A Steadfast Focus on Food Safety

Since we began farming on a 2.5-acre backyard garden over 24 years ago, we’ve chosen to produce food in ways that are the safest methods for people and the planet. To us, that means farming organically, without harmful chemicals and synthetic fertilizers, and using the best possible food safety practices from the field to processing and packaging.

Our 4-Level Food Safety Program

Food safety has always been an integral part of Earthbound Farm, and our systems have consistently been at the top of the produce industry. But we believe that even the best food safety standards require continuous improvement.

With the guidance of some of the most respected food safety scientists in the country, we’ve reassessed our food safety program from the field to processing and packaging. We’re in the process of implementing a new food safety program that’s unprecedented in the produce industry, and we’re committed to continually improving  it as food safety science advances.

1. In the Field, From Seed to Harvest

Food safety and quality assurance must begin where the produce grows, even though nature is difficult to control. 

• Now, every lot of salad greens that enters our facility is lab-tested for E. coli, Salmonella, and Shigella.
  
  
• Our seeds are tested for pathogens, including E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and Shigella, before planting.
  
  
• We test and monitor water sources for harmful bacteria.
  
  
• We test soil amendments and composted materials for pathogens.
  
  
• We regularly monitor environmental conditions in and around the field.
  
  
• Our field harvesters are thoroughly trained in Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) to achieve our strict standards and ensure proper sanitation.
  
  
• We make frequent, unannounced inspections of our growers’ fields, harvest equipment, and produce transport vehicles to verify compliance with our safety program.
  
  
• Our salad greens are refrigerated within an hour of harvest and kept cold continuously (what’s known as “the cold chain”) as they go through our processing facility.

2. At the Facility, We Test & Hold

Because produce is grown outdoors in an open environment, it’s important to prevent any contamination that might occur in the field from entering our facility. Test & Hold acts as a “firewall” between the field and our facility. No matter where in the environment pathogens might originate, Test & Hold helps keep contamination out of our processing stream.

• We lab-test salad greens arriving at our facility for pathogenic E. coli, Salmonella, and Shigella.
  
  
• We hold all greens out of processing until the tests are completed.
  
  
• We destroy any greens in which we detect evidence of pathogens.
  
  
• Only those greens cleared by testing are released into our facility for processing.
  
  

3. Processing Our Salad Greens

Earthbound Farm has over 20 years’ experience growing and packing top-quality organic salad greens.

Daily Cleaning and Sanitation

• Our facility is designed to make our comprehensive daily sanitation procedures efficient and effective.
  
  
• Every employee in our processing plant completes rigorous Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) training to ensure they maintain our high food safety standards.
  
  
• Everyone in our plant wears protective clothing (gloves, hair and beard nets, long sleeves, smocks, hard hats) to prevent unprotected contact with the greens.
  
  

The Unbroken Cold Chain

• To maintain the highest quality and safety, our cold chain begins at harvest and continues until the packaged salads are loaded onto refrigerated trucks for delivery.
  
  
• Consumers are part of the cold chain, too. Please check out our important tips on food safety at home.
  
  

Careful Sorting and Washing

• Our custom-designed equipment inspects, washes, and dries our delicate salad greens without damaging them.
  
  
• Greens are sorted as they enter the wash line to remove weeds and undesirable leaves.
  
  
• Non-leafy items like roots and twigs are ejected by state-of-the-art optical sorters.
  
  
• The greens are thoroughly washed and sanitized in chilled, chlorinated water meeting National Organic Program standards before they’re packaged.
  
  

4. The Final Check: Packaged Salads

As a final safety assurance, we Test & Hold packaged salads, too.

• Once off the processing line, packaged salads are tested for pathogenic E. coli, Salmonella, and Shigella.
  
  
• All product is held until cleared by testing, then it’s prepared for shipment.
  
  

Our Food Safety Program is Validated by Independent Monitoring

• Independent certified labs perform continuous testing in our facility to verify the effectiveness of our sanitation program.
  
  
• We’re part of the USDA’s voluntary Qualified Through Verification (QTV) program, which audits our Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) procedures with unannounced on-site visits.
  
  
• Our processing facility is certified organic by California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF), a USDA-accredited agent.
  
  
• Our entire food safety program is constantly monitored by our Scientific Advisory Panel, which includes some of the country’s leading food safety experts.
  
  
• We’re a signatory to the California Leafy Green Products Handler Marketing Agreement (LGMA), a set of enhanced food safety standards for California-grown leafy greens.

 

Remember, fresh produce is perishable — for safety and quality, keep produce cold!
Tips on safe produce handling at home

For more information:
Frequently Asked Questions | Organic Certification | Organic 101 | Our Products