Coles compliance fresh produce: fresh produce packers, wholesalers, import/exporters of fresh produce adhere to Coles fresh produce compliance from labelling, documentation, traceability, quality control and more...
Intro to Coles compliance software...
Easily comply with Coles traceability, labeling, and fresh produce management.
Coles compliance fresh produce quality control
REDUCE PACKING WASTE
By enforcing Coles best practices, FIFO, inventory expiry monitoring, and easy stock takes - your company has every opportunity to minimize waste and maximise profit.
COLES TRACEABILITY COMPLIANCE
Perform recalls in seconds, with the full confidence of accuracy and reliability. Minimise risk by ensuring accurate traceability is automatically captured and all Coles traceability and compliance is being met at all times. Easy audits & reduced compliance costs.
REDUCE ADMINISTRATION COSTS
Minimise your admin costs with automatic and accurate printing/emailing of dispatch dockets, invoices, coles labels and more. No more rejected orders because of wrong documentation accompanying a shipment.
COLES QUALITY CONTROL
Comply with Coles quality control requirements. Record Coles QC on phone/tablet/PC/Mac. Perform QC on pallets, inventory, packhouse cleanliness, shipments, employee performance.
BETTER PRODUCTION PLANNING & DISPATCH
Monitor Coles orders, assign orders to production lines, and allow monitoring of each production lines output requirements using production dashboards. Ensure the correct products are produced at the correct time to fill orders. Fully managed dispatch to maximise traceability.
OPTIONAL FARM SOFTWARE TO COMPLETE COLES COMPLANCE
Optionally use farmsoft Farm Management software with our Post Harvest solution. Using both solutions provides an end to end solution from field to plate.
Watch a detailed demo video for Coles compliance
Watch a detailed video that shows how Coles fresh produce handling and compliance can be easy and efficient.
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simple, yet feature packed
MANAGE COLES INVENTORY
COLES ORDER MANAGEMENT
COLES FRESH PRODUCE PACKING REQUIREMENTS
COLES QUALITY CONTROL
COLES TRACEABILITY COMPLIANCE
FREE LIVE DEMO
COLES FRESH PRODUCE COMPLIANCE SOFTWARE
Coles compliance fresh produce: fresh produce packers, wholesalers, import/exporters of fresh produce adhere to Coles fresh produce compliance from labelling, documentation, traceability, quality control and more...
This page contains the Coles requirements that all suppliers of fresh produce must comply with. It is the suppliers’ responsibility to communicate the Coles Brands standards through their supply chain to ensure compliance. This page does not and is not intended to set out all the legal requirements suppliers must comply with. We recommend suppliers need to obtain their own advice on their legal obligations.
Audits
Coles currently operates certification schemes against a number of different standards:
Part 1 – Third Party Audits & Certification
Coles Brand Suppliers may choose a 3rd Party Certification Standard from the range of external industry standards selected by Coles:
All Suppliers:
SQF Code
The BRC Global Standard for Food
GlobalG.A.P
Freshcare
All Banana Suppliers only must undertake one of the following:
Freshcare Environmental Code
Enviroveg Platinum
GlobalG.A.P.
Coles Brand Suppliers may have a choice of external standard. The matrix below may assist in making a choice of preferred 3rd Party Standard. Use theFood Standards Matrix – Whole Fruit & Vegetables to select the appropriate standard.
Suppliers of fresh produce who are located in Australia and New Zealand must ensure that they are using a Coles approved Certification Body, and that the auditor is certified under the Coles Auditor Scheme.
Part 2: Coles’ Additional Requirements of supply
In addition to the audit against the external standard, Coles Brand suppliers must ensure that they are compliant to the additional elements required by Coles to enhance our brand protection program. With the release of the ‘HARPS’ (Horticulture Australia Retailer Produce Standard) , Coles have elected to allow a transition program for the additional program requirements:
Prior to October 26th 2016 suppliers must comply with Part 1 (above) plus the Coles Supplier Requirements (CSR).
