PROTOCOLS

International markets today have in place stringent quality and food safety standards with regard to the fruit they import. These protocols, as they are called, are comprehensive, and cover the entire spectrum from the producers and the facilities available on their farms, right through to the packing process itself.

There are a number of protocols in place that monitor the implementation of, and compliance with recognized Good Agricultural Practises including adhering to the stated integrated crop / pest management system used on farms as well as ensuring that all phyto-sanitary and quality requirements are met.

In response to these numerous protocols and in recognition of the importance of consumer concerns over issues such as the safety, legality and quality of the product, as well as the way in which it is produced, SRCC has developed and implemented the SRCC Quality Management System. This has been divided into two parts namely SRCC - QMS (producers) and SRCC - QMS (packhouse).

SRCC - QMS (producers):

Sundays Rver Citrus Company ensures that the producers whose fruit is packed meet these standards and in so doing bocome formally accredited. To this purpose, SRCC has formed a Farmers Group or PMO (Producer Marketing Organisation) and has already achieved certification under the Option 2 schemes of both GobalGAP and Tesco Nurture.

The GlobalGAP and Tesco Nurture standards cover areas such as:

Food safety
Rational use of Pesticides and fertilisers
Environmental conservation and enhancement
Efficient use of natural resources
Recycling and re-use of materials

As part of SRCC's commitment to on-going development and to ensure optimization of resources, the SRCC Internal Audit Department uses ICMAS (Integrated Crop Management Audit System) to audit the producers under the Option 2 scheme. The ICMAS program is a fully integrated self-assessment tool that incorporates a range of standards including:

GlobalGAP
Tesco Nurture
SEDEX - Supplier Ethical Data Exchange
SA 8000

SRCC producers and packhouses currently are busy with third party Ethical Audits to ensure that SRCC and its suppliers comply with the Ethical Standards and this process will be complete by the end of 2010.

In addition to the conventionally certified producers, a selected group of SRCC producers have achieved organic certification. These producers are all internally audited on the ICMAS system and certified under GlobalGAP and Nurture, and are also fully certified by a recognised Organic Certification Body to have Organic Accreditation.

SRCC - QMS (packhouse):

All three SRCC packhouses are certified according to a well recognized global food standard (Global Standard for Food Safety - incorporating HACCP). With food safety at its core, the standard also looks at the packing facilities; the production and management systems; the training of the staff and the commitment of management to the implementation and adherence to the requirements and principles of the standard.

The SRCC Kirkwood packhouse has a dedicated and certified organic pack-line, while the SRCC Summerville and Hermitage Packhouses have chem-free packlines where citrus is packed witout wax and/or post harvest treatments.