Fullei Fresh’s Four Keys to Producing Safe Sprouts
1. Facility Compliance and Pathogen Reduction and HACCP Program: We are leaders in the sprouting industry for food safety, and these programs are the most stringent in the industry that are mandatory by the FDA and the State of Florida regulatory agencies.
2. Seed Supply: We only purchase from reputable sources. Each seed lot is tested for pathogens prior to use.
3. Seed Sanitation: The FDA requires all seeds to be soaked and sterilized with 19,000 PPM calcium hypochlorite prior to sprouting. The seeds are then extensively rinsed to remove all of the remaining residue. This sanitation step is crucial for food safety. Do not buy sprouts from any sprouter who does not sterilize the seeds following this protocol.
4. Hold and Release Testing: The FDA and USDA recognize that there have been reported pathogens associated with sprouts. To ensure that our customers receive a safe product, all sprouts are tested for Salmonella and E. coli before they are sent to the marketplace. There is no better way to guarantee a safe product than to test each and every batch before it leaves our facility. All sprouts must pass these safety tests before they are shipped.
Our Committment to Food Safety and Quality
Food safety is the fundamental principle of the mission of Fullei Fresh. Fullei Fresh’s program provides the processes and systems designed to ensure the safe, wholesome, and uniform production of all sprouts grown in our facility. This meets federal, state, and local regulations.
The Fullei Fresh HACCP Program is based on a series of widely accepted systems that have been developed over the years to ensure that food production facilities, processes and ingredients are safe and wholesome. The standards and requirements include Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) programs, in addition to general facility management tools. We monitor cleanliness via ATP and routinely test for listeria. These programs have been selected to provide a comprehensive approach to food safety among facilities producing sprouts.
The requirement for Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in Fullei Fresh’s Pathogen Reduction and HACCP program is one element of the strategy to modernize the sprouting industry and to reduce the risk of pathogens on sprout products. Sprout growers must have written sanitation SOPs and HACCP programs to show how they meet these requirements on a daily basis.
Fullei Fresh is one of many growers across the country that is capable and committed to stringent food safety standards. In addition to announced and unannounced inspections by local and state agencies, we are audited by SQF (level 2,) organic, kosher and military on a yearly basis to ensure compliance. The results of these inspections are made available to our customers.
Fullei Fresh has taken a proactive approach to working with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to develop the procedures for safe sprouting and is continuously searching for improvements. In fact, the FDA adopted most of the International Sprout Growers Association (ISGA) program for use in the Guidance to Industry that prescribes the standards and protocols for growing sprouts.
Fullei Fresh works with state and local agencies to enhance the food safety program that has become mandatory for the sprouting industry. We are compliant with the Food Safety Modernization Act and the latest sprout industry practices.