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Food safety is everyone's responsibility and has been a fundamental part of our
quality control program since day one. We have a comprehensive training program
that continually trains our associates and reinforces the importance of meeting
Food Manufacturing Practices and Food Safety Standards.
Our Quality Assurance (QA) team has had years of experience working for the
U.S. Department of Agriculture in completing field inspections, and inspecting
the operations, handling, and harvesting of fresh produce. We keep a solid
rapport with U.S. Department of Agriculture Inspectors and continue to work
with them on a daily basis to maintain the integrity, quality, and consistency
of our produce.
Four
Seasons also has a Food Safety team that is responsible for identifying and
minimizing food security risks. We are in total compliance with the
Bioterrorism Act of 2002. All products are stored in a secure area with
card access only entrance doors. Security guards are on site 24/7 and all out
bound trailers are secured with seal and lock.
"It's important that food is handled appropriately, that it gets to people
fresh," says Ron Carkoski, President and CEO of Four Seasons Produce.
"Food safety is everything from making sure the building and grounds are
secure, to proper handling, temperature and humidity control, to trace-back
ability right to the seed company. We have to be able to provide, on four-hour
notice, complete trace-up and trace-back on every item in this facility.
Internationally, everything coming into the country has to be able to be traced
back to its port of entrance into the U.S. This is a huge logistical task," he
says, "but we have the most progressive computer systems to help us manage it."
Four Seasons consistently receives top ratings from the following independent
auditing companies:
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Cook & Thurber third-party audit (Superior rating)
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Primus Labs third-party audit (Superior rating)
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Dardin Group third-party audit (90 percent rating)
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Pennsylvania Certified Organic third-party audit (Pass) No deficiencies were
encountered
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Denny's Restaurant third-party audit (Superior rating)
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US Food and Drug Administration Inspection (Pass) No objectionable condition
was observed under the Pass/Fail system
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