During this unique time of COVID-19, people are naturally concerned about the quality of hygiene practices in every area that touches their lives—and this definitely includes the food they eat.
At The Chef’s Garden, our food safety programs are specifically designed to reduce the likelihood of microbial contamination at all levels of production, packaging, and shipping. More specifically, our practices:
include 54 standard operating procedures (SOPs) for food safety that guide the growing practices of the farm
also feature an additional 58 SOPs that guide our processing or packaging facility
include PCR testing of the water used to wash produce, something that fewer than 1% of farms in the United States conducts
include the cutting-edge Extreme Microbial Technologies air purification system that allows everything touched by air molecules in our packing/shipping area to be sanitized
include three daily cleaning cycles; normally, we would clean and test at the end of each day but now we do so at the start of the day, too, as well as at mid-day
These programs give daily guidance to our team to ensure we’re following best practices for production, cleaning, and packaging of fresh vegetables—and they go well above and beyond what’s required in many crucial ways. We take these rigorous measures very seriously every day, keenly aware of our levels of responsibility. Our produce is being consumed by our partners—meaning our families, our friends, and you, our loyal customers. It’s in our best interest to help you maintain and improve your health by eating fresh vegetables that are grown, processed, packaged, and shipped in a safe and responsible manner. We work closely with the local health department (Erie County in Ohio), the State Department of Agriculture (ODA), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as well as several third-party auditing agencies on an ongoing basis to ensure strict adherence to our food safety practices and protocols. You are welcome to go to the food safety section of our website. We are happy to share in order to maintain transparency and give you peace of mind that we take our commitment to food safety very seriously. Food safety at The Chef’s Garden includes but is not limited to the following practice :
Having a hazard analysis critical control points (HACCP) plan in place
Good agricultural practices for production in the greenhouse and field
Good manufacturing practices for our processing facility
Pre-harvest pathogen testing
Post-harvest wash water testing on leafy greens and root crop products (PCR level testing)
Extreme Microbial Technologies’ air purification
Traceability program for all products, with full transparency from seed to delivery
Farm-Fresh Vegetable Boxes for Home Delivery Here, you can choose from a list of carefully curated boxes containing the best of the day’s harvest, along with tips on how to prepare these vegetables for your family. Thank you for placing your trust in us to provide fresh vegetables, herbs, microgreens and edible flowers directly to your kitchen.