Interpretive guide for ASEAN GAP Good agricultural practices for production of fresh fruit and vegetables in ASEAN countries PRODUCE QUALITY MODULE November 2006 Quality Assurance Systems for ASEAN Fruit and Vegetables Project ASEAN-Australia Development Cooperation Project Copyright © ASEAN Secretariat 2006 All rights reserved Reproduction and dissemination of materials from this publication for educational or other non commercial purposes is authorised without any prior written permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged Reproduction of materials in this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission of the copyright holders Disclaimer The views expressed in this information product are not necessarily those of the ASEAN Secretariat nor does the ASEAN Secretariat vouch for the accuracy of the material No responsibility or liability will therefore be accepted by the ASEAN Secretariat in relation to any use or reliance on the material contained in this publication Reference to any other organisations does not constitute endorsement by the ASEAN Secretariat of those organisations or any associated product or service i Contents Acknowledgements Introduction 1.1 Purpose and scope of guide 1.2 Guide sections Hazards and causes of quality loss 2.1 Quality hazards 2.2 Quality loss during production 2.3 Quality loss at harvest 2.4 Quality loss during postharvest handling GAP requirements 10 3.1 Quality plan 3.2 Planting material 3.3 Fertilisers and soil additives 3.4 Water 3.5 Chemicals 3.6 Harvesting and handling produce 3.7 Traceability and recall 3.8 Training 3.9 Documents and records 3.10 Review of practices Self-assessment checklist – good agricultural practices 27 Example quality plan 32 Examples of documents and records 37 Appendices Glossary of terms References and additional information ii Acknowledgements Editors • Mr Scott Ledger, Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Queensland, Australia • Dr Robert Premier, Department of Primary Industries, Victoria, Australia Working group This publication was prepared by a working group involving representatives from all ASEAN member countries and the editors of this guide The representatives from the ASEAN countries were: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Mr Jamalludin Haji Mohd Yusoff, Department of Agriculture, Brunei Darussalam Ms Hajjah Aidah binti Hj Hanifah, Department of Agriculture, Brunei Darussalam Mr Ly Sereivuth, Dept of Agronomy & Agricultural Land Improvement, Cambodia Mr Mean Chetna, Dept of Agronomy & Agricultural Land Improvement, Cambodia Ms Dwi Iswari, Directorate of Fruit Crops, Indonesia Ms Susiami, Directorate of Fruit, Indonesia Mrs Khamphoui Louanglath, Department of Agriculture, Lao PDR Mr Kham Sanatem, Department of Agriculture, Lao PDR Mr Mohd Khairuddin Mohd Tahir, Department of Agriculture, Malaysia Ms Norma Othman, Department of Agriculture, Malaysia Mr Mohd Hussin Yunnus, Department of Agriculture, Malaysia Mr U Kyaw Win, Myanma Agricultural Service, Myanmar Mr Ko Ko, Myanma Agricultural Service, Myanmar Mr Gilberto F Layese, Department of Agriculture, Philippines Ms Mary Grace Rivere Mandigma, Department of Agriculture, Philippines Dr Paul Chiew King Tiong, Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore Ms Khoo Gek Hoon, Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore Dr Supranee Impithuksa, Department of Agriculture, Thailand Dr Surmsuk Salakpetch, Department of Agriculture, Thailand Mrs Psyanoot Naka, Department of Agriculture, Thailand Dr Nguyen Munh Chau, Southern Fruit Research Institute, Viet Nam Ms Nguyen Thu Hang, Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development, Viet Nam Project funding The development of ASEAN GAP is an activity within the project, Quality Assurance Systems for ASEAN Fruit and Vegetables (QASAFV) The QASAFV project is an initiative under the ASEAN Australia Development Cooperation Program (AADCP) The AADCP is funded by Australia’s overseas aid agency, AusAID, and Cardno ACIL Pty Ltd is AusAID’s Australian managing contractor for the program The QASAFV project is managed by RMIT International Pty Ltd in association with the Department of Primary Industries, Victoria and the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Queensland The project contact person is: Mr Mick Bell Project Coordinator – Business Development Division RMIT International Pty Ltd Level 5, 225 Bourke Street Melbourne Victoria 3000 Australia Tel +61 9925 5139 Fax +61 9925 5153 mick.bell@rmit.edu.au iii Introduction 1.1 Purpose and scope of guide ASEAN GAP is a standard for good agricultural practices to control hazards during the production, harvesting and postharvest handling of fresh fruit and vegetables in the ASEAN member countries ASEAN GAP is divided into four modules – Food safety, Environmental management, Worker health, safety and welfare and Produce quality ASEAN GAP has been developed to enhance the harmonisation of GAP programs amongst the ASEAN member countries It covers