Between October 26th 2016 and 1 January 2017, suppliers must comply with Part 1 (above) plus either the Coles Supplier Requirements (CSR), or the ‘HARPS’ (Horticulture Australia Retailer Produce Standard)
From January 1 2017 suppliers must comply with Part 1 (above), plus the ‘HARPS’ (Horticulture Australia Retailer Produce Standard). From January 1 2017 the Coles Supplier Requirements (CSR) will no longer apply.
For more information on the transition, please see HARPS Launch Letter.
Coles Farm Program
This is a voluntary initiative designed as a Self-Assessment Questionnaire for farmers.
The purpose of the program is to understand the good news stories that are on farm alongside what support our farmers may need with Environmental and Sustainability activities.
Product Specifications
Control Specifications are managed and created internally at Coles and distributed to many suppliers.
Fresh Produce Product Specifications
Fruits
Vegetables
Organics
Chemical and Microbiological Testing Standards
The Coles Testing Standards have been designed to manage food safety and quality risks for Coles Brand, and now include a minimum testing frequency. They align with national standards such as the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, testing guidelines published by state regulators such as the NSW Food Authority and Dairy Food Safety Victoria, as well as international guidelines including Codex and the Institute of Food Science & Technology (IFST). Overall these testing standards help to ensure the continued delivery of industry good practice in accordance with Coles Brand supplier requirements.
For convenience, the Testing Standards have been preloaded into Coles Fusion according to product type.
The Testing Standards will come into effect on 7 November 2016 following a six month transition period. Therefore, to ensure supplier testing standards are compliant, we ask that suppliers undertake an evaluation during this transition period and make any required changes prior to 7 November 2016.
Whilst we believe most suppliers’ existing testing procedures already meet the Coles Testing Standards and testing frequencies, if there are any additional testing costs incurred to achieve compliance, these will need to be borne by the supplier as part of the supplier’s ongoing food safety and quality program.
About Coles
Coles compliance fresh produce: fresh produce packers, wholesalers, import/exporters of fresh produce adhere to Coles fresh produce compliance from labelling, documentation, traceability, quality control and more...
Coles accepts Fair Farms certification
Industry standard for ethical employment practices now backed by Australia's three major retailers
Coles accepts Fair Farms certification
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Coles has formally endorsed the Fair Farms training and certification programme.
The Australian retail giant confirmed it will accept Fair Farms certification as a way by which fresh produce suppliers can demonstrate compliance with the Coles Ethical Sourcing policy.
“Coles is pleased that we can now offer a choice in the path our suppliers follow to become approved under the Coles Ethical Sourcing Program,” said Coles general manager fresh produce Craig Taylor.
“The Fair Farms programme has been designed with input from Australian farmers and retailers and offers local training support to participating farms.”
Fair Farms was developed by Queensland horticultural body Growcom, with support from Ausveg, the Fair Work Ombudsman, and the Australian Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment.
Coles joins fellow leading Australian supermarket chains Woolworths and Aldi in endorsing the certification programme.
Fair Farms national programme manager, Thomas Hertel, said having an industry standard for ethical employment practices agreed across the three major retailers would make compliance easier and less costly for fresh produce suppliers.
“This means that more farm businesses are likely to adopt the Fair Farms Standard, leading to improved conditions for workers on farm,” explained Hertel.
“The Fair Farms programme supports all members of the Australian horticultural supply chain. It is built on the idea that compliant and ethical employers should be recognised and rewarded for their efforts by their customers and consumers, who may choose to buy Australian produce from ethically verified sources.”
Coles compliance fresh produce: fresh produce packers, wholesalers, import/exporters of fresh produce adhere to Coles fresh produce compliance from labelling, documentation, traceability, quality control and more...
Invest in farmers
We are committed to building strong and collaborative relationships with Australian farmers, producers and suppliers. Their hard work and dedication enables us to provide high-quality products to our customers.
Coles is proud to partner with our Australian fresh produce growers to provide our customers with great quality Australian fruit and vegetables and we are committed to doing so wherever possible.
