California’s Abundant Agricultural Commodities Stay Gold

“These food safety practices are updated as new research and information becomes available,” Horsfall mentions.

“LGMA verifies its science-based farming practices using government audits and requires 100 percent compliance,” Horsfall relates. “The program was designed with a set of checks and balances to ensure leafy greens farmers do all they can to protect public health by establishing a culture of food safety on the farm.”

The LGMA program requires mandatory audits conducted by government auditors.

LGMA auditors are employed by the CDFA Inspection and Services Division and licensed by USDA.

“LGMA auditors are financially independent of the LGMA and leafy greens industry,” Horsfall points out. “These auditors are unbiased and required to report threats to public health to regulatory authorities.”

All LGMA auditors are subject to rigorous training and certification criteria, including a minimum of three years work experience in an agriculture related field and the successful completion of USDA training in the areas of IS0 19011, Good Agricultural Practices, Good Handling Practices, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, Better Process Control, Good Manufacturing Practices, and food defense.

LGMA membership consists of about 100 companies that market 98 to 99 percent of the leafy greens produced in California.

“Each member company is audited several times a year, including one unannounced audit,” Horsfall says. “Every leafy greens farm that supplies product to an LGMA member is audited at least once per year. Some 350 to 400 different growers have been audited since LGMA was launched.”

There is a prescribed audit checklist for regular compliance audits and a different checklist for unannounced audits.

There are more leafy greens growers than the aforementioned ones in the state, but the very small operations that sell primarily to farmers markets are not part of LGMA, Horsfall mentions.

As per the terms of LGMA, member companies cannot market their products without meeting all LGMA requirements. “LGMA members must be in 100 percent compliance with all mandatory food safety practices in order to be certified as a member in good standing under the LGMA program,” Horsfall explains. “The LGMA requires that members take corrective action on any and all findings cited during government audits and that preventative measures are in place to protect public health. Completion of corrective and preventative action is verified upon subsequent mandatory re-inspection by government auditors.”

According to Horsfall, LGMA stakeholders believe frequent inspection and required corrective action drives continuous improvements in food safety on leafy greens farms. “The experiences of inspectors, as well as experience of those being inspected, leads to more targeted research and training for employees charged with implementing food safety activities on California’s leafy greens farms.”

The biggest contribution of the LGMA has been to change the California leafy greens production culture, Horsfall says. “Ten to 15 years ago, companies concentrated on how quickly they could harvest their products and get them to market,” he says. “Back then, everyone concentrated on working fast. Now everyone’s number one priority is food safety. As a result, growers are going slower, which makes it easier to see a potential problem before it escalates. That mindset is a real plus now.”

With LGMA, the California leafy greens industry has been successful in decreasing food safety risks and incidence, Horsfall emphasizes. “We have had no recurrence of major outbreaks in our industry. All that the leafy greens growers and handlers have accomplished is very gratifying to us.”

“The fact that the California leafy greens industry has a stringent food safety program in place as part of state government under state government oversight gives us great credibility and makes us totally ready for FSMA compliance,” Horsfall adds. “With what FSMA is seeking to establish nationwide, we are 10 years ahead.”

Fostering Success with Salmonella Control

When life sent Foster Farms lemons* in October 2013, California’s largest poultry producer didn’t exactly make lemonade, but the family-owned and operated company did face the challenge head on with exemplary poise and leadership. The outcome: uncanny food safety results never achieved before in the U.S. broiler industry.