In addition, Taylor Farms recently began using a lettuce harvester, which is checked daily for bacteria counts. The harvester is made entirely of stainless steel, including all working parts, not just the contact points. The machine cuts at 17,000 pounds per square inch (high pressure, low volume) and utilizes about 3 gallons of water per minute, which the company says is lower than conventional harvesters.
Commitment to Training
The greatest challenge for Taylor Farms is making sure every person on the floor understands what the company is doing for food safety and why it is important, says Estrada. “For every product, we have a specification from the customer as to what they expect. We have a quality evaluation for every production run looking for defects like decay and cut size.”
According to the company, training has improved results; for example, Taylor Farms was among the first in the fresh-cut industry to become Safe Quality Food Institute Global Food Safety Initiative (SQF GFSI) certified in 2009. It earned an SQF Level 3 certification in 2010.
Training is done weekly, monthly, and yearly for management and hourly workers. It includes refresher education in developing and applying good manufacturing practices, HACCP, raw material and finished product specifications, customer requirements, a food quality plan, and food regulatory issues. The company also sends key managers to food safety and quality seminars across North America, and brings in professional trainers for specific key areas such as sanitation and microbiological testing.
Tangible Results
Taylor Farms cited some environmental benefits to its programs, including SmartWash, which impacts its chlorine use. The SCADA system has enabled significant reductions in energy use and reduced the amount of water used. And the romaine lettuce harvester uses higher pressure in the water knife system, limiting water use.
The company says the 15 to 16 day shelf-life for its value-added produce exceeds the industry benchmark of less than 14 days, an improvement it attributed to its investments and attention to food safety and quality. It also conducts modified atmospheric readings and sensory evaluations to validate and verify its shelf-life performance.
Going forward, Borman points to two major market trends the company will address. One is the 13 percent growth in people switching to Taylor Farms organic foods, more in the retail arena than food service. The second is the change in the school lunch programs to healthier, greener foods.
Valigra is a writer based in Harrison, Maine. Reach her at [email protected].
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