the production, harvesting and postharvest handling of fresh fruit and vegetables on farm and postharvest handling in locations where produce is packed for sale This interpretive guide was designed to assist producers, packers, supply chain businesses, trainers, government representatives and others to understand the practices required for implementing the Produce Quality Module of ASEAN GAP It provides guidance on “what has to be done” to implement the required practices Separate interpretive guides are available for the other ASEAN GAP modules 1.2 Guide sections The guide contains background information on types of quality hazards and causes of quality loss, guidance on implementing the GAP requirements, a self-assessment checklist to review compliance with the requirements, examples of documents and records, a glossary of terms and references and additional information Section Hazards and causes of quality loss This section provides information about the potential quality hazards and causes of quality loss A quality hazard is any characteristic that prevents the produce from meeting the requirements of a customer or government regulation Produce quality can be lost at any step during production, harvesting and postharvest handling Section GAP requirements The good agricultural practices for controlling quality hazards are grouped into 10 elements Each element has background information to explain how quality can be lost Specific information is then provided for each practice to explain what is required to implement the practice In some cases, two or more practices are grouped together as the guidance information is the same for both practices Section Self-assessment checklist The self-assessment checklist enables the level of compliance with the good agricultural practices contained in the food safety module to be checked The relevance of the practices will depend on the location of the farm or packing business, type of produce, and the systems used for production, harvesting, handling, packing, storage and transport The person assesses whether the practice is done correctly or if attention is needed or if the practice is not relevant If attention is needed, the actions required are identified and recorded Section Example quality plan This section contains an example of a quality plan for production, harvesting and postharvest handling of mangoes For each process step, the quality plan describes the quality hazards that may occur, the causes of quality hazards and the good agricultural practices required to prevent or minimise the risk of the quality hazards occurring Section Examples of documents and records The section contains examples of documents and record forms that are required to implement various practices in the produce quality module The documents and record forms are examples only and other methods and formats can be used ASEAN GAP specifies the information that has to be documented and the records to keep, but does not specify how to document information and keep records Appendix Glossary of terms This appendix contains definitions for the abbreviations and terms used in the guide Appendix References and additional information This appendix contains references and additional information on control of quality hazards for fresh produce It includes lists of training programs, GAP guidelines, publications, GAP systems and organisations 2 Hazards and causes of quality loss 2.1 Quality hazards A quality hazard is any characteristic that prevents the produce from meeting the requirements of a customer or government regulation For example the produce quality may not meet the requirement of a customer for size, colour, maturity, external appearance, flavour, or shelf life The produce may also not meet the quarantine regulations of an importing country because of the presence of a pest or disease or it may be incorrectly labelled There are three types of quality characteristics – external appearance, internal quality, and hidden quality External appearance includes those characteristics that can be seen by the eye Examples are colour, size, shape, disease, insects, blemishes, and packaging Internal quality includes those characteristics that can’t be seen from the outside and the produce needs to be cut or eaten to identify the quality Examples are colour, firmness, texture, flavour, aroma, disease and insects Hidden quality includes those characteristics that can’t be seen, smelt or tasted Examples are shelf life, nutritional value and genetic modification There are some basic quality characteristics that customers expect when purchasing fresh produce Examples are: • Free of major injury, spoilage or blemish likely to affect keeping quality • Not overripe, excessively soft or wilted • Free of excessive dirt, unacceptable chemical residues and other foreign matter • Free of foreign odours and taste • Free of quarantine pests Produce quality can be lost at any step during the production, harvesting and postharvest handling of fresh produce Grading