Coles supermarkets has an Australian-first sourcing policy to provide our customers with quality Australian-grown fresh produce as a first priority. Coles is proud to partner with our Australian fresh produce growers to provide our customers with great quality Australian fruit and vegetables and we are committed to doing so wherever possible.
There are some situations where fresh produce cannot be sourced from Australia, and we will continue to work closely with our growers to try and find solutions to these challenges.
We support and comply with the country-of-origin labelling requirements which makes it easier for customers to identify a product’s source
Coles Nurture Fund
Animal welfare
Coles cares about how our food is produced and sourced and we are committed to working towards a sustainable future that supports local farmers and food producers, while also looking after the welfare of animals through programs such as the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme.
Coles’ vision is to ‘become the most trusted retailer in Australia and grow long-term shareholder value’, and we believe that protecting and improving the welfare of animals in our supply chains is central to gaining and maintaining customer trust.
Our Animal Welfare Policy is based around the five freedoms of animal welfare:
Freedom from hunger and thirst;
Freedom from discomfort;
Freedom from pain, injury and disease;
Freedom to express normal behaviour; and
Freedom from fear and distress.
This policy sets out our expectations regarding the treatment of animals in our Coles Own Brand global supply chains.
We are proud to be the first major Australian supermarket to deliver:
All Coles Own Brand fresh beef with no added hormones;
All Coles Own Brand shell eggs cage-free;
All Coles Own Brand fresh pork, ham and bacon sow stall-free and produced without artificial growth promotants;
All Coles Own Brand fresh chicken RSPCA Approved;
All Coles Own Brand fresh turkey RSPCA Approved;
Coles Own Brand fresh free-range chicken and fresh free-range turkey RSPCA Approved;
All Coles Own Brand fresh free-range pork RSPCA Approved.
In FY21 we achieved a significant milestone and now all Coles Own Brand products sold in Coles supermarkets that have meat as an ingredient are being produced in alignment with the following Coles’ fresh sourcing requirements of:
No added hormone beef;
Sow-stall free pork, ham and bacon produced without artificial growth promotants;
RSPCA Approved chicken1;
RSPCA Approved turkey2; and
Free-range RSPCA Approved pork,
We will continue to reformulate Coles Own Brand products sold in Coles Express stores to increase the proportion of higher welfare ingredients in these products.
Now that Coles has achieved these sourcing requirements for Coles Own Brand products sold in Coles supermarkets, we are committed to maintaining these standards through internal governance processes and will continue to report on them annually. To support this, our Animal Welfare Policy objectives are assessed through regular audits of food manufacturing sites, certification to farm assurance standards and the assessment of farms against our Coles Farm Program requirements.
These results are reported by the Quality and Responsible Sourcing teams to commercial and senior management.
Through the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme, RSPCA Australia assesses our partner chicken, turkey and free-range pig abattoirs for conformance with the RSPCA Standards. Our partner red meat and pork abattoirs are independently audited by the industry body AUS-MEAT to the Australian Livestock Processing Industry Animal Welfare Certification System (AAWCS) (or an international equivalent if required).
The day-to-day responsibility for animal welfare standards, management and monitoring at Coles is held by the Responsible Sourcing Manager – Agriculture.
1 Excluding organic chicken ingredients in Coles Own Brand products due to an absence of RSPCA Approved and Organic certified producers in Australia.
2 Coles Own Brand turkey is only available during Christmas.
Sourcing
Coles has a commitment to source animal products from farming operations that have animal welfare standards which meets our high expectations and, where applicable, hold animal welfare certification. We are continuously working with our suppliers to improve animal welfare standards in a way that supports Australian farmers and food producers, as we know this is important to our customers. Coles ensures that our Animal Welfare Policy is reflected in the supply chain for Coles Own Brand products through mechanisms including supplier contracts, auditing processes and the Coles Farm Program. The Coles Food Manufacturing Supplier Requirement is a standard that Coles Own Brand suppliers are audited against which includes animal welfare standards for relevant suppliers. For example, where processes involve live animals, poultry, fin fish or crustaceans, an animal welfare policy must be in place stating the supplier’s intentions to meet all local laws and regulations regarding animal welfare.
