November 2, 1999

Name
Address
Address
Address

Dear name:

The Topic of food safety has and will continue to be a major concern of Albertson’s. As such, we are requiring independent third party verification of the use of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) by all of our fresh produce suppliers. We consider the FDA’s publication: Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables an excellent starting point. A copy of that guide can be found at http://www.foodsafety.gov/~dms/prodguid.html.

In order to be assured that Good Agricultural Practices are being used by our fresh produce suppliers, Albertson’s is now requiring our suppliers to:

  • Develop safe production manuals.
  • Conduct self-audits using criteria described in the safe production manuals.
  • Post results of those self-audits on a web site or other similar location for our review (do not send us hard copies of manuals, self audits or lab reports).
  • Have an independent third party audit verify compliance with GAPs.

Albertson’s expects each of our fresh produce suppliers to use any appropriate resource to comply with these requirements by April 30, 2000. One resource we have confidence in is PrimusLabs.com of Santa Maria, CA http://www.primuslabs.com/dd/index.html. They have developed a set of Internet based programs that:

  • Provide a step-by-step way to develop safe production manuals tailored to each operator’s specific needs,
  • A self audit form and procedures for following up the self-audit.
  • A secure site to post audit scores and test results at minimal cost and
  • A third party audit service for a reasonable fee.

You may report your progress to us in a single sheet letter, but we would prefer to see information on the Primuslabs.com website. Once completed, these steps will assure you will have a much better understanding of how well your operation complies with the FDA Good Agricultural Practices and Albertson’s will have assurance that the products we sell are as safe as they can be, given the best business practices available at this time.

View Sprouts Requirements Letter