection on the HARPS website

Transition Training Videos : Click here

Version 2.0 HARPS training is not a mandatory requirement, however suppliers are encouraged to attend HARPS training to assist them with their implementation and understanding of the standard and associated technical documents. To find out more about HARPS training click here 

HARPS will always control and manage the development of training content, with the ownership sitting with Hort Innovation, to ensure appropriate rigour and accuracy of all training material. Training will include face-to-face and online options.

Only HARPS approved training providers are permitted to deliver HARPS training, that is, HARPS have assessed the capability and competency of the training organisation and specific trainer(s) to ensure sufficient rigour and accuracy in the training content delivered. It is important that any HARPS training delivers the required learning objectives and suppliers are accurately informed.

Currently two companies, Fresh Business Training and Quality Associates Training, have been awarded a contract to deliver training for HARPS Version 2.0 following a competitive tender process.

Refer here

Trainers must be experienced, have a depth of industry knowledge, and understand the critical needs of the customer in the delivery of safe, fresh produce.

The training organisation must be operating as an RTO (Registered Training Organisation) and trainers must have completed Certificate IV in training and assessment.

HARPS Approved Training Providers have been selected by a training panel through a rigorous selection process.

For information on future training review period, email HARPS at harps@harpsonline.com.au or complete an enquiry form, by clicking here.

As an indication only, your GFSI scheme plus HARPS audit should take no longer than a current audit to one retail customer. If you are currently certified to multiple schemes, there should be a corresponding reduction in audit time for Tier 1s.

Audit duration is mandated by GFSI base standards and the HARPS audit duration is estimated by the audit company based on a number of factors including customers, produce lines, facility size, number of employees etc.

Audit costs are determined by the certification body you select to complete the audit.

This depends on your current situation. If you are currently audited to multiple schemes for multiple customers, your audit duration will reduce, hence your audit costs will also reduce. By reducing the number of certifications, you may also reduce administration and other costs. If HARPS is an addition to your food safety auditing plan you will see an increase in costs associated with additional audit duration. This is to cover the cost of the HARPS elements.

Auditors of the HARPS Standard must meet the following criteria:

• Be approved to audit by one or more GFSI Schemes, with a relevant industry scope (e.g. Intensive Horticulture, Primary Production);
• Be contracted to or employed by one or more of the HARPS approved Certification Bodies; and
• Successfully complete the HARPS Auditor Approval Program. Details of the HARPS Auditor Approval Program are available through the HARPS website 

It is important for auditors to accurately and consistently interpret the elements within the HARPS standard. The HARPS Auditor Approval Program has been developed to communicate the fundamentals of the HARPS Scheme, transfer knowledge on current and important issues faced by participating retailers and improve upon the current competency of HARPS auditors.

The program works closely with the HARPS Participating Retailers to build upon auditor competency and capability through carefully considered training and development of both auditors and CB’s. New auditors to HARPS must complete a mandatory training session, which involves an examination followed by a witness audit with a HARPS approved Auditor Assessor.

For further information on becoming a HARPS Certification Body or auditor contact the HARPS Helpline on 1300 852 219

Preparing for your audit can be overwhelming. Whist you are preparing, a great deal of planning and preparation is also taking place from the perspective of your Certification Body (CB), the business that is conducting your audit, as well as the auditor. We’d like to share some insight into what takes place when audits are planned, conducted and recorded, through to issuing the HARPS certificate. Figure 1 below provides an overview of the audit process with additional detail provided below.

Figure 1. An Overview of the Audit Process

PRE-AUDIT ACTIVITY AND SCHEDULING

HARPS audits are typically scheduled up to 3 months in advance of the audit date. Given the availability of auditors and the diverse range of locations required for travel, efficient planning and scheduling is essential to keep travel costs to a minimum. During the scheduling process, CBs will “match” a suitably competent auditor (an auditor that is approved to conduct the audit for the program codes required by the client), consider the site location and ensure there is adequate “auditor rotation” in place; CBs are required to ensure that auditors do not conduct more than three consecutive audits for any one particular business to mitigate any familiarisation with the business and their processes, and COVID restrictions have certainly created more challenges for CBs in this regard!

