To become a member of the AOA's Code of Practice (now OliveCare®) you need to:
- Be a financial member of the AOA.
- Download the COP Manual (below) and read it.
- Download the COP application form and checklist (below) and complete with reference to the Guide to completing the checklist.
- Submit this information to the AOA Secretariat either by email, fax or post.
It normally takes around 2 weeks to process your application. If successful we will send you a confirmation letter, certificate, POS order form and COP procedures manual.
Responsibilities of COP Signatories
Mandatory:
- Being financial - paying all membership fees in full preferably before the due date.
- Undertake product testing annually meeting AS 5264-2011 requirements for true classification for each product to be certified under the Code of Practice.
The minimum test requirements are NIR analysis of:
Free Fatty Acids (FFA), Peroxide Value (PV), Ultra-Violet Absorption (UV) - (deltaK, K232 &K270)
plus sensory assessment undertaken by - NSW DPI or Modern Olives (or through participation in a recognised EVOO Competition).
- Providing copies of all product labels to be certified - these need to be compliant with AS 5264-2011, Australian Consumer Law Export market and Code requirements. Ref: AOA Labelling Guide
Also a good idea to send the Code Administrator a draft of any proposed label changes for approval prior to printing.
- Providing evidence of having a HACCP style food safety / food quality plan - either ‘in-house’ or as part of a third party certification arrangement.
AOA provide a Risk Assessment tool and HACCP Style Food Safety / Food Quality Plan Template that Signatories can adapt to suit their enterprises.
- Providing evidence of having a product traceability system including the use of unique batch codes, supply chain records and a product recall system in place.
Highly Recommended:
- Evidence that your product Best Before Dates (BBD) values are supported by technical evidence.
Note: Product BBDs may not exceed 24 months.
Potential BBD is best determined from the lowest value derived from Rancimat® (Induction time), PPP and DAG testing, whereby:
- IND predicted BBD hours = months
- PPP predicted BBD =(17-PPPs)/(7/12) months
- DAG predicted BBD =(DAGs-35)/(20/12) months - when FFA is less than 0.45%
- DAG predicted BBD =(DAGs-35)/(25/12) months - when FFA is greater than 0.45%
Resources:
Australian Olive Industry Code of Practice (now OliveCare®) (Second Edition - October 2013)
OliveCare® Application Form & Agreement
Guide to completing the Code of Practice (now OliveCare®) checklist - Second Edition