Freshcare FSQ 4.2 record keeping, without the shoebox

AgriGrid tracks all 44 elements of the Freshcare Food Safety & Quality Standard Edition 4.2, so the evidence for your audit is assembled from the work you already recorded — not rebuilt from memory the week before.

Most growers do not fail an FSQ4.2 audit because they farm badly. They fail because a spray was written on the back of a chemical drum label, the calibration record is in a different shed, and the traceability test never got done. The Standard asks for evidence, and evidence has to be captured at the time of the job.

The 44 elements AgriGrid tracks

The Standard is organised into management elements (M) and food safety elements (F). AgriGrid keeps a readiness state against each one, so "are we ready?" has an answer you can look at rather than a feeling.

M1–M5 — Management

Business scope, documented procedures, training, internal audit and customer requirements.

F1–F3 — Risk assessment & site

The risk assessments that decide which controls your operation actually needs.

F4–F6 — Chemicals, fertiliser & water

Where most non-conformances are raised, and where the record has to be right on the day.

F7–F14 — Handling, traceability & incidents

Allergens, facilities, pests, suppliers, food defence and the annual traceability test.

How the records get made

The point of the system is that the compliance record is a by-product of doing the work, not a second job afterwards.

• Chemical applications (F4.8) and withholding periods. Sprays are recorded in the field app — offline if there is no signal — with product, rate, target, operator and weather. Withholding periods and re-entry intervals come from the AgVet chemical catalogue, and blocks inside a WHP or REI are flagged on the farm map.
• Calibration (F4.6) and equipment (F8.6). The equipment register holds calibration records and due dates against the machine that did the job, so a spray record points at a calibrated sprayer.
• Water (F6.1–F6.3). Water sources on the farm map link to the water register, with test results and treatment monitoring against the source they belong to.
• Training (M3.1–M3.2) and suppliers (F11.1). Training records sit against the person; the supplier register collects compliance declarations from suppliers through their own portal.
• Internal audit (M4.1), corrective actions (M4.2) and traceability (F13.1). The internal audit is a form you complete in the app; the annual traceability test runs against real harvest, pack and dispatch records.

The audit pack

When the audit is booked, AgriGrid assembles the official Freshcare forms — the index, organisational chart and property map checklist, training records, internal audit and management review, and harvest, dispatch and traceability — in their published layout, populated from your data, as a single PDF with a completeness check before you print it.

The readiness score is free on every plan. The audit pack and dashboard are included from the Grower plan, and the full FSQ certification module is on Professional. See pricing.

FSQ4.2 and the move to FSQ5

Freshcare has published a transition timeline for the next edition. FSQ5 is scheduled for release on 1 September 2026; from 1 March 2027 initial certification audits must be conducted to FSQ5 and recertification audits to FSQ5 become available; 30 June 2027 is the last date for audits to FSQ4.2 and SCS2; and from 1 July 2027 all audits must be conducted to FSQ5. Dates are Freshcare's — see freshcare.com.au/fsq5.

We are not going to tell you what FSQ5 requires before it is published. What we will say is that the records this page describes — who sprayed what, on which block, with what withholding period, using which calibrated equipment — are the same records any edition of a food safety standard is built on. Keep them properly now and a transition is a change of forms, not a change of habits. What is confirmed about FSQ5 so far.

Common questions

What is Freshcare FSQ4.2?

The Freshcare Food Safety & Quality Standard, Edition 4.2, is the on-farm food safety standard most Australian fresh produce growers and grower-packers are certified against. It sets out good agricultural practice and HACCP-based food safety requirements, and compliance is verified by an annual audit from a third-party certification body during your harvest or operational period.

What records do I need for a Freshcare audit?

The Standard covers 44 elements across management and food safety. In practice the ones that take daily discipline are chemical application records, withholding periods, equipment calibration, water testing, training records and traceability — because they have to be captured as the work happens, not reconstructed the week before the audit.

Does AgriGrid guarantee I will pass my audit?

No, and be wary of anything that says otherwise. Your auditor decides the outcome. What AgriGrid does is make sure the evidence exists, is complete and is in front of you before the auditor arrives — the readiness score shows which elements have records behind them and which do not.

Can spray records be captured in the paddock?

Yes. The AgriGrid field app records sprays, GPS tracks, safety checks and tasks offline and syncs when signal returns, so the record is made at the time of the job. Product details, withholding periods and re-entry intervals come from the AgVet chemical catalogue rather than being typed from the label.

What happens to FSQ4.2 when FSQ5 arrives?

Freshcare has published a transition timeline: FSQ5 is scheduled for release on 1 September 2026; from 1 March 2027 initial certification audits must be conducted to FSQ5 and recertification audits to FSQ5 become available; 30 June 2027 is the last date for audits to FSQ4.2 and SCS2; and from 1 July 2027 all audits must be conducted to FSQ5. Until then FSQ4.2 remains the standard you are audited against.

Last reviewed 27 July 2026. AgriGrid is not affiliated with Freshcare Ltd.