The Commodity Specific Food Safety Guidelines for the Production and Harvest of Lettuce and Leafy Greens, as adopted by the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement, build upon the FDA/USDA GAP Guidelines with defined requirements all signatories must comply with during the production and harvest of produce.

The key contents of GAP guidelines are sanitation, employee hygiene, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), irrigation water quality, safe compost and pesticide use, and post harvest handling of produce.

• Prior to each growing season, ranch locations are assessed to ensure they are not in close proximity of feedlots, sewer treatment plants, and/or garbage disposal sites.
• Irrigation water is tested regularly to ensure compliance to established irrigation water standards.
• Only compost prepared according to State & Federal guidelines is used in Tanimura & Antle farms. The compost is tested per specifications outlined in the Commodity Specific Food Safety Guidelines for the Production and Harvest of Lettuce and Leafy Greens.
• Harvest equipment is sanitized daily. Sanitation is performed either at the harvest shop or in the field using a mobile sanitation unit.
• We have a very accurate traceability program. The produce can be traced back to the harvested field, harvest crew, cooling equipment, shipping truck etc.
• All produce handlers are trained twice a year on proper hygiene and GMP’s (Good Manufacturing Practices). Good Manufacturing Practices includes the use of clean gloves, washing & sanitation of hands after each break and use of toilets.
• The farming, harvesting, and cooling operations are routinely audited for GAP compliance by California State Inspectors, third party auditors, and our Food safety Department.

To know more about FDA / USDA food safety programs, click here for the FDA web site.

*Joint FDA / USDA Guidance document for Produce Industry.