Notification

What is notification?

Notification means informing the relevant authority in your state or territory about your business activities and also updating them on any changes to your business.

‘Relevant authority’ means the state or territory government agency with legal authority to implement and enforce primary production and processing standards.

‘Activities’ means the things that your farm or processing facility usually does with berries, leafy vegetables or melons. Examples include: growing, harvesting, washing, trimming, sorting, sanitising, storing, combining, packing, and transporting produce between packhouses.

What are the requirements?

Primary producers and primary processors of berries, leafy vegetables and melons must provide specific information to the relevant authority before starting activities, as shown below.

For berries

Specific information should include: your contact details, a description of your business’s production and/or processing activities, your site locations and which activities occur on those sites.

For leafy vegetables and melons

Information needs to be provided through a Food Safety Management Statement (FSMS) or equivalent notification form. This is a document that explains what your business does and how you manage food safety hazards at all stages. It must be approved or recognised by your relevant authority. See our InfoBite fact sheet on FSMS for more information.

Changes to your business

If you decide to change your business activities, it’s important you notify your relevant authority of these changes before they happen. Examples include: setting up growing sites in a new or extra location, growing a different crop, or starting new processing activities.

These requirements are under primary production and processing standards for berries, leafy vegetables and melons.

Does this apply to me?

In the Standards:

• A primary producer is a business that grows and/or harvests berries, leafy vegetables or melons.
• A primary processor is a business that does any of the following with berries, leafy vegetables or melons: washing, trimming, sorting, sanitising, storing, combining, packing, and transporting between packhouses.

What do I need to do?

• Contact your state/territory food regulatory authority for more details on the requirements you must meet under the standard.
• Read more on each of the requirements in the standards and what it means for your business in Chapter 4: Primary production standards (Australia only). 
• Fresh Produce Safety Centre – Guidelines for Fresh Produce Food Safety 2022