Traceability:
Our Production History Management System

Recording and Management of Harvested New Zealand Blackcurrants

Quality and food safety is the motto of The New Zealand Blackcurrant Co-operative (the growers and marketers of New Zealand Blackcurrants), and as a result they developed a traceability system that ensures their customers receive quality New Zealand Blackcurrants each and every time.

New Zealand Blackcurrants is harvested in midsummer, carefully sorted, packed into wooden crates and immediately frozen to preserve their flavor and nutrition. They are then processed into juice concentrate, puree, or powder.

New Zealand Blackcurrants is added to a variety of items, such as nutraceuticals, juice, yogurt, ice cream, and breakfast cereals. Their refreshing, sweet, crisp flavor is very compatible with dairy products and meat as well as other fruits and berries. They are a versatile ingredient that is gaining in popularity around the world.

Each wooden crate of New Zealand Blackcurrants has a card attached to it with the following information:

The grower’s name

The name of the field block where the fruit grew

The harvest date

The names of the varieties

Weight

Bin number

Clear Traceability from Farm to Final Product

A product certification card is also attached to each box at the time of harvest. All subsequent processes – from fruit acceptance to processing – is recorded here. This makes it possible to trace where the fruit from each farmer goes and to easily learn where the ingredients for each product originate.

Farmer recording system –
fertilizers and pesticides

The New Zealand Blackcurrant Co-operative requires that all farmers record and submit details of how their Blackcurrants were grown, including applications of fertilisers and pesticides if used. This means you can be sure of the quality, safety and purity of New Zealand Blackcurrants.