for quality Not only is the quality of individual pieces important, but the overall quality of the combined saleable unit is also important The buyer will have expectations for the quality of the saleable unit – for example, bundles of leafy vegetables, a basket, crate or carton of fruit Many customers require the produce to be uniform in quality within the package This may be uniform colour, size, weight, shape, or some other characteristic To achieve uniformity, the produce is graded for quality either at harvest, packing or during a repacking stage Grading is usually done by humans, either pickers or packers, although machinery or measurement devices are increasingly being used Accuracy of humans is typically lower than with machinery, but can be improved with suitable training Achieving perfect uniformity is rarely possible so some level of variability has to be allowed Decisions have to be made about what range of attribute between the lower limit and upper limit will be allowed For example, for a produce weight requirement of 250 grams with an allowance of 10%, the weight range would be 225 to 275 grams Figure Grading tomatoes by colour to satisfy the requirements of different buyers 2.2 Quality loss during production The inherent quality of produce is determined by the production practices Once produce has been harvested, produce quality can not be improved Production practices affect all types of quality characteristics External characteristics such as colour, size, and shape are affected by practices that impact on plant growth and crop load such as water and nutrition management, pruning and thinning External appearance can be reduced by disease infection, pest damage and mechanical injury such as wind rub The internal appearance, eating quality, shelf life and nutritional value of produce is reduced by water stress, inadequate plant nutrition and excessive crop loads GAP during production is aimed at increasing the inherent quality of produce at the time of harvest 2.3 Quality loss at harvest The maturity of produce not only affects the quality at harvest but also the self life of the produce Maturity refers to the stage of development in the process of growing of the fruit or vegetable Maturation continues until the start of senescence, leading to the death of the produce Determining when produce is mature and ready for harvest can be a difficult decision For some crops, maturity indices have been developed to assist in the decision process For other crops, harvesting at the correct time can be highly subjective The optimum maturity for harvest is when the plant has completed sufficient growth and development to ensure that produce quality and shelf is acceptable to the consumer Most produce start to senescence once harvested, eventually leading to death If this produce is harvested too mature, senescence may occur before the produce reaches the consumer If this produce is harvested immature, quality characteristics such as colour, size, shape, flavour and texture will be reduced Fruit crops undergo a ripening process as part of maturation Ripening involves changes in fruit characteristics that lead to increasing eating acceptability Examples of these changes are softening, decrease in acids and tannins, increase in sugars, development of aroma and changes to skin colour For some fruit such as mango, banana and tomato, these changes continue after the produce is harvested If fruit is harvested when they are not mature, they may lack the required flavour or texture for the consumer If fruit is harvested too mature, senescence may occur before the produce reaches the consumer 38 Farm Plan Date Crop Business/Grower Name: Variety 39 Supplier (name and address) Planting Material Record Quantity obtained Location where planted Stocktake Date purchased Date: Name of product Business/Grower Name: Name: Quantity 40 Place of purchase Date: Name: Batch no (where available) Chemical Inventory Manufacture /expiry date Method and date of disposal Date/ Time Block/ Row Crop stage/ target Business/Grower Name: Product Dilution rate 41 Application rate Year: Equipment / method Date safe to Comments/ weather Operator conditions used harvest or WHP Crop/ Variety: Spray Record Postharvest Chemical Record Business/Grower Name: Chemical Date Time Tank Size Chemical Tank Mixing Rate Top-up Fresh Fresh (F) or Top-up (T) 42 Comments Application Method Signature Date Crop/ variety Business/Grower Name: Block Row Product Supplier of product 43 Application rate Fertiliser and Soil Additives Record Comments Operator Year: Date Crop Business/Grower Name: Variety Block/ row 44 Volume of water applied Rainfall Irrigation Record Comments Year: Crop / Variety Planting date Business/Grower Name: Block ID Harvest/ packing date 45 Batch code Amount packed Harvest and Packing Record Destination / Consignment No Comments (eg quality, temperature) Chemical application Fertilising C = attended farm chemical user course = performs job and training completed Name Business/Grower