At Vessey & Co., we do not believe in merely meeting industry standards relative to food safety, we strive to exceed expectations.  As one of the first growers in our region to hire a full time food safety manager, we are proud of our ongoing commitment to the health and welfare of the people who consume our products.  A major goal of our program is reducing the possibility of contamination without effecting the sustainability or ecological balance of the surrounding environment.

Our irrigators, cultivators, tractor drivers, foremen and supervisors receive ongoing educational training throughout the season as part of “Good Agricultural Practices” (GAP).  Our harvesting equipment receives daily power washings and our irrigation water testing standards exceed those required in our industry.  In addition to testing our water on a monthly basis for Generic E-Coli, our use of buffer zones (a documented and monitored animal specific rodent control program) enables us to deter the intrusion of wildlife without a negative impact towards their habitat. 

Although we conduct our own pre-season and pre-harvest risk assessments, in order to meet our own high standards, we hire third party inspectors to conduct ranch audits prior to each season and harvest.  The use of independent firms to certify stricter safety measures is just another of the many checks and balances we utilize to protect our consumers.

Each bin or carton that contains our product is coded prior to leaving the field enabling us to quickly identify the source where each item was grown.  Our in-house computer systems and the tagging of each container make product traceability a simple process.

In order to reduce the possibility of food contamination California farmers have banded together to form the California Leafy Greens Products Handler Marketing Agreement (LGMA).  The stringent requirements set forth in this agreement have been developed by people within the industry, university scientists and food safety experts.  As part of our dedication to food safety, we are proud to be a member of the LGMA and that our own President, Jack Vessey, is a current board member.

Should you have any further questions regarding the food safety practices of our firm, please contact our Food Safety Manager, Cory Peeks at (760)356-5300.