Full of G.A.S

We have no sleepless nights through worry about whether the produce we grow are safe to eat. For every grower in our supply base there are now many documents to record and prove that we have checked everything from pesticide use to packhouse bait boxes, this was at one time a worry.

After an extensive search for a system that allows us to plot our every action on pesticides and other food safety issues we went out and designed our own - GAS (grower Approval System). WPEs Systems Analyst and IT specialist Aurel Voiculescu worked alongside the key members of the company responsible for recording and checking each and every growers pesticide records and compliance to food safety standards.

For a while the company's policy has been top be able to produce a set of records for every grower within 6 hours. With the use of bespoke software David Johnston has set a new target of ten minutes. If the request for information is generated bya  customer or an internal audit we should know what pesticides were proposed for use, what has been used and whether the fruit produced showed any detectable residues.

Originally designed to provide proof of due diligence the system proves useful for record holding and alaysis. the aim of any good business today is not just to prove we are safe but to aim to provide fruit free from pesticide residues. Following pesticide label advice does not take us far down this route but the new system does help generate good agronomic advice to minimise residues.

The system is currently bespoke to the company but Voiculescu hopes that after a proving period we will have a system that other grower groups will want to purchase to satisfy their customers that they can prove their compliance to food safety standards.

Summer 2004