FRESHCARE FSQ5: WHAT'S CHANGING FOR AUSTRALIAN GROWERS

Freshcare has released Edition 5 of its Food Safety & Quality Standard, known as FSQ5. It replaces both the on-farm standard and the Supply Chain Standard with a single document covering growing, packing, storage and distribution of fresh produce.

If you hold Freshcare certification today, the headline is simple: there's no need to panic, and nothing has to change this week. Your current certificate stays valid until its expiry date. But FSQ5 audits start in March 2027, and a few genuinely new requirements, biosecurity in particular, take time to put in place properly. Starting now means you won't be writing plans the week before your auditor arrives.

The good news is that Freshcare describes most of the changes as clarifying existing requirements rather than adding new obligations. If your records are in good shape under FSQ4.2, you're already most of the way there.

FRESHCARE FSQ5 KEY DATES

Certificates issued under FSQ4.2 and SCS2 remain valid until their stated expiry date and stay GFSI-recognised while valid. Freshcare has applied for GFSI benchmarking of FSQ5, and you can track its progress on the GFSI website.

Which FSQ5 training do you need?

Your management representative must complete approved Freshcare training for FSQ5. The Transition Training Module covers the key areas of change and is for businesses whose most recent Freshcare training was to FSQ4.2, FSQ4.1, FSQ4, SCS2 or SCS1. The full FSQ5 Training Course is for businesses new to Freshcare, or whose last training was more than ten years ago to an earlier edition.

THE BIG PICTURE: ONE FRESHCARE STANDARD INSTEAD OF TWO

Until now, a business that grew and packed its own produce could find itself working across two Freshcare standards: FSQ4.2 for the farm and SCS2 for the supply chain. FSQ5 brings food safety, quality and supply chain requirements together in one standard, organised into four sections: Management, Site, Biosecurity and Produce.

Not every requirement applies to every business. Which criteria apply depends on your certification scope, such as grower, packer, storage or transporter, so start by confirming your scope with your certification body.

WHAT'S GENUINELY NEW IN FRESHCARE FSQ5

Biosecurity is in the standard for the first time

FSQ5 adds a dedicated biosecurity section. You'll need a documented biosecurity plan for the sites where produce is grown, packed and stored. It should list the threats relevant to your location, how you minimise them (including site access and quarantine requirements), when the plan was written and who is responsible for it. The plan is reviewed at least once a year. Any unusual plant pest, disease or weed must be reported to the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline or your state's reporting channel.

What to do: list the biosecurity threats for your region, write down your access and quarantine controls, and name the person responsible.

A stronger, HACCP-based food safety management system

FSQ5 is built on a HACCP system and sets clearer expectations for documented procedures and records. Expect to keep flowcharts of your operation, a signed commitment statement, a documented organisational structure and an annual management review.

What to do: download the standard and the FSQ5 factsheets from FreshcareOnline, and compare your current documents against the Management section.

A more risk-based approach to growing sites and inputs

FSQ5 asks for documented risk assessments for each growing site and crop combination. These cover heavy metals and persistent chemicals in the soil, fertilisers and soil additives, and each pre-harvest water source. Each is reviewed at least annually. After a flood event, planting waits until soil moisture is back to normal and at least 60 days have passed since floodwaters fully receded, unless a documented risk assessment supports a shorter interval.

What to do: start with the blocks you already know carry the most risk, then work through the rest before your next audit.

Food safety culture and competency

Your management representative must complete refresher training at least every three years. Training records need the trainee's name, the trainer, the topic, the date and an expiry date where one applies. You'll also keep a register of workers authorised to store, handle, apply or dispose of crop protection products, displayed in the chemical storage area.

What to do: set up a training register with expiry dates, and post your chemical authorisation register in the store.

Food defence, food fraud and authenticity

FSQ5 asks you to assess the risk of intentional contamination (food defence) and of adulteration, substitution or misrepresentation (food fraud). Where a risk is found, you document a plan and review it annually. Only produce from a Freshcare-certified business, or one certified to an approved GFSI-benchmarked standard, can be sold as Freshcare certified.

What to do: use the FSQ5 vulnerability assessment forms on FreshcareOnline as your starting point.

An annual traceability test

You'll test your traceability system, including a mass balance, at least once a year, following produce from its source to its destination. The standard sets a four-hour limit for the exercise, or less if your customer specifies it. Keep a record of each test.

What to do: pick a recent consignment and time how long it takes to trace it back.

WHAT STAYS THE SAME: YOUR CORE FRESHCARE RECORDS

Most day-to-day record keeping will look familiar. Freshcare says businesses certified under FSQ4.2 or SCS2 are likely to meet most of these expectations already. Under FSQ5 you'll still keep:

• Spray records: application date, start and finish times, location and crop, product (including batch number if available), target pest, weed or disease, rate and quantity applied, equipment or method, wind speed and direction, withholding period or earliest harvest date, and the name of the applicator.
• Fertiliser records: date, location and crop, product, rate, wind speed and direction where applicable, method of application, and the person applying it.
• Calibration records for spray and fertiliser application equipment, at least annually.
• Harvest, packing and dispatch records, with batch identification codes where applicable.
• Corrective action records, including the root cause of the problem.
• Pest management and pest sighting records for your sites and facilities, plus cleaning and sanitation records.
• All records kept for at least two years, or longer if shelf life, regulations, your audit cycle or customers require it.

Well-kept records today are the strongest foundation you can have for an FSQ5 audit.

FRESHCARE FSQ5 PREPARATION CHECKLIST

HOW FARMABLE HELPS WITH YOUR FRESHCARE RECORDS

Farmable is farm management software used by Australian growers to keep their field records on their phone, at the time the job is done. It doesn't replace your Freshcare system or training, but it covers the core records an auditor will ask to see:

• Spray records with every field on the FSQ5 list: start and finish times, block and crop, product from the built-in APVMA list with its batch number, target pest, rate and quantity, equipment, wind speed and direction, withholding period and applicator.
• Fertiliser records with wind conditions and application method.
• Harvest records by field, with printable bin labels carrying a batch code.
• Corrective action records, including the root cause.
• Crop pest and disease observations with photos and GPS.

When the auditor arrives, you export audit-ready Freshcare reports as PDF or XLS. Your biosecurity plan, risk assessments, training register and trace tests are still yours to prepare, but the records Farmable keeps are the ones you'll draw on to do them.

See how spray compliance works in Farmable →

"All I do is show the auditor the Farmable app, and the entire year's spray data is available for them to analyse."

"We've used Farmable for the past 5 years and wouldn't be without it! Easy to understand for all members of our farming family - young & old."

Freshcare is an independent standard owner. Farmable is a tool that supports your record keeping and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Freshcare.