Photo: Rebecca Partington / Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0

LMGA: The California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement just released its 2014/15 Annual Report detailing results of the mandatory government audits conducted during this past fiscal year. The findings show that out of nearly 75,000 food safety checkpoints audited, a total of 370 citations were issued. This is the lowest number of citations issued in the history of the LGMA and represents less than half a percent of the total checkpoints verified during all LGMA audits.

To be clear, the LGMA system requires that all citations be corrected. So, in the end, the compliance rate for LGMA audit is actually 100%. However, analyzing and publishing information on the numbers and kinds of citations issued allows the LGMA to accomplish a couple of things. First, we are transparent in reporting information on our audits to the public. And, secondly, we utilize the information as a guide for the LGMA Tech training program so we can focus these efforts to the areas where it’s most needed.

It’s our strong belief that the combination of comprehensive training, frequent audits, and the requirement that all citations be corrected, is what is behind the high rate of compliance and continued improvement the LGMA has experienced over the years.

Click here to have a closer look at the numbers from the LMGA.