The auditor will typically contact the site to arrange a suitable date and time, ensuring the appropriate products and activities will be able to be assessed during the audit (it’s important to ensure that the activities included within the audit scope are taking place on the day of the audit, otherwise the audit may not be able to be completed). Once the audit date has been confirmed the audit agenda can be developed and shared with the auditee (the site).

Prior to the audit taking place, the auditor may access the previous audit report to obtain background about the audit outcome and whether there were any specific areas of non-compliance that were raised. If the auditee is a new client, obviously this process will not take place. The auditor will be provided with a copy of the HARPS Audit Summary Page, a document that is downloaded and shared with the auditor by the CB, which details the auditee’s business and trading name, address and contact information, GFSI program to audit, process and product scopes. The auditor will request any additional information they require in preparation of the audit.

THE AUDIT IS CONDUCTED

Audits will typically occur over a series of stages, including an opening meeting, a site inspection, review of documentation, review of audit findings and the closing meeting.

The opening meeting is a good time to ensure both you and the auditor agree on the pre-advised agenda for the day. It is also the time to confirm locations that require inspection, personnel that will be required as part of evidence collection for the audit process and any important catch-up times, such as the closing meeting.

It’s critical that the information collected on the HARPS Summary Form is accurate. This includes the retailers that you are supplying (where available), as this information will allow the corresponding retailer to access a copy of the HARPS Summary Form, a summary of the corrective actions and the final HARPS Audit Report. It is worth checking you have clearly stipulated the key contact’s name and email address for your business to ensure they receive the HARPS Audit Report and the HARPS Certificate (and any other communication from HARPS, such as the quarterly HARPS Newsletter). This is also a good time to set an expectation on timing for the closing meeting.

The auditor is there to assess your organisation’s compliance against a set of elements, therefore, it is important that they collect objective evidence to demonstrate how well your business is complying. This means allowing the auditor access to documentation, relevant sites and infrastructure and personnel to build a body of evidence that provides evidence of your compliance.

The closing meeting is when the auditor will share the audit findings. The auditor will share both positive outcomes as well as areas for improvement. The areas for improvement, or non-conformances, should be discussed openly as they are identified during the audit. Final decisions and ratings, such as minor or major non-conformances, should be addressed in the closing meeting along with a discussion on the closeout information required to address the non-conformance(s). The auditor should provide a copy of the corrective actions to the site prior to leaving.

INITIAL TECHNICAL REVIEW AND AUDIT REPORT

All GFSI-benchmarked audits must be reviewed by an approved Technical Reviewer prior to approval for the CB to release the initial report to the site, this typically takes around one hour for this review to be conducted with additional time for follow up with the auditor and clarification.

The Technical Reviewer is a senior auditor or other suitably qualified person that will review the audit report and corrective actions with a view of independence. They will be looking to ensure the report contains the correct level of objective evidence, that the findings have been described adequately and that the severity ratings have been appropriately classified. In addition to your records (completed forms), the audit report can be used as objective evidence should it ever be required.

The Technical Reviewer is responsible for ensuring that any areas identified as incomplete, or not adequately explained or described, are reviewed with the auditor, so that these findings can be discussed and agreed prior to the report being released to the site.

FINAL TECHNICAL REVIEW, CERTIFICATION DECISION, AND ISSUE OF THE CERTIFICATE

The site then submits all objective evidence and corrective action(s) to the auditor for review and closure of any identified issues during the audit.  The auditor and auditee may have further exchanges during this process until the auditor is satisfied any issues identified can be closed. The auditor will submit the final report back to the CB.  The final closed report undergoes a final technical review which will take approximately 30 minutes to complete, to ensure that non-conformances have been addressed adequately by the site and closed appropriately by the auditor.  The Certification Manager will then review the audit history as part of the certification decision process, which takes approximately 10 to 15 minutes to finalise.  This is the final step on approval of the final report.

