Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) are guidelines designed by FDA and USDA* to produce safe products and eliminate potential for product contamination.
The Commodity Specific Food Safety Guidelines for the Production and Harvest of Lettuce and Leafy Greens, as adopted by the Arizona Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement, build upon the FDA / USDA GAP Guidelines with defined requirements all signatories must comply with during the production and harvest of produce.
The key contents of GAP guidelines are sanitation, employee hygiene, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), irrigation water quality, safe compost and pesticide use. Prior to each growing season, ranch locations are assessed to ensure they are not in close proximity of feedlots, sewer treatment plants, and/or garbage disposal sites.
Only compost prepared according to State and Federal guidelines are used in Pasquinelli Produce Company farms. The compost is tested per specifications outlined in the Commodity Specific Food Safety Guidelines for the Production and Harvest of Lettuce and Leafy Greens.
Harvest equipment is sanitized daily. Sanitation is performed either at the harvest shop or in the field using a mobile sanitation unit. We have a very accurate traceability program. The produce can be traced back to the harvested field, harvest crew, cooling equipment, shipping truck, etc.
All our field employees are trained on an on-going basis on proper hygiene and GMP’s (Good Manufacturing Practices). Good Manufacturing Practices includes the use of clean gloves; washing and sanitation of hands after each break and use of toilets.
The farming, harvesting, and cooling operations are routinely audited for GAP compliance by Arizona State Inspectors, third party auditors, and our Food safety Department.
* To learn more about FDA and USDA food safety programs, click on the links below: