This Q&A summarises key questions and discussion points from an industry session (held on 28 October 2026) exploring food safety practices, recent changes to certification requirements and practical ways to strengthen food safety culture across mushroom-growing businesses.
Speakers:
Clare Hamilton-Bate
Melisa Cavallaro
Rosalie Daniels
Hosted by MushroomLink
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Start by reviewing existing records and checklists before introducing anything new. Consider whether current paperwork is still relevant, what risks it addresses and whether multiple checks can be consolidated into a single record.
For example, knife sign-in and sign-out records could incorporate cleaning checks, removing the need for separate forms.
It is also important to consult the employees who complete the records. They often have the best understanding of how processes work in practice and where improvements or efficiencies can be made.
Other suggestions included:
Integrating food safety requirements into existing operational routines, such as daily start-up meetings and toolbox talks, rather than treating them as additional compliance tasks.
Considering digital record-keeping, including tablets and cloud-based forms, to reduce lost paperwork and simplify record management.
Reviewing systems regularly to ensure they remain practical and relevant as operations change.
Regarding digital systems
Businesses need to understand how to retrieve and present records during an audit. Look for software that offers straightforward reporting, calendar views and the ability to identify trends, such as recurring non-conformances.
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Demonstrating staff competence is becoming increasingly important under updated food safety standards, including SQF and Freshcare.
Where employees have limited English proficiency, written training and records alone may not demonstrate that procedures are understood.
Practical approaches include:
Using translated training materials, posters and signage where needed.
Incorporating photographs and visual prompts, such as green ticks and red crosses, to demonstrate correct and incorrect practices.
Asking employees to demonstrate a procedure after training, such as the correct handwashing technique.
Showing examples of acceptable and unacceptable products and asking employees to identify the differences.
Using simple scenarios to check whether employees understand what to do in different situations.
Some businesses also use multilingual supervisors or dedicated translators to communicate important food safety, workplace safety and operational instructions.
Key message: Competence can be demonstrated in practical ways. It does not necessarily require additional written tests or complicated documentation.
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Food safety should be everyone's responsibility, not something that sits solely with the quality assurance (QA) team.
Regular communication is important. Businesses can build food safety topics into existing daily start-up meetings, weekly toolbox talks and monthly quality meetings.
These discussions can cover current issues, reminders about good practice and specific risks relevant to the operation.
It is also important to consider how food safety responsibilities overlap with other business functions, including workplace health and safety, operations and HR.
Participants shared examples of businesses bringing these teams together to plan toolbox topics, review incidents, identify root causes and agree on corrective actions.
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The 60-second pressure test is a simple way to check whether employees know how to respond to food safety, quality or workplace safety issues.
It involves presenting employees with a quick, hypothetical scenario during normal operations and asking what they would do.
For example:
What happens if a piece of a glove is found in a box of mushrooms?
What should you do if you identify a significant quality issue?
Who should you notify if you identify a potential food safety risk?
If employees are unsure how to respond, it highlights an opportunity for further training or clarification.
These informal checks can be conducted while walking through the production area or incorporated into existing toolbox talks and inspections.
Businesses can also develop a list of scenarios covering food safety, quality, workplace safety and other operational risks.
Importantly, document the activity.
A simple record of the scenario, who participated and how they responded can demonstrate proactive engagement with food safety culture. The results can also inform future training.
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Change management is now an auditable requirement under SQF Edition 10. Businesses need to identify and manage operational changes, including any potential food safety risks.
Supplier management was also highlighted as an area of increased focus, with non-conformances carrying additional scoring implications.
Businesses should review the updated requirements and ensure management teams understand their responsibilities.
The key message was to make change management part of everyday business processes, rather than treating it as a separate compliance task.
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Businesses should have their own supplier management processes, rather than relying only on suppliers’ third-party certifications.
Certification can form part of the approval process, but businesses should also set their own requirements and regularly check that suppliers meet them.
QA and compliance teams should be involved when suppliers or inputs change. For example, any new packaging supplier should be assessed against relevant requirements before being approved.
The discussion also noted that the mushroom industry has a relatively small pool of suppliers, making it important to identify and manage supplier risks.
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Poultry manure is used in mushroom compost production, so disruptions to poultry production or movement restrictions could affect manure availability and, in turn, compost supplies.
The main concern raised was potential supply disruption, rather than a direct food safety risk to mushrooms during production.
The industry association is monitoring the situation, liaising with relevant state and federal agencies and will share updates as needed.
The discussion also highlighted the importance of maintaining effective biosecurity plans and staying informed about emerging risks.
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Environmental monitoring is receiving greater attention under updated food safety requirements, particularly Freshcare. SQF already has established requirements in this area.
Businesses should look beyond obvious food-contact surfaces and regularly cleaned production areas to identify where pathogens could be introduced or spread.
This includes often-overlooked areas such as door frames, handles and other frequently touched surfaces
The discussion highlighted the importance of:
Understanding the different environmental monitoring zones within a facility.
Identifying potential contamination points across the operation.
Ensuring monitoring programs cover relevant contact and non-contact surfaces.
Reviewing results to identify trends and opportunities to improve cleaning and hygiene practices.
Environmental monitoring should not simply focus on areas where businesses expect good results. Testing should also help identify weaknesses and areas that may have been overlooked.
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Responsibility for environmental monitoring will vary between businesses, but it should involve collaboration between QA, production and senior management.
In some businesses, QA leads the program, while in others, production teams carry out the monitoring with QA overseeing technical requirements and records.
Whatever the approach, everyone should understand their role, and monitoring records should be accessible for audits.
Environmental monitoring should be part of the broader food safety and production management system.
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Businesses are currently using environmental swabs to test for Listeria and hygiene indicators such as ATP and total plate counts. Some collect samples in-house and send them to accredited laboratories for testing.
There was interest in learning more about available testing methods, including rapid options that could provide results within around 24 hours.
More accessible on-site testing could help businesses identify issues sooner and check the effectiveness of cleaning and hygiene programs.
Participants also wanted clearer guidance on how to respond to positive results and manage potential contamination.
Further resources on environmental monitoring and testing options would be useful
Key takeaways
The discussion highlighted several practical priorities for mushroom businesses:
Consolidate paperwork and remove duplication while keeping essential food safety checks.
Use demonstrations, visuals and simple scenarios to check staff understanding.
Make food safety part of daily routines and everyone’s responsibility.
Keep records clear, useful and easy to access for audits.
Pay particular attention to updated requirements for change management, supplier management and environmental monitoring.
Involve QA, production and management in managing food safety risks.
Review environmental monitoring programs to identify overlooked areas and opportunities to improve hygiene.
Further information and assistance
The Food Safety and Risk Management project team is available to assist mushroom businesses with food safety questions and guidance.
Contact details: