Stock Quality and Freshness Policy

Purpose. States the standards for buying, receiving, conditioning, storing and rotating cut flowers, foliage and plants so that every product sold meets the freshness guarantee.

1.Buying standard

Stock must be bought from growers and wholesalers on the approved supplier list. Buyers must check stem length, bud stage, foliage condition and signs of botrytis, pests or ethylene damage before purchase. Imported product must have cleared biosecurity inspection and buyers must not accept product that shows signs of live insects or soil.

2.Receival

Every delivery must be received against the order, counted, inspected and recorded in the Stock Intake Register within one hour of arrival. Damaged or substandard product must be photographed, quarantined and reported to the supplier the same day so that a credit can be claimed.

3.Conditioning

All cut stock must be conditioned before it is stored or used. Conditioning means removing foliage below the water line, recutting stems at an angle with a clean knife, placing stems in clean buckets of fresh water with the correct preservative, and labelling each bucket with the flower name, supplier and date received. Woody stems, hollow stems and sappy stems have specific treatments described in the Stock Receival and Conditioning Procedure.

4.Storage and temperature

Conditioned stock must be stored in the cool room at between two and five degrees Celsius, except for tropical flowers and orchids which must be held at twelve to fifteen degrees. Cool room temperatures must be recorded twice daily. Ethylene producing fruit must never be stored with flowers.

• Cool room temperature two to five degrees
• Tropical zone twelve to fifteen degrees
• Twice daily temperature log
• No fruit, no smoking, no petrol containers in the cool room

5.Rotation and wastage

Stock must be used first in, first out. Buckets must be checked each morning and stock that has passed its usable life must be removed, recorded as wastage in the Stock Intake Register and composted. Stock past its best must never be used in a customer product, even as filler.

6.Plant health

Indoor plants must be inspected on arrival and weekly for pests and disease. Affected plants must be isolated and treated or disposed of. Plant care labels must be attached to every plant sold.