Fresh Produce Standards
Protected Cropping Version 5.1
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Key – Those standards which have greater significance (all other standards are normal)
Recommendation – Those which do not affect certification
New – A completely new standard which the member must now adhere to
Revised – A standard that has changed and requires the member to take some different or additional action to before
Upgraded – The standard has been upgraded to a Key standard or from a Recommendation to a full standard
Appendix – Referenced in ‘How you will be measured’. Indicates that additional information is provided in the Appendices, which are available at the end of each section.
Cropping Categories Fresh Produce
Category 0 - Those you can eat raw and have a significant risk or history of pathogen contamination
Category 1 - Those you can eat raw and which do not have a protective skin that is removed before eating; they may also have a significant risk or history of pathogen contamination.
Category 2 - Those you can eat raw and which either have protective skin or grow clear of the ground, or that have no history of pathogen contamination.
Category 3 - Those that the customer always cooks.
An up-to-date list of the crop categories can be found on the Red Tractor website.
PR.PC.1
Appropriate entrance controls for workers and visitors entering protected crop production areas are defined and implemented.
How you will be measured
PR.PC.1.a
PR.PC.1.b
PR.PC.1.c
- Entrance procedure for protected crop production areas
– Staff training records
PR.PC.2
Risk based cleaning programmes are in place for permanent and reusable surfaces and structures which are in direct contact with fresh produce or in indirect contact with the potential to pose a risk to food safety.
How you will be measured
PR.PC.2.a
PR.PC.2.b
- Documented cleaning programme
– Cleaning records
PR.PC.3
E. coli testing must be used to monitor and verify the safety of end products for category 0 crops. Testing must be performed by a UKAS accredited laboratory (or another ISO 17025 standard) with E. coli testing of food samples within the scope of accreditation.
How you will be measured
PR.PC.3.a
PR.PC.3.b
PR.PC.4
Members hold a valid Environmental Permit where required for discharge of water from irrigation systems.
How you will be measured
PR.PC.4.a
PR.PC.4.b
Environmental Permit
More Standards
Download Fresh Produce Standards Manual
Download Fresh Produce Standards Manual – Including GLOBALG.A.P Module
Download the changes to the Fresh Produce Standards from 1 February 2025
Download watercress protocol
Download hops protocol
Useful Documents
UK Crops grown and risk categories
Fresh Produce assessment structure
Section relevant where crops are grown within an environment meeting the definition of permanent protection with full enclosure; ‘protected crop situations which provide full enclosure (including continuous top and side barriers down to below ground level) and which are present and maintained over a number of years’, as defined within the Health and Safety Executive’s Crop Definitions List.
- PC.1 – Risks may include potential to introduce disease risks from other farms or from other areas of the same farm. Controls should be based upon individual circumstances – possible examples include, exclusion periods, sanitising of boots, hand washing, use of PPE, maintaining distance from crops, sequentially managed access to cropping areas (relevant to mushroom farms), etc
- PC.4 – For further information, see: www.gov.uk/guidance/risk-assessments-for-your-environmental-permit
