Sacramento, CA — The California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement has issued its 2014/15 Annual Report detailing results of the mandatory government audits conducted during the past year. 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 Chief Executive Officer Scott Horsfall. “The number of citations issued has continually been falling since the inception of the LGMA in 2007.”
Horsfall explained the Annual Report provides an analysis of the mandatory government audits conducted through the LGMA program. The information is made public in an effort to demonstrate transparency of audit results for all LGMA members.
A closer look at the numbers shows that:
- Each LGMA member was audited an average of 5 times during the year.
- Audits are conducted by certified government auditors and include both scheduled and unannounced visits.
- Each scheduled LGMA audit has 185 food safety check points.
- Each unannounced audit has 38 checkpoints.
- A total of 467 audits were conducted over the year.
- The total number of checkpoints audited was 74,782.
- 370 citations were issued.
- 99.51 percent of checkpoints were verified as compliant with LGMA food safety metrics.
- LGMA members averaged less than one citation per audit.
“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%.”
Horsfall note that 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.”
Horsfall added 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. At the same time, growers and shippers recognize they must continue to do everything possible to mitigate risks and protect public health.”
Interested parties can read the 2014/15 LGMA Annual Report on-line to learn more about the audit report and other activities of the LGMA. A video summarizing the results is also available.
Source: California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement
