The California Leafy Green Products Handler Marketing Agreement (LGMA) is a set protocol of food safety practices to protect public health by reducing potential sources of contamination in California and Arizona-grown leafy greens. The LGMA was formed in 2007 after a devastating outbreak of E. Coli in spinach, which resulted in 3 deaths and 276 illnesses. The contamination was traced to cattle and wild pig feces in a field near an irrigation well that irrigated the spinach field.
Talley Farms is one of the founding members of the LGMA, which now has over 85 certified, participating companies. LGMA members receive a minimum of 3 audits each year, 2 are scheduled and 1 is unannounced. Food safety practices include environmental assessments (e.g., animal intrusions and flooding); testing of water for bacteria from all water sources; testing of soil amendments (e.g., fertilizers and compost); and work and field operations, including bathrooms with handwashing stations for harvesting crews. The Food Safety Program at Talley Farms costs well over $100,000 annually.
Talley Farms has been farming for over 75 years, growing a variety of fruits and vegetables that are all food safety certified. The LGMA is just one example of a food safety program that we participate in, we are also members of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Primus Labs, California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), USDA Organic and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). What does this all mean? That you can be confident in the quality of the produce in your Talley Farms Box!
Our Talley Farms Boxes are the BEST of both the grocery store and farmers’ markets. The produce in our Talley Boxes is fresher than that at grocery stores and lasts longer than produce at farmers’ markets. We buy directly from other California farmers, as chain stores do, but produce goes straight to our packing cooler and into your box, not stored in massive distribution centers. Our produce is also pre-cooled, removing field heat before it is placed in a cooler. This practice naturally extends the shelf life of our fruits and vegetables, unlike farmers’ market produce. (Click here to learn more about pre-cooling). Whether from our farm or our fellow California farmers, all of our produce is food-safety certified.