Name: Irrigation Harvesting Cleaning Personal hygiene Repairs and maintain Self assessment checklist 46 = performs job, training completed and has responsibility for area Grading and packing Job Responsibility and Training Record Area / equipment cleaned Business/Grower Name: Frequency Responsibility 47 Cleaning and Pest Control Plan Method Date: Date Problem and cause Business/Grower Name: 48 Action taken to fix problem Corrective Action Report Signature/ date when problem fixed Appendix – Glossary of terms Abbreviations AADCP ASEAN AusAID GAP MRL QA QASAFV ASEAN-Australia Development Cooperation Program Association of Southeast Asian Nations Australian Agency for International Development Good Agricultural Practice Maximum Residue Limit Quality Assurance Quality Assurance Systems for ASEAN Fruit and Vegetables Terms Biopesticide A pesticide that is manufactured from biological sources Biosolids Solid, semi-solid or slurry material produced from the treatment of human sewage Cleaning The removal of soil, dirt, grease or other foreign matter Competent authority An organisation or company that is a recognised authority to develop or monitor standards, rules of operation, codes of practice, regulations, and policies Examples include government departments, international committees such as CODEX, industry organisations, QA/GAP system owners, and auditing companies Composting A managed process where organic materials are subjected to moisture, heat and microorganisms for a specified period to produce a product known as compost Contamination Food safety – the introduction or transfer of a food safety hazard to produce or to the inputs that contact produce, such as soil, water, equipment, and people Critical limit The level of acceptability for a practice or standard Exceeding the critical limit will result in a practice being unacceptable or high risk of a food safety hazard occurring Customer A business or person who buys or receives produce For example, a packer, marketing group, distributor, wholesaler, exporter, processor, retailer, or consumer Domestic animals Animals that are raised as family pets or as a source of food for the family– for example dogs, cats, cows, chickens, ducks, birds, sheep, monkeys, mice, rabbits Farm animals Animals that are raised for commercial purposes – for example, cows, sheep, chickens, ducks Faeces The waste from the intestinal tract of animals, – also known as manure Fertigation The application of nutrients through an irrigation system Food safety hazard Any chemical, biological or physical substance or property that can cause fruit and vegetables to become an unacceptable health risk to consumers Foreign objects Unwanted objects in or around produce that may affect food safety or quality – for example, glass, metal, wood, stones, soil, leaves, stems, plastic, and weed seeds Fumigation The applicant of a chemical to control pests in the soil or substrate, such as insects, diseases and weeds Good agricultural practice Practices used to prevent or reduce the risk of hazards occurring during production, harvesting, postharvest handling of produce Integrated pest management A system for managing pests that integrates multiple strategies to minimise the use of chemical pesticides, such as encouraging beneficial insects and 49 microorganisms to flourish, good crop hygiene and plant health, regular monitoring of crops for pests, using biological control agents and soft pesticides, and selective use of chemical pesticides Maximum level (ML) The maximum amount of a heavy metal in fruit and vegetables for sale for human consumption, which is permitted by a competent authority Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) The maximum amount of a chemical in fruit and vegetables for sale for human consumption, which is permitted by a competent authority Obsolete chemical A chemical that is no longer suitable for use For example approval for use of the chemical may be withdrawn, the chemical is older than the use by date, the container may be damaged and the chemical soiled Organic material/ product A material or commercial product originating from plants and animals and not from synthetic sources Persistent chemicals Organochlorine pesticides, heavy metals and other chemicals that remain for long periods in soil, water and the general environment (for example, herbicides in ground water) Pest An unwanted animal or plant that affects the production, quality and safety of fruit and vegetables – for example, insects, diseases, weeds, rodents, birds Pesticide Products used to control pests – for example, insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, fumigants Pesticides can be manufactured from chemical or biological sources Potable water Water that is suitable for human consumption as approved by WHO or equivalent country regulations Produce Fruit and vegetables (including herbs) Property The whole area of a farm or business It includes all houses, buildings, production areas, roads, fauna and flora, and watercourses