M&S Select Grower Scheme

M&S Select Produce Standard

Does your produce end up in the M&S supply chain? If it does, and your crop is classed as high risk, then you will need to be audited against the M&S Select Farm Produce Standard.

The original M&S Field to Fork scheme, was launched in 2003 to manage the supermarket’s supply chain for vegetables, salad crops and fruit. Field to Fork set a new level of standards for traceability, food safety, environmental protection and pesticide control.

The scheme was reviewed in 2021 and is now know as the M&S Select Farm Produce Standard. As part of the review, M&S now issue a simplified list of fresh produce items that require Select Farm Produce Standard auditing.

ML3 Technical have an excellent understanding of the Select Farm Produce Standard and the relevant M&S codes of practise and can keep your company’s focus on the correct way to implement the required procedures and documentation.

What are the requirements of the Select Produce Standard?

Marks and Spencer want to ensure that the food coming up their supply chain is safe, thus avoiding poor brand reputation through food safety issues.

The standard focuses heavily on microbiological contamination of fresh produce, but also covers physical, chemical and allergenic contamination.

To start with, a grower needs a thorough Hazards Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) to set the required level of food safety.

The HACCP study will need to cover all stages of fresh produce production from site selection, through growing and crop inputs to harvesting and if relevant packing.

The 7 sections of the audit

There are seven sections of the audit:

• Pre-Requisites – covering the basic standards that must be in place such as HACCP, documentation controls, personal hygiene, training and internal auditing.
• Site Selection – understanding the nature of risk in the cropping areas and suitable control measures.
• Planting & Drilling – controls over substrates added to soil to improve soil health.
• Growing & Inputs – control of pesticide selection, application and residue minimisation, along with controls of irrigation water sourcing and application.
• Harvest – implementing standards of personal and equipment hygiene during harvesting. Where baby leave products are grown, additional requirements are made.
• Packing – implementing and controlling standards in the packhouse in relation to security, hygiene, water management and microbiological controls.
• Cool & Store – controlling food safety during subsequent storage and distribution

Contact us for more information on how we can help you and your farm to make life easier whilst complying with the M&S Select Grower Standard.

Get In Touch about the M&S Select Grower Scheme