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QS-Report Fruit, Vegetables, Potatoes | Issue September 2018 • Hygiene at harvest • Report: Böckmann Strawberries • QS strengthens international presence • New technologies in plant research • News in brief QS-Report Fruit, Vegetables, Potatoes 02/2018 Quality assurance. From farm to shop. Hygiene at harvest QS Advisory Board discusses requirements for field toilets Dear Readers, There are few industries that are as dependent on foreign labour as fruit and vegetable production. Every year around 300,000 seasonal workers come to Germany from abroad. The prevailing working and social condi- tions for foreign seasonal workers occasionally generate public debate. Using the QS social module FIAS, produc- ers can check their provisions regarding appropriate working and social conditions and have it documented for the benefit of third parties. On page 2 we present a FIAS-approved producer who talks about his view on how to deal with harvest workers. He also reports on how he has solved the issue of field toilets. The QS Advisory Board is currently working intensively on this topic and is working on concrete requirements for distance and number (p.1). We wish you interesting reading. Your QS-team. Cleanliness and hygiene during har- vesting have always been the focus of QS requirements in the production of fresh fruit and vegetables. They are essential to prevent pathogenic germs from entering foodstuffs dur- ing harvesting via various channels. QS still sees a need for action with regard to the specification of guide- lines for toilet facilities made availa- ble to harvest workers and has taken up the topic with the Advisory Board. “Clean, easily accessible and suffi- cient toilets during harvesting are indispensable to avoid possible risks of product contamination” , explains Wilfried Kamphausen , responsible for Fruit, Vegetables and Potatoes at QS. Compared to other standards, QS already has some of the strictest requirements in this respect. Serious deviations found as part of a QS au- dit are consistently assessed with a K.O. What has been lacking to date, are concrete guidelines for the number and accessibility of the toilets. Although the require- ments for „appropriate distance“ and „clean condition“ are laid down in the QS Production Guidelines, there have been no minimum numbers un- til now. “Experience shows that only clean and easily accessible toilets are used properly. The number of toilets provided also has a decisive influence on their state of hygiene” , says Kamphausen. This is also confirmed by the feedback of the auditors, who welcome precise specification regarding the distance and number of toilets. STANDARDS IN COMPARISON: VERY DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS A lookat other standardowners shows that there are certainly differences with regard to the requirements for field toilets: in some cases no precise regulations have been implemented, in others guide values are given for the distance between the toilets and the workplace. For example, the toi- letsmust not bemore than 500metres from the workplace and the walkmust not exceed seven minutes. For the number of toilets per harvest worker, reference ismade to legal regulations. In Germany, the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (Bundesanstalt für Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin - BAuA) issues regulations for this purpose within the framework of the Workplace Ordi- nance, also for outdoor areas. To what extent these can be applied with re- gard to field toilets for harvesters and which requirements should ultimately apply to QS producers will be dis- cussed at the next QS Advisory Board meeting. “This is an important step towards achieving a more uniform level and avoiding disproportionate assessments. It is important to us that practicability and a certain flexibility are guaranteed” , stresses Kamphausen. Content Editorial