CODE OF PRACTICE FOR FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

Oct 28, 2018 Features / Columnists, Standards in Focus

As we are near the conclusion of Agriculture Month, 2018, it is pertinent to feature a key standard, which offers useful guide to producers of fruits and vegetables.
This National Standard is the Code of Practice for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (GCP 21:2005); which was adapted from the Draft Codex Standard “Code of Hygienic Practice for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables”.
At the time of the development of this standard, there were numerous complaints about fresh fruits and vegetables as a source of food-borne illnesses. Though the quality of produce offered at the various markets and supermarkets has improved, there is need for farmers to manage the way they produce and handle fresh fruits and vegetables to maximize their earnings, and at the same time offer consumers the quality that they deserve.
The Code of Practice for fresh fruits and vegetables specifies general hygienic practices for the primary production and packing of fresh fruits and vegetables (cultivated for human consumption) in order to produce safe and wholesome products, particularly those intended to be consumed raw.
Specifically, this standard is applicable to fresh fruits and vegetables grown openly without cover or in protected facilities such as hydroponic systems and greenhouses. It concentrates on microbial hazards and addresses physical and chemical hazards only in so far as these relate to Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs).
The standard considers that fresh fruits and vegetables are grown in a wide range of conditions using various agricultural inputs and technologies, and on farms of varying sizes. Procedures associated with primary production shall be conducted in conditions that minimize potential hazards to health due to contamination.
Stipulations on the appropriate agricultural input requirements such as the type of water, manure, bio-solids and other natural fertilizers; type of soil, agricultural chemicals and biological controls are included in the standard.
The standard also offers guidance on the design and layout of indoor facilities associated with growing and harvesting such as water supply, drainage and waste disposal systems.
Other aspects covered by the standard include personnel health, hygiene and sanitary facilities; equipment associated with growing, harvesting, handling, storage and transport of fresh fruits and vegetables; pest control, packing and operational control.
Citizens rely on our farmers to produce wholesome fresh fruits and vegetables for consumption. Therefore, the onus is on farmers to ensure their production processes and inputs continuously meet the requirements of the national standard to safeguard the health of consumers.
The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) encourages every farmer, especially those producing fresh fruits and vegetables for sale to acquire a copy of the standard and use it as a guide during production.
For further information, please contact the GNBS on telephone numbers: 592-219-0065 or 592-219-0066 or visit the GNBS website: www.gnbsgy.org

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