Frequently Asked Questions

Tanimura & Antle uses an integrated pest management program, a strategic approach for managing pest issues. Our system helps to avoid or at least reduce the application of chemical agents. We use beneficial plants that attract helpful bugs to keep pests in check. In addition, we carefully monitor weather patterns and plan watering schedules to protect against the infiltration of pests.

Our produce can be found at grocery stores throughout the country. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that all our products will be on their shelves all the time. If you want to see our product locally, please talk to the produce manager at these stores, they may be able to have our product more consistently.

We are passionate about ensuring that our farms provide you with the freshest, most delicious produce every day. Our crops are grown outside on farms in a natural environment and packaged the moment they’re harvested, at the peak of freshness. This means that our products are not washed or processed and are truly farm fresh. We work hard to minimize the presence of pests but sometimes, despite our expertise, we cannot completely eradicate them.

All of our products are packaged directly in the field and are not washed and ready to eat. This allows us to extend the shelf life of our products and ensure that the freshest product is delivered to consumers like you. We do lightly rinse the product before packaging, however sometimes dirt can make it into the package. Weather can greatly impact the severity of this, so we always recommend washing produce before consumption.

Commodity products are not required to include “sell by” or “use by” dates on individual packages. They are included on the shipping container and are used for inventory management, product rotation and procurement logistics and in general, these dates do not correspond with product quality. There are exceptions to this, as individual stores may require these dates be included on each individual product. We recommend all products be visually assessed for quality and washed before consumption.

We understand that packaging sometimes seems unnecessary, especially with fresh fruits and vegetables. But packaging helps protect food and prevent food waste, which is one of our biggest environmental concerns. Our wrapped products protect our fresh vegetables from damage, which helps extend the freshness and the likelihood that they will be consumed rather than thrown out. The wrap also provides a level of food safety protection. The wrap may be recyclable; check the details with your local recycler. We are constantly seeking ways to improve our packaging to minimize our environmental footprint while providing you with the freshest, highest quality vegetables possible.

Tanimura & Antle produce is not irradiated, sprayed with any preservatives or genetically modified. Our products are grown using the highest quality seeds available, harvested at optimal freshness, packed and chilled to remove heat from the product, and then shipped directly to stores.

What you found is a natural coating called the “epidermal or skin layer” of the lettuce and is in no way applied externally to the product. Temperature fluctuations will cause the outer skin of lettuces to experience a type of “freeze burn or sun burn” which results in a “blistering” of the leaf skin that resembles plastic – but is the natural healing process of the lettuce. The blistering causes the skin to separate from the lettuce and can easily be peeled off. This effect is called “epidermal peel” and is a natural occurrence after a swing in temperature. It does not affect the safety of the product – it’s strictly a naturally occurring cosmetic alteration.

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