within the surveyed boundaries of the property Remedial action/ corrective action Action taken to remove or minimise or prevent re-occurrence of a hazard Risk The chance of something happening that will impact upon a hazard (for example, food safety) It is usually measured in terms of likelihood and consequences Sanitise Reducing the level of microorganisms through using chemicals, heat and other methods Side dressing The application of a fertiliser or soil additive beside a growing plant either on top of or beneath the ground Site A defined area on the property – for example, a production site Soil additives Products or materials that are added to the soil to improve fertility, structure or control weeds Examples are animal manure, sawdust, compost, seaweed, fishbased products Target The item or site to which an activity is directed For example, applying a pesticide spray to a target crop to control a target pest or applying fertiliser to a target pad dock for crop nutrition Traceability The ability to follow the movement of produce through the specified stages of production and distribution Withholding period The minimum period permitted between application of a pesticide and harvest of the produce Workers All people working on a farm or in a business, including family members and contractors 50 Appendix – References and additional information Global organisations = = = = World Trade Organisation of the United Nations - WTO www.wto.org World Health Organisation of the United Nations - WHO www.who.int Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations www.fao.org Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) www.codexalimentarius.net Guidelines for good agricultural practice: = = = = = = = = Guidelines for On-Farm Food Safety for Fresh Produce – Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Australia 2004 www.daff.gov.au/content/publications.cfm?Category=Food Food Safety Begins on the Farm: A Grower’s Guide Good Agricultural Practices for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables – Cornell University, USA 2004 www.gaps.cornell.edu Food Safety Begins on the Farm: A Grower Self Assessment of Food Safety Risks – Cornell University, USA 2004 – www.gaps.cornell.edu Good Agricultural Practices University of California, Davis, USA 2004 http://ucgaps.ucdavis.edu A summary of on-farm food safety programs or guidelines for fresh fruits and vegetables worldwide – www.foodsafetynetwork.ca/food/onfarm.htm Commodity specific food safety guidelines for the melon supply chain 2005 Produce Marketing Association and United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association www.pma.com or www.uffva.org Commodity specific food safety guidelines for the lettuce and leafy greens supply chain 2006 Produce Marketing Association and United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association – www.pma.com or www.uffva.org Improving the safety of fresh fruit and vegetables Wim Jongen 2005 Woodhead Publishing Limited – www.woodheadpublishing.com Training programs = = = = Quality Assurance Systems for ASEAN Fruit and Vegetables project www.aphnet.org Improving the quality and safety of fresh fruits and vegetables: a practical approach manual for trainers FAO 2004 www.fao.org/es/ESN/food/foodandfood_fruits_en.stm Improving the safety and quality of fresh fruits and vegetables: a training manual for trainers University of Maryland, USA 2002 – www.jifsan.umd.edu/gaps.html Food Quality and Safety Systems – A Training Manual on Food Hygiene and the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) System FAO 1998 www.fao.org/docrep/W8088E/W8088E00.htm Codex/ FAO publications: = = = Recommended International Code of Practice – General Principles of Food Hygiene Codex – www.codexalimentarius.net Draft Code of Hygienic Practice for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables Codex www.codexalimentarius.net International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides FAO ww.fao.org/ag/agp/agpp/Pesticid/Default.htm On-farm quality and food safety programs Program Website EUREPGAP ChileGAP Freshcare On-Farm Food Safety Program (Australia) SQF 1000 and 2000 CIES – The Food Business Forum Thailand Q system, Malaysian SALM system, Singapore GAP-VF system, Indonesian INDON GAP system – QASAFV project website www.eurep.org www.chilegap.com www.freshcare.com.au www.sqfi.com www.ciesnet.com www.aphnet.org 51 ... Interpretive guide for ASEAN GAP Good agricultural practices for production of fresh fruit and vegetables in ASEAN countries PRODUCE QUALITY MODULE November 2006 Quality Assurance Systems for ASEAN Fruit... the Produce Quality Module of ASEAN GAP It provides guidance on “what has to be done” to implement the required practices Separate interpretive guides are available for the other ASEAN GAP modules... the ASEAN member countries ASEAN GAP is divided into four modules – Food safety, Environmental management, Worker health, safety and welfare and Produce quality ASEAN GAP has been developed to