At Markon, we pride ourselves on requiring the most stringent food safety measures of our supplier-partners to provide the utmost confidence in every case we ship to our member partners and their operator customers. Our 5-Star Food Safety Program® covers the critical points from field to plate to ensure that Markon fresh produce arrives as promised. It’s based on specifications, inspections, and information at five key points: fields, facilities, transportation, distributor warehouses, and your kitchen.
Star 1: Fields: Third-party audit reviews for Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), detailed specifications, daily inspections, water testing
Markon inspectors are an invaluable part of what we do here at Markon. Our full-time inspection staff literally walks the fields of our growers six days a week to ensure what you receive is what you expect. They check product quality, size and weight specifications, growing conditions, weather patterns, worker welfare, and overall sanitation. They visit cold rooms to inspect post-harvest storage temperatures, processing plants to review critical-control points, and shipping facilities to oversee loading. They are your eyes and ears, or rather, Boots in the Field®.
Daily inspections are key to ensuring Confidence in Every Case. Our Quality Assurance Inspectors are in the fields—traveling to and living in both the Salinas Valley, California and Yuma, Arizona growing regions—every day throughout the year. But before our team even gets to the fields, our farmers have certified with third-party auditors for Good Agricultural Practices and water testing/monitoring. Once we have all the required documentation to pack for Markon, we send our inspectors out to confirm that our detailed specifications are being met at all times.
“As a Markon Inspector our daily task consists of hands-on detailed inspections of suppliers’ products, walking the fields, doing thorough inspections of processing facilities, and reporting any potential food safety risks,” explains Jose Tinajero, Assistant Director of Quality Assurance. “All this starts with the relationships we have built with all of our suppliers, supervisors, and foreman with frequent communication and support of one another to reach a common goal: supplying the safest and best product available.”
Star 2: Grower/Shipper Facilities: Third-party audit reviews for Good Manufacturing Practices and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points
Here Markon’s Quality Assurance team reviews packed product and ensures our specifications are maintained, including third-party audit reviews for Good Manufacturing Practices and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points, water testing, and environmental monitoring. Markon’s team continually challenges grower-suppliers to innovate and raise the bar in their growing operations, processing facilities, and distribution centers. By setting forth rigorous requirements, Markon suppliers’ facilities keep the second phase of the chain from field to plate intact for the best quality and safety our operator customers both demand and deserve.
Star 3: Transportation: Temperature monitors on trucks originating in Arizona, California, Idaho, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, and Washington
Temperature control is a critical factor once produce is out of the ground and through the transportation phase, affecting appearance, flavor, and shelf-life. Processing plants are kept to strict standards, but what happens when ingredients are loaded onto trucks and sent to distribution centers (and ultimately customers’ kitchens)?
Maintaining the cold chain is key to delivering product in its best condition. To ensure that transport trucks stay consistently in the safe temperature zone, Markon requires recording devices inside each load that can be read upon delivery, showing the timed temperatures throughout the trip. This information is available in real-time along with location tracking and alerts for when the desired temperature ranges are exceeded. This gives us the ability to contact the carrier and correct the issue immediately, saving possible damage to the produce. In the event that we cannot correct the issue while in transit, it gives us the information needed to decide whether or not we can accept the product upon arrival. It’s one of the many things that ensures customers receive the best quality possible in each case of Markon produce.
Star 4: Distributor Warehouses: Dedicated quality assurance team reviews, warehouse temperature zones, third-party inspectors
A dedicated quality assurance and receiving team are crucial to the success of our produce program. It’s the first line of defense since the product shipped from its point of origin. Having a well-trained produce team—one that knows what the product should look like, what temperature it should arrive at, how it should be handled, and where it should be stored—is an absolute must. Separate temperature zones within warehouses are without a doubt, the most important aspect to the shelf-life and performance of all Markon produce items. Not all produce items are created equal and different products require storage at different temperatures. Ethylene gas also plays a crucial role in storing items that are sensitive to this naturally occurring emittance that can unnecessarily accelerate ripening. Temperate abuse is public enemy number one when it comes to produce and our member-distributors do their part to ensure items are stored correctly to maximize overall quality and shelf-life potential.”
Star 5: Your Kitchen: Traceback to field level, regular mock recalls conducted to verify traceability, “Best If Used By” dates on all Ready-Set-Serve inner and outer packaging, storage and handling information, cooler icons on packaging to easily identify appropriate cooler storage area (back, center, front, outside), and food safety education tools for staff
Traceback stickers (to field level): With the implementation of GS1-128 compliant PTI labels on all Markon brand items, we are able to quickly identify the field lot from which the product was sourced and work with our suppliers to identify the exact field where the product was grown. This type of accuracy gives operator customers the confidence that in the unfortunate occurrence of a food safety event, we can alert them to dispose of these items and prevent them from being served.
Regular mock recalls are conducted to verify traceability: Markon routinely conducts timed, unannounced mock traceback exercises with our suppliers to ensure they can quickly trace and identify product shipped. During these exercises, suppliers are required to provide Markon with complete traceback information as well as field and shipping records. We use this data to ensure suppliers are always in compliance with Markon Food Safety recall and traceability standards. These frequent tests also keep Markon staff on point so that in the unlikely event of a food safety outbreak, we can notify our customers and prevent the spread of illness.
“Best If Used By” dates on all Ready-Set-Serve inner and outer packaging: Having easy-to-read “Best if Used By” dates on both the outer and inner packaging allows for kitchen staff to organize and maintain inventory to ensure the freshest, best quality product is in your cooler.
Storage and handling information: Maintaining the cold chain is key to ensuring that our fresh produce products’ shelf-life is maximized and food safety risks are minimized. We provide educational tools and laminated posters that remind kitchen staff of best practices such as keeping fresh produce away from raw proteins and washing hands before handling any foods to cut down on potential cross contamination.
Cooler icons on packaging easily identify appropriate cooler storage area (back, center, front, outside): Our easy-to-read packaging shows operators exactly where product should be placed in coolers. This helps back-of-house staff better maintain inventory and mitigate time spent putting products away.
Food safety educational tools available through your Markon member sales representative: Markon offers easy-to-understand posters available in multiple languages to provide at-a-glance best handling and food safety practices for employees to reference. Every case of Markon First Crop®, Ready-Set-Serve®, and Markon Essentials® we ship has met or surpassed Markon’s unparalleled standards—our 5-Star Food Safety® Program.
“Today’s food industry is much more sophisticated than ever. Feeding millions of people requires constant surveillance to ensure that what’s served in restaurants, schools, hotels, and healthcare facilities is safe, healthy, and delicious. Markon has nearly 40 years of experience safeguarding every point of the journey from field to plate,” says Markon President Andy Hamilton.
