FOWLER, CA – Bee Sweet is making moves to ensure that its management team and employees have all the know-how for its food safety and quality control to surpass industry expectations thanks to a series of new policies implemented by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

“The goal of Bee Sweet’s food safety team is to be proactive, rather than reactive,” said Food Safety Manager Jesus Medina, in a recent press release. “We want to meet the demands of the industry, but also do what’s necessary to stay ahead of the game.”

The company’s initiatives implement new FSMA regulations and include the installation of a brand-new Navel wash line/bin washing system in the packing facility, as well as a revamped Bee Sweet Environmental Monitoring Program.

“Our citrus needs to be safe for the consumer,” said Medina. “We want to make sure nothing compromises the integrity of our product.”

To further establish the safety of its citrus, the company’s new high-tech navel wash line makes sure all fresh citrus processed on the line is assiduously washed before packing. The elimination of all potential bacteria and pathogens from the rind of its fresh citrus helps Bee Sweet to guarantee the safety of its produce, while also meeting new FSMA standards that are implemented by the USDA.

An Environmental Monitoring Program is also being put into action by the Bee Sweet Food Safety team, enhancing its efforts by ensuring all product, water, food, and non-food contact surfaces are tested for microbiological contaminates frequently. Further, the company will pay special attention to all four of its state-of-the-art fresh fruit packaging lines.

“It’s not enough to make sure that our product is safe,” said Assistant Food Safety Manager Monica Castillo. “We have to make sure that all the items, water, and surfaces that may come in contact with our citrus also adhere to the highest safety standards.”

In addition to the packing facility, the company is also focused on bio-security, which will hone in on knowing who and what comes into contact with its fresh citrus to assuage potential risks. The company will use a new computerized Envoy screening system to greet visitors entering the Bee Sweet facilities as it moves forward with this goal in mind. The system will gauge whether or not visitors will be allowed to enter based on a screening of their health, then its takes the visitor's picture and documents their entrance and exit.

How will these new developments impact the company’s businesses at large, and will these shifts take form in other companies’ models?

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Bee Sweet Citrus