G & A Sandhu Pty Ltd is a family run horticultural operation based at Halfway Creek on the New South Wales North Coast, in the heart of one of Australia's most productive berry growing regions. Raspberries and blueberries make up the bulk of what we grow, and we round out our cropping programme with seasonal vegetable lines including okra and zucchini. Our fruit is a premium, highly perishable product, and the difference between a good return and a rejected consignment often comes down to how carefully it is inspected, handled and cooled in the hours after picking. We supply wholesale markets and produce buyers who expect consistent grade, clean fruit and complete traceability every time. To protect that reputation we invest in our people, our packing shed and our quality systems, and we run the farm to recognised food safety and on-farm assurance standards. We are now looking for an experienced Fruit & Vegetable Inspector to take ownership of quality and compliance across the property, from the tunnels and field blocks through to the packing line and the outbound truck.

Role: Fruit & Vegetable Inspector (Primary Products Assurance and Inspection Officer)

G & A Sandhu Pty Ltd | Halfway Creek, NSW | Full Time

Key Responsibilities

- Grade and assess picked raspberries, okra and zucchini as they come in from the field, identifying fruit that falls outside specification for colour, ripeness, firmness, blemish, insect damage, mould or handling bruising, and directing it to the appropriate outlet or disposal
- Carry out sampling and measurement across incoming lots, including punnet and carton weight verification, size and count checks, Brix and firmness readings, and screening for foreign matter or varietal mixing so that each consignment is a true and uniform representation of its grade
- Walk the tunnels and vegetable blocks with the farm and picking supervisors, inspecting plants and fruit on the bush for early signs of disease, pest pressure, nutrient disorder or over ripeness, and advising on picking maturity, pick rounds and block sequencing to lift the quality of what reaches the shed




- Provide the Directors and the growing team with transparent, practical guidance on crop health issues, including the likely cost of leaving a problem to run versus treating or removing affected plants, so that decisions on disease control and block management are made on commercial as well as agronomic grounds
- Monitor and audit on-farm quality procedures against our food safety and assurance requirements, covering harvest hygiene, picker practices, grading, packing, labelling and cool room operation, and record findings, corrective actions and close outs
- Enforce hygiene and food safety standards throughout the packing shed, cool room, storage areas and dispatch, including cleaning and sanitation schedules, personal hygiene and glove use by pickers and packers, pest control checks, and the cleanliness and condition of pallets, crates, punnets and transport vehicles before loading
- Verify cold chain integrity by checking pulp and cool room temperatures, cooling times after picking and the condition of refrigerated vehicles at dispatch, and stopping any load that does not meet temperature or presentation requirements
- Explain to pickers, packers and farm staff how disease, chemical residue and contamination affect both crop performance and consumer health, and reinforce why withholding periods, re-entry intervals, wash down routines and exclusion rules exist
- Review spray diaries, chemical application records and withholding periods before harvest to confirm that treated blocks are safe to pick and that produce leaving the farm is free of residue and impurity risk
- Maintain inspection, rejection and traceability records for every lot, including batch and block identification, so that any product can be traced back from the market to the row it was picked from




- Track rejection rates, quality complaints and market feedback over the season, investigate the causes, and report trends back to management with recommendations for improvement in picking, handling or packing practice
- Prepare the farm for external audits and buyer inspections, assist auditors on site, and follow through on any non-conformances raised
- Coach and train seasonal picking and packing crews on grade standards, correct handling of soft fruit and hygiene expectations at the start of and throughout each season
- Liaise with the Directors, agronomists, transport operators and produce buyers on quality specifications, rejected consignments and any product quality issue that needs resolving

Skills and Experience

- An AQF Associate Degree, Advanced Diploma or Diploma in a relevant field such as agriculture, horticulture, food technology, food safety or applied science
- A minimum of one year of relevant experience in produce inspection, quality assurance, grading or a comparable role in horticulture, packing or fresh produce supply

Personal Attributes

- Practical problem solver who can think through the commercial impact of a quality issue, not just identify it
- Physically fit, energetic and comfortable with the early starts and long days of a harvest season
- Reliable, well organised and able to work independently across the property with minimal supervision
- A team player who takes pride in the product going out the gate

Hours of Work
This is a full-time position, typically involving 38 hours per week. Additional flexibility is expected during peak harvest, including early morning starts and some weekend work as the crop dictates.

Salary
We will offer our successful applicant $75,000 to $85,000 plus superannuation per annum, depending on skills and experience.

How to Apply
If this sounds like the right fit, please apply with your current resume and a short covering letter outlining your relevant produce inspection or quality assurance experience. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

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