116Application of plant products food safety scheme to fresh cut fruit and vegetables, seed sprouts and juices

116 Application of plant products food safety scheme to fresh cut fruit and vegetables, seed sprouts and juices

116 Application of plant products food safety scheme to fresh cut fruit and vegetables, seed sprouts and juices

(1) The Food Authority may, on the application of a person or on the Authority’s own initiative, declare that the plant products food safety scheme does not apply to a plant products business, or an activity of the plant products business, if the Food Authority is satisfied that the business, or the activity, involves the handling of a plant product, other than vegetables in oil, that will be—

(a) further processed to convert the plant product from being a plant product and reduce the risk of microbiological contamination in the product before it is supplied to a consumer, or

(b) in packaging, when supplied to a consumer, that indicates the plant product is not ready to consume until it is further processed in a way that will reduce the risk of microbiological contamination in the product.

(2) For this section, the risk of microbiological contamination is taken to be reduced—

(a) for fresh cut fruit, fresh cut vegetable and seed sprouts—by cooking or a process equivalent in effectiveness, or

(b) for unpasteurised juice—by pasteurisation or a process equivalent in effectiveness.

(3) The Food Authority may require an applicant for a declaration under this section to give information to the Food Authority that the Food Authority considers necessary to determine the application.

(4) The Food Authority may revoke a declaration under this section for a reason the Food Authority considers appropriate, but only after having given written notice of the intention to do so to the proprietor of the plant products business.