Food Safety & Quality

Our Top Priority

Church Brothers and True Leaf Farms pride themselves with having the highest integrity when it comes to Food Safety Standards. The most critical factor is having complete visibility and control of the raw material from the source. All of our products are subjected to the 7 point program outlined below.

Farm Approval

Pre-season risk assessment
Documentation review-grower GAPs, land history, adjacent sand use, water source & test results, soil inputs, letter of guarantee, etc.
Compliance against FSMA, LGMA metrics & customer requirements
Implemented corrective actions/buffers if needed

Planting & Growing Compliance

Continual ranch monitoring & verification of implemented GAPs- animal activity/intrusion, changes in adjacent land use, review of monthly irrigation water test results, etc.
Completion of an annual 3rd Party GFSI Ranch Audit
Pre Harvest Risk Assessment (approx 4-7 days prior to harvest)

Pre Harvest Pathogen Testing for Leafy Greens (Salmonella & E.Coli 0157:H7)

Harvest Surveillance

Daily Harvest Risk Assessment to include a thorough review of the area to be harvested for any animal hazards/intrusion

Verification of implemented GAPs/GHPs (ex. employee hygiene, equipment/harvest tool sanitation, properly stocked restrooms, etc.)
Continual foreman/employee training on food safety topics such as animal hazards, employee hygiene, proper hand washing, equipment sanitation, reporting of any suspicious activity or individuals, etc.
Annual 3rd Party Harvest Crew Audits
Traceability - All loads are identified with a unique block ID which establishes the grower, ranch & lot. Traceability stickers also include the harvest date and crew

Harvest Transportation & Cooling Monitoring

Monitoring of cut to cool times
Traceability of product leaving the field
& verified upon receipt at the cooler
Cleanliness of trucks
Employee hygiene programs
Monitoring of cooling process
Sanitation of cooling tubes

Shipping & Distribution Oversight

Traceability - Data is electronically recorded with regards to products being shipped on each order
Monitoring of temperatures
Cleanliness of trucks
3rd Party Facility Audits
Employee hygiene programs

Value Added Process Preventative Control

GFSI Processing Plant
Comprehensive Sanitation Program
Advanced Automated Processing Lines
Continuous Process Monitoring
Advanced pH Control

Traceability

Internally generated block ID for each planting
(identified Grower, Ranch, Lot, Variety & acres)
This block ID is applied in the field and follows the product all the way through receiving, cooling, processing & shipping
PTI, Mock Recalls, iCiX