At this point, the CB Administration will upload the final report, objective evidence and any other information to the HARPS Portal and issue a HARPS Certificate to the auditee. This is sent directly to the auditee via the HARPS Portal, which connects to the HARPS Database that holds all site information.

The HARPS Summary Form is a partly pre-filled form that the Certification Body is able to access from the HARPS Database and share with the auditor prior to your audit.

The form will be pre-filled with your company name and your ‘Key Contact’ details, GFSI program, business type (e.g., grower/packer etc.), product and process scope, nominated Certification Body and auditor name. The auditor will also ask if you would like to become a HARPS subscriber i.e., added to the HARPS mailing list. By doing so, your business will receive the latest communication and HARPS newsletters directly to your inbox.

The auditor will adjust any details on this form at the time of audit to ensure the information entered into the HARPS Database is accurate, as well as update the form to include a summary of findings and the number of Corrective Actions raised during the audit.

The Certification Body that completed the HARPS audit is the only authorised business to issue the HARPS Certificate. Please contact them directly with any enquiries related to your HARPS Certificate.

During the audit opening meeting, your auditor will ask you which retail customers your business currently supplies. The auditor may ask you to verify this information by asking you to access the retail supplier portal, by requesting copies of retailer-specific specifications or assessing labels. The auditor may also ask to view a purchase order (valid within the last 12 months) to confirm that you are a current supplier.

Nominating a retailer that you do not currently supply will not help you gain approval to become a supplier; HARPS approval is not an automatic contract for supply to a nominated retailer since this is a commercial agreement between the individual retailer and supplier and has nothing to do with HARPS.

Retailers have access to the HARPS Database. The Database holds the HARPS Summary Form as well as any Corrective Actions raised during your audit (for both the GFSI scheme and HARPS).

Using Laava to protect HARPS Certificates

HARPS has partnered with innovative Australian technology company Laava, to protect the integrity of our certificates. For HARPS, it’s essential that certificate holders and reviewers can trust their certificates are the real thing. Verification is simple. Scan the secure Laava Smart Fingerprint® on your certificate via www.harpsonline.com.au/scan on your mobile phone and quickly verify the certificate’s authenticity.

Equally, for Australian growers, suppliers and exporters, we understand that it’s critical to ensure your consumers and trade customers are getting the real thing. Whether you’re selling in supermarkets or farmers markets, domestically or for export, packaging and labelling is often the primary means of communicating with retailers and customers. Product packaging is a powerful tool, and ‘next generation’ connected packaging technology enabled by the Laava Smart Fingerprint® can deliver that assurance. Laava delivers trust through secure product authentication and supply chain traceability, with the added benefit of personalized consumer engagement experiences.

“Proving the authenticity, origin, sustainability and other claims behind some of Australia’s iconic premium brands is important to shoppers, retailers and producers alike. Consumers in particular are becoming increasingly curious about the people, places and stories behind what they buy. And of course, they also want to know it’s the real thing,” says Laava Joint CEO Gavin Ger.

To learn more about how Laava is working closely with Australian growers and producers, including Reid Fruits, to enable secure traceability outcomes, please click here.

Scanning the Laava Smart Fingerprint on your certificate

1. Visit https://harpsonline.com.au in your smartphone browser, to bring up the scanner (no app is needed to download).
2. Scan the unique Smart Fingerprint found on your HARPS Certificate.
3. The scan will pull up a single webpage which will display the digital records as they are currently kept in the HARPS Database.
4. Compare the information between the HARPS Certificate and Laava webpage. If you find that the information is matching and consistent, you can feel confident that the certificate is accurate and authentic.
5. If the scan data does not match the certificate contact HARPS on 1300 852 219 or email harps@harpsonline.com.au

For further information visit www.laava.id