Industry work
Coles participates in industry and animal welfare events organised by state government, researchers and NGOs throughout the year, such as the National Primary Industries Animal Welfare Research Development and Extension Forum and the Australian Beef Sustainability Framework (ABSF), an initiative of the Red Meat Advisory Council managed by Meat and Livestock Australia. Coles has also contributed to industry welfare initiatives such as the development of Meat and Livestock Australia’s Feedlot Cattle Welfare Benchmarking Framework. We are a contributing member of the AUS-MEAT Language and Standards Committee, which manages the development of the AUS-MEAT National Accreditation Standards including welfare requirements.
In 2020, our Responsible Sourcing Manager – Agriculture contributed to the second season of the RSPCA’s Humane Food Podcast on the topic of antibiotic resistance, usage practices in the Australian agricultural industry and welfare implications of restricting antibiotic use in farm animals. By participating in these events, we aim to stay up-to-date with the most current animal welfare science and collaborate on initiatives to improve animal welfare standards in the long term.
In May 2021, Coles ran animal welfare training sessions for Coles team members and suppliers who work with livestock and animal products. This training covered humane slaughter and animal handling at abattoirs.
Australian Supermarket Coles Partners with RELEX Solutions to Centralise Ordering Systems, Improve Food Freshness, and Reduce Food Waste
Apr 26, 2021 • 3 min
Coles Group, a leading Australian retailer with more than 850 supermarkets, has partnered with RELEX Solutions, provider of unified retail planning solutions, to optimise their end-to-end supply chain planning for fresh produce categories as well as their long-term inventory planning capabilities. The RELEX solution will service the retailer’s supermarkets nationally and their seven fresh produce distribution centres, driving better customer service, reduced food waste, and improved supplier collaboration.
The RELEX solution, part of the RELEX Living Retail Platform, will optimise Coles’ replenishment for fresh produce, utilising AI and high scale computation power. The solution also automates replenishment processes, giving planners time to focus on more critical and strategic tasks.
Coles Executive General Manager Central Operations and Transformation Kevin Gunn said Coles started the journey of centralising its replenishment model more than ten years ago.
“Fresh produce presents many unique challenges compared to other parts of the grocery business: shorter shelf life, seasonality, price elasticity, along with the diverse and complex growing seasons and regions we are challenged with in Australia,” he said.
“Using the RELEX solution to centralise the control of the replenishment model allows Coles to provide increased efficiency in one of our most complex supply chains and improve the customer experience through more targeted ranges, improved availability, fresher products, and simpler processes for our team members and our suppliers.
“The centralised ordering of fresh produce will also help to reduce waste on our existing range and minimise waste on new ranges, which is important to us as Coles aims to become Australia’s most sustainable supermarket.”
Coles CIO Roger Sniezek said that Coles had selected RELEX as its next-generation replenishment technology to deliver benefits across the Coles Group, including great value for customers, while reducing the amount of manual work undertaken by team members.
“RELEX is a modern, automated, cloud-based replenishment solution provider to a number of leading grocers across Europe and the U.S. It represents a best-in-class technology solution that will deliver another major component of our technology-led strategy,” he said. “The initiative forms part of Coles’ Easy Ordering program, which is a critical project in delivering on our Smarter Selling strategy.”
“The new replenishment platform will integrate with Coles’ existing in-house advanced analytics smarter forecasting solution, which has already been rolled out to other non-fresh categories. This will enable an improved customer offer by not only taking into account past purchases, but also factoring weather and local community events into the forecasting algorithms.”
“We are thrilled to partner with Coles, a clear market leader in Australia that represents an exciting step in RELEX’s expansion. With the project already underway, we’re eager to see the results,” says Kristie Davison, APAC Sales Director at RELEX Solutions.
“Our companies share the same mindset and values, and it’s great to establish this partnership with a joint focus on solving the complexities that fresh product categories bring to retailers,” says Jukka Uskonen, Director of APAC Operations & Alliances for RELEX Solutions.