Requesting an audit

Always read the fine print in your Audit Contract.

As with all farm products and services, it is always a great idea to do your due diligence when seeking a service such as a farm audit. Seek out appropriate Certification Bodies that can provide audits for the standards you are seeking certification, and check that they have appropriately qualified auditors available in your operating locations.

If it’s a Freshcare audit you’re after, there are currently seven approved Certification Bodies (CB’s) that can provide an audit for your business. See the Freshcare website for details (www.freshcare.com.au/ auditing-and-certification). When obtaining a quote for audit, there are some variables that must be compared between the quotes offered for an audit from different Certification Bodies.

Quote variables:

1 Independence

Certification Bodies operate independently of the standards they audit and independently of each other, therefore quotes and offering will vary between Certification Bodies for one standard such as Freshcare.

2 Availability

Are you able to schedule an audit to occur during the appropriate time e.g. your businesses harvest and packing window? Freshcare audits must occur during harvest and operating periods (picking and/or packing crops) as per the

Freshcare Rules Edition 4.3. This is an important variable to consider as there may be ramifications with customers if an audit cannot be undertaken at the appropriate time and hence certification is not achieved.

3 Cost

How much will it cost and what are the components quoted? You need to make sure that you’re comparing similar services in the quotes provided. The Freshcare Certification fee will also be captured at audit; has this fee been outlined in your quotes provided? Freshcare provides a breakdown of their fees on their website www.freshcare.com.au/

about/freshcare-fee-structure 4 Travel

Has a travel component been quoted and if so, how is it applied?

Check whether the Certification

Body has a local auditor, or if an auditor is being dispatched from another location and is a travel cost incurred if so. Read the fine print in your Audit Contract (supplied prior to audit). It’s worth noting that if the CB has other clients in the region that require audits in the same window then travel costs may be shared, so consider discussing your options with other growers in your region and then the

Certification Body.

5 Service

If you are a business that is undergoing a Recertification Audit (i.e. you had an audit to the same system last year) and you received a good level of service, support and you had a good experience, why not reward that CB with your next audit?

On the other hand, if things did not go well, you could consider shifting to another CB. Afterall, you are the customer so you are entitled to feel satisfied following the delivery of a service for a fee.

Freshcare audits must occur during harvest and operating periods.

3 CERTIFICATION Bodies operate independently of the standards they audit and independently of each other.

If you are reading this and you’re thinking… ‘Hmmm, I’d actually like to shop around to see if there’s a better deal out there but I’m feeling overwhelmed’ — then you’re in luck! Freshcare has recently made some additions to their website and have added an Audit Request Form (www.freshcare.com.au/auditing-andcertification/audit-request)

This allows a participating business to complete an online form, which initiates contact between the business requiring the audit and the chosen Certification Bodies. The CB’s will be notified of your request and they will be able to provide you with a quote to complete your audit. This means that anyone with access to a smartphone or computer can quickly and easily obtain a quote for a Freshcare audit.

MORE INFORMATION

Do you find Quality Assurance difficult? Have you made significant changes to your business farming operations? Have you had a recent food safety incident? Are you aware of QA system changes? Do you want to discuss your Quality Assurance options?

Perhaps it’s time for a Quality Assurance Health Check. Contact vegetablesWA’s Quality Assurance Coordinator Joel Dinsdale for a QA Health Check (joel.dinsdale@ vegetableswa.com.au).