Fresh Produce Standards

Each pocket or bale must be correctly labelled or marked.

Hop picking and cleaning machines, and conveyors of both green and dried hops, are cleaned before harvest each season and that this is recorded.

Analysis of water (for irrigation or other processes where there is direct product contact) must be in accordance with the Water Matrix and the analysis completed must be within the Detail of Accreditation of an ISO 17025 accredited laboratory.

Kiln burners must be checked annually and serviced to ensure efficient operation and to prevent fuel aerosols from fouling the crop.

The choice of variety is based upon acceptable agronomic performance appropriate to the local conditions - based upon information from official trials, rootstock supplier or customer requirement.

Traceability records must be available for all purchased rootstock, including supplier, origin, variety name, and virus-free/quality statement (if applicable).

Traceability records must be available for on-farm sourced rootstock, including variety name, and traceability back to mother yards.

Practices and procedures are in place to prevent co-mingling of varieties during propagation.

It is recommended that lockers are provided for employees to store personal belongings while working and that lockers are stored away from harvesting, handling and storage areas

Worker toilets are inspected on a daily basis and cleaned as required to ensure all consumables (e.g. soap, toilet paper, hand towels) are present and toilets are in a suitably hygienic condition.

Fire safety precautions are implemented within harvesting facilities.

When harvesting at night, additional steps are taken to protect safety of workers, including lighting of harvesting equipment and reflective PPE or personal lighting to maintain visibility.

Not relevant where no night-time harvesting occurs.

Where workers handling hops are issued with disposable shoe covers or gloves, clean PPE is issued at the start of the day and is replaced when torn or contaminated.

Not relevant where such PPE is not in use.

Where risk assessment identifies a need for workers in hop harvesting and handling facilities to wear specific PPE, including:
- head protection
- leg protection (e.g. chainsaw chaps)
- hearing protection
- respiratory equipment
this is inspected prior to use and damaged or compromised PPE is discarded and replaced.

Not relevant where such PPE is not in use.

All PPE is stored in a clean and designated area away from potential sources of contamination when not in use.

Where natural air or sun is used for the drying of harvested hops in the field, the producer has implemented adequate measures to prevent physical contamination, prevent pest ingress and maintain product integrity.

Temperature probes and moisture monitoring equipment are inspected prior to use and calibrated to a defined frequency.

Optimum drying parameters (e.g. drying temperatures, kiln bed depths, and drying duration) are identified, implemented and recorded to ensure good final product quality, and efficient energy.

Kiln drying facilities are managed to protect the welfare of workers.

Where vehicles and transportation equipment (e.g. forklifts, telehandlers, etc.) are stored in hop harvesting or handling facilities during the off-season, precautions are taken to protect areas and surfaces which may come into contact with the product.

Packaging materials protect food safety (polycloth, food grade burlap, Mylar aluminum foil, etc.) and are stored in a clean and hygienic area.

Methods are in place for detecting and removing metals prior to product being packaged.

Refrigerated containers used to store or transport hop bales are inspected and verified as clean and in good working condition before use.

Not relevant where refrigerated containers are not used.

Pest monitoring/vermin control continues out of season.

Finished bale weights must be effectively checked.

Where product quality parameters are analysed by a third-party laboratory against industry standards or customer specifications (e.g. alpha acids, H.S.I, moisture, seed, leaf, and stem), analysis records are kept and can be linked to batch.
Not relevant where such analysis is not completed.

Documented procedures are in place to identify, segregate and - where appropriate - rework any non-conforming product.