Food Safety Food Safety is one of our primary concerns and can be found in every aspect of our operations to maintain the highest Food Safety standard reasonably possible. We make sure that we get highest quality produce and have the highest food safety requirements, so we can ensure safe food from the production to consumption, from farm to fork.

Please use the following links to learn more about our Food Safety Program or email us today.

• HACCP Program
• Good agricultural Practices and Good Manufacturing Practices
• Third Party Inspections
• NutriClean

HACCP Program [Back to top]
HACCP is an acronym for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP). This program is preventing chemical, physical, and biological hazards that could cause food-borne illnesses by applying science-based controls, from raw material to finished products during every process from growing throughout harvesting, processing, cooling, storage and distribution. HACCP identifies hazards of contamination, establishes control measures to eliminate or minimize these hazards, and monitors the effectiveness. HACCP involves seven principles:

ANALYZE HAZARDS: Potential hazards associated with a food and measures to control those hazards are identified. The hazard could be biological, such as a microbe; chemical, such as a toxin; or physical, such as ground glass or metal fragments.

IDENTIFY CRITICAL CONTROL POINTS: These are points in a food's production, from its state at the harvesting point through processing and shipping to consumption by the consumer, at which the potential hazard can be controlled or eliminated. Examples are washing, packaging, and metal detection.

ESTABLISH PREVENTIVE MEASURES with critical limits for each control point. For a processed food, for example, this might include setting the minimum chlorine level in the wash water required to ensure the elimination of any harmful microbes.

ESTABLISH PROCEDURES to monitor the critical control points. Such procedures might include determining how, when and by whom the chlorine levels should be monitored.

ESTABLISH CORRECTIVE ACTIONS to be taken when monitoring shows that a critical limit has not been met -for example, reprocessing or disposing of food if the minimum chlorine levels is not met.

ESTABLISH PROCEDURES TO VERIFY that the system is working properly -for example, bacteria testing of product to make sure the wash process is successful and calibrating of instruments to verify their proper working.

ESTABLISH EFFECTIVE RECORDKEEPING to document the HACCP system. This would include records of hazards and their control methods, the monitoring of safety requirements and action taken to correct potential problems. Each of these principles must be backed by sound scientific knowledge: for example, published microbiological studies on chlorine levels for controlling foodborne pathogens.

Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) [Back to top]
These guidelines highlight practices in the growing, harvesting, processing, packing, cooling, storing and shipping of fresh produce that can prevent, reduce or eliminate microbial hazards. As knowledge regarding food safety changes, so will measures to address those changes which will be reflected in these guidelines.

All employees involved in handling our crops serve as inspectors when product moves through their area and are accountable for consistently maintaining our high Food Safety and quality standards. Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) are followed throughout the growing, harvesting, processing and transporting processes from soil to shipping. ,

• GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES (GAPS)
• GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICES (GMPS)

GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES (GAPs)
The following areas are covered by our GAPs program.

I. GROWING
1. Ground Use and Location
2. Adjacent Land
3. Soil
4. Compost
5. Seed
6. Water
7. Pesticides and Herbicides
8. Field Equipment and Drivers
9. Weeding
10. Organics

II. HARVESTING
1. Harvesting Procedures
2. Packaging Material: Totes, Cartons, etc.
3. Water
4. Harvesting Equipment, Tools and Machinery
5. Field Truck Drivers

III. ALL EMPLOYEES
1. Employee Requirements
2. Portable Restrooms and Hand Wash Stations
3. Break Area
4. Glass and Brittle Plastic
5. Employee Drinking Water
6. Visitors, Associates and Official Inspectors
7. Sanitation Personnel
8. Maintenance Personnel
9. Preventive Maintenance Program
10. Waste Disposal
11. Disease Control
12. Education and Training
13. Enforcement/Supervision

GOOD Manufacturing Practices (GMPs)
These guidelines highlight practices in the processing and packing, storage, and shipping of fresh produce that can reduce or eliminate microbial, chemical, and physical hazards.

1. PREPARATION FOR WORK
2. WEARING SPECIAL CLOTHING
3. BATHROOMS
4. BREAK ROOM
5. TRUCK DRIVERS
6. MULTI AXLE TRUCK DRIVERS
7. VISITORS AND ASSOCIATES
8. MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL
9. OFFICE PERSONNEL
10. PRODUCTION PERSONNEL
11. FORKLIFT DRIVERS
12. SANITATION PERSONNEL
13. COLOR CODING (GENERAL)

Third Party Inspections [Back to top]
We are insisting on third party inspections through reputable outside companies in processing, cooling and storage facilities to certify that facilities are safe to handle our products. Our main cooling and storage facilities Cool Pacific Land Comp. (Salinas, CA) and Pacific International Cooling Comp. (Yuma, AZ), as well as our processing facilities Pure Pacific Organics (Greenfield, CA and Yuma, AZ) received the highest scores possible, the 'Superior' ratings in the most recent American Institute of Baking (AIB) and American Food Safety Institute (AFSI) inspections.

We also work closely with Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) and received in the Farming/Packing audit in 2003 a 'Superior' for our Land and Growing Practices as well as for our HACCP Practices.

NutriClean [Back to top]
In addition, Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) NutriClean certification of selected products allows us to provide customers with products with verified 'No Detected Pesticide Residues'. Please click on the link to learn more about NutriClean or contact our sales team for product availability.

If you would like to see a copy of our certifications please e-mail us.