LGMA report shows lowest citations recorded, eVGN August 2015
The California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA) has issued its 2014-15 annual report detailing results of the mandatory government audits conducted during the past year.
According to a news release, the findings show that out of nearly 75,000 food safety checkpoints audited at California leafy greens farms, a total of 370 citations were issued.
This is the lowest number of citations issued in the history of the LGMA and represents less than half a percent of the total checkpoints verified during all LGMA audits for the year.
“It’s our strong belief that the combination of comprehensive training, frequent audits, and the requirement that all citations be corrected, is what’s behind the high rate of compliance and continued improvement LGMA members have experienced over the years,” said LGMA CEO Scott Horsfall. “The number of citations issued has continually been falling since the inception of the LGMA in 2007.”
Horsfall said the annual report provides an analysis of the mandatory government audits conducted through the LGMA program. He said the information is made public in an effort to demonstrate transparency of audit results for all LGMA members.
“To be clear, the LGMA system requires that all citations be corrected,” said Horsfall. “So, in the end, the compliance rate for every LGMA audit is actually 100 percent.
Horsfall said analyzing the numbers and kinds of citations issued provides a guide for the LGMA’s training program, LGMA Tech, because the information allows the LGMA to focus its training efforts to the areas where it’s most needed.
“We were pleased with the declining numbers of citations issued in the Environmental Assessment category,” said Horsfall, who explained that new metrics were introduced by the LGMA last year to address animal intrusion in leafy greens fields.
“This topic was the focus of enhanced worker training through our LGMA Tech program and we are seeing this pay off with a very low rate of citations in this category.”
While continuous improvement is a core value of the leafy greens industry, so is continual vigilance, Horsfall said.
“The trends seen in the LGMA’s latest analysis are positive and clearly demonstrate the industry's commitment. At the same time, growers and shippers recognize they must continue to do everything possible to mitigate risks and protect public health.”
In 2007, following an outbreak of e. Coli that sickened over 200 people, California farmers made the commitment to protecting public health through the creation of the LGMA.
“The program’s goal is to assure safe leafy greens and confidence in our food safety programs,” Horsfall said.
At the heart of LGMA is a set of food safety practices that are implemented on leafy greens farms throughout the state. Working collaboratively with university and industry scientists, food safety experts, government officials, farmers, shippers and processors, the LGMA created a science-based food safety system that it says protects public health by reducing potential sources of contamination and establishes a culture of food safety on the farm.
LGMA members are companies that ship and sell California-grown lettuce, spinach and other leafy greens products. The California LGMA has a sister program in Arizona that is almost identical.
“Working with hundreds of farmers throughout California and Arizona, LGMA members produce approximately 90 percent of the leafy greens grown in the U.S. – that adds up to over 50 billion servings of leafy greens each year,” Horsfall said.
LGMA membership is not mandatory but once a company decides to join, it subjects itself to mandatory government audits provided by USDA-certified, government inspectors. LGMA members are audited multiple times throughout the season and must achieve 100 percent compliance with the LGMA food safety practices.
“The number of citations issued per LGMA audit is now down to less than one citation per audit,” Horsfall said. “Not quite perfect – but almost.”
Horsfall pointed to one category that is not following the trend in downward citations. This area is Soil Amendments.
“It should be noted that the number of citations in this category is extremely low with 37 citations issued out of a total of 2,802 checkpoints,” he said. “Most citations were classified as minor infractions involving errors in documentation. This illustrates the rigor of the LGMA audits, particularly when it comes to ensuring the addition of any soil amendment to a leafy greens field is strictly controlled to prevent the introduction of pathogens.
Horsfall maintained that, while continuous improvement is a core value of the leafy greens industry, so is continual vigilance.
“The trends seen in the LGMA’s latest analysis are positive and clearly demonstrate the industry’s commitment,” he said. “At the same time, growers and shippers recognize they must continue to do everything possible to mitigate risks and protect public health. Their commitment to doing the right thing is the best way to ensure the continuous improvement that is expected, and that they expect of themselves.”