Frequently Asked Questions from Retailers and Restaurants
What is the California Leafy Green Products Handler Marketing Agreement?
The California Leafy Green Products Handler Marketing Agreement (LGMA) is an unprecedented commitment to food safety. The LGMA, operating with oversight from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is a mechanism for verifying through mandatory government audits that farmers follow LGMA accepted food safety practices for lettuce, spinach and other leafy greens. These LGMA accepted food safety practices are designed to reduce the sources of potential contamination on farms or into fields. Over time, these food safety practices will evolve as industry, scientists and academia identify and develop new technologies to further improve food safety practices in order to protect public health. With the LGMA in place, California leafy greens are grown under a unique and rigorous system that has become a model for leafy greens farmers in other states.
How do buyers know that a company that sells and ships leafy greens products is a certified member of the LGMA?
There are three ways a buyer of leafy greens products can identify that a company is a member in good standing of the LGMA:
- Buyers should check this website regularly for the current list of all LGMA members in good standing. This list can be found on the members section of this website. In addition, companies that have failed to comply with the food safety practices and have been decertified from the LGMA are listed on the decertification actions page of the members section.
- Look for the LGMA Service Mark on paperwork, such as bills of lading and shipping manifests, received from your supplier of leafy greens.
- LGMA members in good standing are issued a certificate of compliance, which they can share with their customers upon request.
Who are members of the LGMA?
The LGMA is made up of member companies (usually referred to as handlers) that ship and sell lettuce, spinach and other leafy greens products. Working with hundreds of farmers, the 118 member companies of the LGMA ship and sell over 99% of the California leafy greens products that ultimately reach consumers. These companies provide leafy green products – both raw and processed – to the world’s grocery stores, restaurants and institutions.
What products are covered under the agreement?
Fourteen leafy green products are covered by the LGMA including:
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Who is in charge of the LGMA?
The LGMA program operates with oversight from the California Department of Food and Agriculture. All actions of the LGMA and its Advisory Board must be approved by the Secretary of CDFA. The Board is appointed by California’s Secretary of Agriculture, and is comprised of farmers, shippers and processors of leafy greens, plus two public members who represent the interests of consumers.
What are the LGMA Food Safety Practices?
At the heart of the LGMA program is the mandatory audit system that certifies member companies are implementing food safety practices developed by university and industry scientists, food safety experts, farmers, shippers and processors. These food safety practices were also reviewed by state and federal government health agencies. (The food safety practices can be found on this website in the resources section). This set of food safety practices has been accepted by the LGMA and all LGMA member companies are subject to mandatory government audits on a regular, but random basis to ensure that the LGMA-accepted food safety practices are being implemented. The food safety practices cover five key areas:
General Requirements
Member companies are required to have a complete food safety compliance plan, an up-to-date list of growers, and a written traceback program.
Environmental Assessments
Pre-season and pre-harvest assessments are required to make sure conditions that can affect food safety, such as animal intrusions, flooding, proximity to animal feeding operations, etc. are not present, or have been properly mitigated.
Water Use
Extensive testing and record keeping for all sources of water used in the production of leafy greens is required by the program.
Soil Amendments
Extensive testing, certification and record keeping for soil amendments, including compost and fertilizers, are required by the program.
Work Practices and Field Observations
Field audits verify that farmers are in compliance with the program’s requirements in the areas of worker practices and field sanitation.
How are the LGMA Food Safety Practices enforced?
All LGMA member companies are subject to mandatory government audits to ensure that the LGMA-accepted practices are being implemented. The audits are conducted by California Department of Food and Agriculture inspectors who received special training and certification from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the auspices of the National Good Agricultural Practices Program standards. The National Good Agricultural Practices Program was jointly developed by the USDA and the Federal Food and Drug Administration. LGMA member companies are audited by the certified government inspectors at least four times per year.
What happens if the LGMA Food Safety Practices are not followed by a member?
If an LGMA member is found to be out of compliance in any of these areas, that company is issued a citation. Each citation is recorded at one of four levels, ranging from a Minor Infraction to a Flagrant Violation. The LGMA Compliance Audit Process provides opportunities for member companies to take corrective action on citations that do not pose an immediate threat to food safety and public health. Flagrant Violations, which could result in a potentially unsafe product reaching the marketplace, result in decertification from the program and discontinued use of the LGMA Service Mark. In the case of flagrant violations, a special committee which includes California Department of Food and Agriculture personnel has been formed to make recommendations regarding penalties. The names of companies that have been decertified from the LGMA are posted on the members section of this website.
What is the Service Mark?
The LGMA Service Mark is carried on all sales documents, such as bills of lading and shipping manifests, so it is easily recognizable to buyers of leafy green products. Produce buyers help enforce the Service Mark when they only buy from LGMA member companies. For, example, Canada and Mexico require that all leafy green products imported from the State of California are from certified member companies of the LGMA. All LGMA members in good standing are listed on the members section of this website.