At the heart of LGMA is a set of food safety practices that are implemented on leafy greens farms throughout the state and verified through frequent government audits. Working collaboratively with university and industry scientists, food safety experts, government officials, farmers, shippers and processors, the LGMA created this unique and rigorous science-based food safety system that protects public health by reducing potential sources of contamination and establishes a culture of food safety on the farm.
Member companies are required to have a complete food safety compliance plan, an up-to-date
list of growers, and a written trace back program.
Pre-season and pre-harvest assessments are required to make sure conditions that can affect food safety, such as animal intrusions, flooding, proximity to animal feeding operations, etc. are not present, or have been properly mitigated.
Extensive testing and record-keeping for all sources of water used in the production of leafy greens is required.
Extensive testing, certification and record keeping for soil amendments, including compost and fertilizers, are required by the program.
5.WORK PRACTICES AND FIELD OPERATIONS
Field audits verify that farmers are in compliance with the program’s requirements in the areas of worker practices and field sanitation.
The LGMA food safety practices are grounded in the latest food safety science, and are updated as new research and information becomes available.