Tasmanian food safety regulations for berries – consultation open until 5 December

Update: Food Safety Changes for Horticulture Producers

TASMANIA

You may have heard (correctly) that new food safety requirements for berries are being implemented in Tasmania to bring all states in line with national requirements.

The consultation is open until 5 December 2025. Rachel Mackenzie has clarified with NRE as to the requirements for berry growers which differ from the obligations of melons and leafy greens growers (in a good way).

This is an excellent outcome compared with other states and what was originally proposed. We are still bedding down some details as to exactly what information berry growers need to provide, but the intent is that if you have an existing food safety scheme in place, the requirement will be minimal’

Berry grower only – not on a GFSI scheme

Growers are required to notify NRE Tas. There is no cost associated with this notification. Berry producers are encouraged to provide details to NRE Tas through the Berry Producers Information Form on the webpage and further assistance will be provided to guide them through the notification process. Further details will be provided to them as it becomes available.

Berry grower only – GFSI accredited (i.e. Freshcare)

Growers are required to notify NRE Tas. There is no cost associated with this notification. Berry Producers are encouraged to provide details to NRE Tas through the Berry Producers Information Form on the webpage that will capture their involvement in a GFSI scheme. Further details will be provided to them as it becomes available. NRE Tas has committed to developing a system for compliance recognition of GFSI-benchmarked schemes that can demonstrate regulatory compliance against the PPP Standards.

Berry grower + melon grower (for example)

Where growers are involved in multiple Food Safety Schemes, e.g. melons, accredited eggs, leafy vegetables, dairy, they will be required to become accredited. All associated activities will be covered under a single accreditation. There are costs involved in this requirement.

What if you’re a Berry grower who freezes produce for sale?

The new PPP Standards only apply to production and processing. Added value manufacturing activities (e.g., juicing, dried berries) are not covered under the PPP Standards or the draft regulations, but freezing is. Any reference to processing activities in the regulations relate to the early-stage processing and not manufacturing activities.

This is consistent with the Primary Produce Safety Act 2011 definitions where under the Act, (Clause 5 (c)) primary production activity means the production and processing of primary produce and includes the treating, freezing, packing, refrigeration, storage or washing of primary produce on the premises on which it was grown, raised, cultivated, picked, harvested, collected or caught, or on premises that are associated with those premises.

The Food Act 2003 (Clause 7) also has similar definitions for what is included as primary food production and what activities are not.

Therefore, a berry grower that freezes their products for sale would fall within the Primary Produce Safety Act 2011 and Regulations. The requirement for notification or accreditation would be as detailed above depending on nature of the enterprise (Berries only or mixed enterprises).

If anyone is really interested in a deep dive, public consultation is open now and will close at 5pm on 5 December 2025.

The draft Regulations and supporting documentation are available online.

Submissions can also be made through the NRE website