CONTACT:
Cindy Railing, APR
Railing & Associates
510-885-1952
BOGGIATTO PRODUCE INKS
INDUSTRY FOOD SAFETY AGREEMENT
A Supplement to the Company's Comprehensive, In-House Program
SALINAS, Calif., April 18, 2007 – Boggiatto Produce, Inc. has become a signatory to the California Leafy Green Handler Marketing Agreement that was developed by Western Growers, the nation's leading agricultural trade association.
To help ensure the safety of the nation's produce, the agreement sets forth "best practices" for handling lettuce, escarole, endive, spring mix, spinach, cabbage, kale, arugula and chard. It includes standards for growing, harvesting, and packing, as well as a "trace-back" system for all leafy greens. Compliance will be monitored by government regulatory agencies.
The agreement will supplement Boggiatto Produce's already established, food safety program, which meets or exceeds the standard set forth in the Western Growers agreement. That in-house program, led by food and technology scientist José Luis García-Cañedo, is governed by a set of "best practice" manuals that cover every aspect of the company's agricultural operations from planting to shipping. It includes extensive personnel training and monitoring to ensure compliance with those practices as well as standards for managing water resources and monitoring the use of pesticides and other chemicals. It also provides for testing of all fields to help ensure all produce is safe before harvesting.
As a further measure of assurance, Boggiatto Produce contracts with a certified agricultural testing laboratory to conduct independent, third-party audits of the company's operations. Full details of the program, including links to the company's "best practice" manuals can be found at http://www.boggiatto.com/food_safety.html.
"Years before food safety became an industry buzzword, Boggiatto Produce began contracting with Primus Labs to help ensure the safety of our products," stated President Michael Boggiatto. "We stepped up our commitment even further in 2006 by hiring a highly qualified food scientist who has developed what we believe to be one of the very best food safety programs in the industry. Food safety is the most important part of our operations and the cornerstone of our 'quality to the core' promise to our customers."
About Boggiatto Produce, Inc.
Based in Salinas, California, Boggiatto Produce, Inc. was established in 1989 as a fresh produce shipper. In 1992, the company pioneered the growing, packing and shipping of hearts of romaine and today, its Garden Hearts® label is the undisputed industry leader. In 2005, the company added Iceberg Babies® to its family of Garden Hearts® products. The company offers a wide variety of produce and ships several million cartons each year. The highest standards of food safety practices and state-of-the-art cultivation and harvest methods ensure quality and safety the foodservice industry can count on. Boggiatto Produce's products are available nationwide to foodservice operations through produce distributors. For more information about the company and its products, visit www.boggiatto.com.
About Western Growers
For more than 80 years, Western Growers has been dedicated to improving the competitiveness and profitability of its membership, based in the farmlands of California and Arizona. As the nation's leading agricultural trade association, it is Western Growers' mission to guide its members toward a healthy, sustainable and profitable future by offering quality services and programs that complement their businesses. Western Growers is an agricultural trade association whose 3,000 members grow, pack and ship 90 percent of the fresh vegetables and nearly 70 percent of the fresh fruit and nuts grown in Arizona and California, about one-half of the nation's fresh produce.
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