Food safety begins on the farm.

Hometown Harvest is committed to providing you with the safest and most secure produce available. Our philosophy is one of prevention to assure food security.

We are continually taking steps to re-evaulate our procedures and handling techniques and keep current on all government food safety codes and recommendations.

All local farmers who provide Hometown Harvest with fresh fruits and vegetables are required to be third-party audited and certified that they are practicing Good Agricultural Practices as defined by the USDA. If a farm does not have this certification, it cannot participate in the Hometown Harvest program.

When the produce is received by Hometown Harvest from a local and certified farm, the harvest is further protected by the food safety program that we have in place at our facility.

Food Security Plan

Hometown Harvest has implemented a written Food Security Plan to identify potential security risks. We have operating procedures in place for the sole purpose of preventing intentional and unintentional product contamination. Our full-time Food Safety/Security Team ensures all security measures are followed.

Certification

Hometown Harvest contracts annually with the British Retail Consortium (BRC) to conduct an annual inspection with the purpose of evaluating the overall effectiveness of produce safety programs within our operation. We are proud to announce that we have obtained an audit grade of "A" from the BRC.

Hometown Harvest has also successfully passed the USDA Federal and State Audit Program for Good Agricultural Practices & Good Handling Practices. We are now certified as both a packing house and wholesale distribution center.

HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) Plan

A HACCP Plan is established to identify Quality Control Points in our facility to insure the freshness and integrity of the products we distribute. The goal of this plan is to involve all employees in the overall safety of the food at this facility and to guarantee that safe practices bring fresh produce to our customer's door.

Traceability

Part of our HACCP Plan is a traceability system. It guarantees that every piece of produce which leaves the facility can be traced back to its origin. This aids food safety authorities in potential recall efforts.