1 HAZARD ANALYSIS CRITICAL CONTROL POINTS (HACCP): A TOOL FOR MANAGING FARM CHEMICAL RESIDUES

Abstract: Strategies to reduce potential food safety risks in fresh fruit and vegetables need to start in the paddock or orchard with the horticulturalist. Although Commonwealth and State food safety legislation is not directed at regulating inside farm gate activities, the market itself is demanding that growers, packers and distributors apply the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) methodology within their quality management systems to prevent, eliminate or reduce the food safety risk to an acceptable level. The identified food safety risks in horticulture include chemical (agricultural chemical residues in produce and soil, cleaning agents etc.), physical contamination (sticks, stones, glass, plant matter etc.) and microbiological (bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites). These three food safety risks have the potential to harm humans. HACCP has made a significant impact in the reduction of foodborne illness relating to the consumption of fresh (and processed) horticultural produce. It has also led to improvements in the consistency and quality of produce. However there is emerging concern that HACCP, particularly when applied at the grower level, is not truly addressing potential excess chemical residue contamination. This paper explores the Codex Alimentarius Commission Guidelines for HACCP and its application in the horticultural industry, focusing on small horticultural enterprises (SHE), in ensuring maximum chemical residue limits are not exceeded