Richard Bennett Program Manager - Quality and Food Safety
Horticulture Australia Limited February 2002 (revised June 2002)

Chestnut growers have a range of options when it comes to choosing a quality assurance (QA) system for their business. While this means that there is an option for each business depending on where it sits in the supply chain and what its customers want, it can cause great anxiety for many growers as they choose or maintain a system they hope will be the best long-term choice.

One thing is for certain - new national food safety regulations that apply to processors, wholesalers and retailers will mean that all growers will be caught up in the process if they have not already been. An independently audited system will be inevitable sooner rather than later.