Food Safety

Our goal is to provide consumers with the highest quality fruits and vegetables.

Through a combination of scientific expertise, employee education, continuous reinvestment in the latest technology, and careful selection of suppliers, we are proud to be able to accomplish it!

Food Safety Resources

• Careful selection of produce suppliers based on demonstrated compliance with FDA's food safety guidelines for the produce industry
• Strict enforcement of GMP with state-of-the-art employee support facilities (i.e. dedicated hand wash room and doorless restrooms, all with hands-free equipment)
• Continuous and frequently updated food safety and biosecurity training for employees
• Strong HACCP prerequisite programs (recall, sanitation, pest control, plant inspections, product and environmental microbiology testing)
• Documented HACCP Program, including:
  • Receiving/initial inspection
  • Improved traceability with barcode scanning
  • Hourly monitoring of produce wash water conditions based on ORP, pH, and sanitizer concentration measurements
  • Hourly monitoring of in-process product temperatures to ensure continuity of the cold chain
  • Metal detectors checked hourly
  • Multiple temperature zones monitored via web-based reporting system
  • Final outbound inspection
• NSF food-grade equipment that allows optimal cleaning and sanitizing
• Effective plant layout (single flow of product from raw to finished areas)
• Use-by dating of finished products
• FIFO (first-in, first-out rotation of product) minimizes storage time and ensures freshness

Additional Resources

• Quality Assurance Department staffed by college-level degreed food safety/microbiology professionals and properly trained technicians
• Strong collaborative research relationship with the University of Minnesota Department of Food Science (St. Paul, MN)
• Well-equipped in-house lab for chemical and microbiological analyses and shelf-life studies
• Controlled access and surveillance video cameras throughout the warehouse and main entrances as part of our comprehensive food defense/plant security plan, in accordance with the FDA's ALERT food defense and terrorism initiative
• Extensive modern delivery truck and van fleet driven by Bix Produce employees that allows total control over cleanliness, temperature settings, food security, and the loading and unloading process to minimize potential damage and/or microbial contamination

Bix Produce Company is a proud member of PRO*ACT, America's leading distributor of fresh produce to the foodservice industry. PRO*ACT requires all suppliers and distributors to meet strict risk-based food safety and security standards.  Compliance is verified and documented throughout the entire supply chain.