HARPS Newsletter October 2026 Edition

 

Welcome to the October edition of the HARPS Newsletter.

 

In this edition, you will find:

 

 

Membership Finalised for the Operational Committee and Technical Committee for HARPS

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 is a program that Hort Innovation owns and includes:

  • the HARPS database;
  • HARPS branding including the HARPS logo;
  • HARPS website content; and
  • HARPS standards, checklists, rules, assessments, checklists, protocols, matrices.

In May 2020, the HARPS program transitioned from being a project funded by Hort Innovation to a standalone entity, generating its own finances, and managed by One Direction ANZ (the HARPS Manager). Retailers have also supported HARPS since its inception.

In December 2022, Hort Innovation finalised an independent evaluation of the HARPS program. An Industry Working Party was established to provide Hort Innovation with advice to implement and/or modify the recommendations from the final evaluation report.

In 2024, the Industry Working Party finalised an Exposure Draft that proposed approaches to Program Committee Structures, Communications, and Cost Structures for the HARPS. This includes the formation of a Stewardship Panel (SP) to provide objective governance and oversight to the program.

The Industry Working Party also proposed a change to the roles and responsibilities for the existing HARPS committees (HARPS Technical Advisory Group [HTAG] to be renamed Technical Committee (TC) and Stakeholder Committee [it is also known as the Retailer Committee] to be renamed Operational Committee (OC)).

This is illustrated in the following figure:

HARPS is pleased to announce that Hort Innovation has now finalised the membership of the Operational Committee and Technical Committees.

Operational Committee

The OC has been established to provide objective governance and oversight of the HARPS program to Hort Innovation.  The OC is an advisory body.

Members of the OC are as follows:

Independent Chair

  • Belinda Wilson-Chartres – Director, Fresh Business Directions and Fresh Business Training

Retailer Representatives (6 positions)

  • Belinda Millard – Technical Manager – Fruit, Veg and Protein, Woolworths
  • Mihaela Tamas – Senior Technology Manager – Fresh Produce, Coles
  • Lidan (Ella) Ding – Quality Assurance Specialist, ALDI
  • Linda Derrett – Product Technologist, Metcash
  • Monique Koning – Food Safety and Quality Assurance Director ANZ, Hello Fresh
  • Joel Zamek – General Manager Merchandise & Strategy, Foodland SA

Industry Representatives (3 positions)

  • Brendan Hayes – GM Technical, Perfection Fresh
  • Paul Fagg – Group Safety and ESG Manager, Jetbest Group
  • Joel Dinsdale – Private QA Consultant/Quality Assurance Coordinator, AGROEN Consultancy/Vegetables WA

 

Responsibilities of the OC are to:

  • Provide input to the TC that supports the ongoing development and improvement of The Standard, including raising issues of concern relating to food safety, legal and trade compliance matters for the horticultural industry.
  • Provide a consensus recommendation to the SP (referencing direction from the TC and the non-technical HARPS Manager) regarding the ongoing development of The Standard.
  • Provide key updates to the SP on critical communications with stakeholders, delivery, and implementation of The Standard.
  • Receive quarterly trend reports from the HARPS Manager and provide advice to the Stewardship Panel on matters arising from the trend analysis.
  • Provide trend reports and key data to the TC.
  • Be the main point of contact for The Standard’s operational matters.

Technical Committee

The TC has been established to provide objective governance and oversight of the HARPS program to Hort Innovation.  The TC is an advisory body.

Members of the TC are as follows:

 

Independent Chair

  • Belinda Wilson-Chartres – Director/Senior Consultant/Food Safety Auditor, Fresh Business Directions

Retailer Representatives (2 positions)

  • Marija Randjelovic – Product Technologist, Coles
  • Gary Holzapfel – Technical Leader, Woolworths

Grower Representatives / Peak Industry Body (4 positions)

  • Prakash Pathak – National QA & Compliance Manager; MacKay’s Banana Marketing
  • Lynley van Latham – Executive Officer Marketing, Rugby Farming Group
  • Kim Starkie – Food Safety & Quality Systems Consultant/Industry Development Officer, Crop2Eat/WA Stonefruit
  • Sandra Groves – Director/Manager/Food Safety/Quality Assurance/Marketing/WHS, HR/Cleaning Officer, Groves Grown Tropical Fruit

Supply Chain Representative (1 position)

  • Shreya Shah – Group ESG Manager; Freshmax Pty Ltd

GFSI Program Owner Representative (1 position)

  • Angela Steain – Head of Product & Engagement; Freshcare Ltd

Certification Body Representative (1 position)

  • Josephine Bennie – Certification Associate Program Manager – GlobalG.A.P., Merieux Nutrisciences

Independent Technical Specialist (1 position)

  • SP Singh – Senior Research Scientist; NSWDPIRD

Responsibilities of the TC are to:

  • Review, challenge and support the ongoing development of The Standard and associated technical documents.
  • Collate, review and where necessary, validate technical data and information that underpins changes to the elements of The Standard.
  • Identify and engage with relevant industry networks, peak industry bodies, and businesses during the review process.
  • Make recommendations to the OC on The Standard.
  • Provide advice and guidance to assist in informing the further development of The Standard to ensure it remains fit for purpose, including food safety, legal and trade compliance matters for the horticultural industry.
  • Provide advice to the SP and its secretariat regarding the ongoing development of The Standard including communication with stakeholders, delivery, business risk, and implementation of The Standard.
  • Receive trend reports and key data from the OC.
  • Be the main point of contact for The Standard’s technical matters.

Foodland has Joined HARPS

We are pleased to advise that Foodland has joined HARPS as a participating Retail Customer.

HARPS was established following an industry initiative that commenced in 2012 to harmonise the food safety and quality certification requirements of Australia’s major grocery retailers. The scheme was officially launched in October 2016 and has since provided a harmonised approach for suppliers servicing multiple participating retailers. HARPS currently works with retailers including ALDI, Coles, Costco, HelloFresh, Metcash and Woolworths.

Foodland has a long-standing history in Australian independent grocery retail, with particularly strong roots in South Australia. Foodland stores are locally and independently owned, with a strong focus on fresh local produce, supporting local suppliers and contributing to their local communities.

We warmly welcome Foodland to HARPS and look forward to working together to support the Australian fresh produce industry.

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.