RECORD KEEPING

Traceability and supporting records for fresh produce are essential components of all Quality Management Systems (QMS). Each farmer or farmer group should have a unique code (e.g. name, number or code) to aid traceability. The most effective way of achieving this for complete traceability along the supply chain is by the use of bar codes. For traceability purposes it is especially important that the use of all agrochemicals (especially pesticides) is recorded during the production and post-harvest handling of a crop. Records must be kept to demonstrate traceability of the product at all stages from 'farm to fork', i.e. from the field in which the crops are grown (and under what conditions), to the pack-house and from the pack-house to the airport cool stores, and finally on to the supermarket and the consumer. Examples of records include:

• Pesticide use and application record
• Field operations and costs record
• Training record
• Product quality control report

To ensure that smallholders are achieving food safety and QMS requirements, periodic checks should be made using a simple auditing technique:

• Quiz the farmers about/on known procedures;
• Ask the farmers to demonstrate how they perform these procedures;
• Compare their demonstrations with documented procedures, taught to them in training sessions;
• The results of this comparison should be recorded in an internal audit log to confirm that the audit took place.

The cost of auditing food safety and quality management systems with smallholder producers can be greatly reduced, and the effectiveness of the systems increased, if responsibility for the primary role of "self audit" is devolved to representatives of the farmers themselves. Spot checks by an external auditor should be frequent in the early stages of sourcing, but can usually be reduced with time.

When developing an auditing technique it is worth considering a number of key questions.