Our Partners

Starfish is the leading network for supply chain traceability, helping food companies automate the data flows needed to meet retailer mandates, FSMA 204, and drive operational efficiency in their supply chains.

By mapping and transmitting EDI transactions, documents, and traceability data across manufacturers, distributors, and retailers, Starfish helps teams reduce manual work, cut integration costs, and see what’s happening in their supply chain in real time.

As the only neutral standards-based platform in the market, Starfish allows every participant, from growers to restaurant operators, to connect once and communicate with all of their trading partners using the systems that they use today.

Learn more at www.starfish-network.com

BioSafe Systems is a leading U.S. manufacturer of peroxyacetic acid (PAA)-based chemistries with extensive expertise in formulation, regulatory registration, and application across complex use environments. BioSafe Systems recognized the value of PAA well before food safety became imperative, investing early in this fast-acting oxidizing chemistry to mitigate microbial risk and support sustainability objectives. These early investments established BioSafe Systems as a trusted partner throughout the fresh produce supply chain.

For decades, BioSafe Systems has focused on developing sustainable solutions for postharvest food safety, water treatment, and crop protection. Its technologies are designed to protect human health, improve operational efficiency, and address the evolving regulatory and practical needs of growers and processors.

BioSafe Systems is the first company to obtain an EPA registration for controlling foodborne pathogens like Shiga-toxin producing E. coli (including O157:H7) and Salmonella enterica in preharvest irrigation water with SaniDate® 12.0 and SaniDate® WTO. These products offer conventional and organic growers effective solutions for minimizing risk from irrigation water while meeting industry compliance and FDA regulations.

Central to the company’s market leadership is a strong portfolio for the control of key human pathogens, including E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella. These registrations enable use on hard, non-porous surfaces as well as in processing and wash waters, critical components of comprehensive food safety programs. Flagship products such as SaniDate®5.0 and SaniDate® 15.0 exemplify this capability, delivering flexible, validated solutions that integrate seamlessly into robust food safety plans.

BioSafe Systems continues to expand its exemplary portfolio, utilizing industry expertise, applied research, and grower-focused initiatives. The result is a portfolio that not only addresses today’s challenges but anticipates the future of food safety and agricultural production.

Hygiena offers rapid microbial detection, monitoring and identification solutions for various industries, such as food and beverage, healthcare, hospitality, pharmaceuticals, and personal care.  Our industry-leading rapid-testing solutions use advanced technologies and patented designs to test for ATP monitoring, foodborne pathogens, spoilage organisms, allergens, mycotoxins, etc.  Our software solutions help to identify issues early before they can become a problem.

www.hygiena.com.

About Sanitation Specialists

Founded in 1997 in Watsonville with just 3 employees, Sanitation Specialists has grown into a national leader in the sanitation field. The company’s core focus is on the fresh and fresh-cut produce markets, though it has since expanded into other ready-to-eat (RTE) processors. 

With a dedicated team of over 700 employees, Sanitation Specialists is committed to revolutionizing the sanitation industry through advanced technology and a steadfast commitment to employee and food safety.

Sanitation Specialists offers transparent onsite management, complete sanitation solutions, and specialized solutions for your individual needs.

Our team conducts all onboarding, weekly, and monthly training for food safety, employee safety, and SSOP training. We supply the proper tools, products, and equipment needed to effectively clean and sanitize your food processing facilities.

We maintain constant communication via daily sanitation recaps, weekly meetings to address issues and their solutions, and quarterly meetings to discuss our service, recommendations, and improvements to your food safety program. We provide audit support by accurately documenting all sanitation activities, maintaining organized records, and providing all documentation needed for food safety audit compliance.

The Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA), based in Ottawa, Ontario, is a not-for-profit organization that represents all segments of the Canadian produce supply chain, from growers and distributors to retailers and technology suppliers. CPMA’s members are responsible for 90% of fresh fruit and vegetable sales in Canada. Through its extensive membership, CPMA advocates for policies, standards, and innovations that support the growth of the sector and ensure Canadians have access to fresh produce.

Last year, CPMA celebrated its 100th anniversary, marking a century of service to the industry. Over the years, the organization has evolved alongside changing market dynamics, technologies, and consumer preferences, highlighting its resilience and significant role in shaping Canada's produce sector. This milestone reflects CPMA's ongoing commitment to its members and its advocacy for a sustainable future.

CPMA also plays a key role in addressing challenges such as food safety, sustainability, trade regulations, and supply chain efficiency. By collaborating with government bodies, industry leaders, and international partners, CPMA ensures that consumers across Canada receive fresh produce safely and efficiently.

The fresh fruit and vegetable industry is a critical driver of economic activity, providing thousands of jobs and supporting local businesses across Canada. From rural farming communities to urban retailers, the economic impact of the industry touches nearly every region of the country. CPMA works to highlight the importance of this sector and advocates for policies that support its continued growth and success.

Canada is one of the largest importers of U.S. agricultural products, including fresh fruits and vegetables. This robust trade partnership ensures that U.S. growers have access to a reliable, near-market destination for their produce. This is especially critical for perishable crops, where timely distribution is key to maintaining quality and minimizing waste. In this sense, Canada’s role as a trading partner supports U.S. growers’ economic stability, providing a stable and accessible market just across the border.

In addition to its economic benefits, the produce sector also plays a crucial role in improving the health and productivity of Canadians. CPMA is committed to promoting the benefits of healthy eating through educational initiatives, partnerships, and campaigns that encourage Canadians to eat more fresh produce. By improving public awareness and access to nutritious food, the association contributes to a healthier, more productive population, further strengthening the nation’s overall well-being.

Through its advocacy, collaboration, and education efforts, CPMA is helping shape a healthier, more prosperous future for both the produce industry and Canadians as a whole. Learn more at https://cpma.ca/

Food Safety Strategy, LLC was founded by Dr. Jennifer McEntire in May of 2023 to support the breadth of the food industry and has grown our network of collaborators to build capacity with world-class expertise. 

The world of food safety is changing: better diagnostics and tools enable earlier identification of outbreaks, and potential links to food facilities, growing areas, and environmental reservoirs. Consumer knowledge and expectations continue to change. At the same time, supply chain challenges seem never ending, whether due to extreme weather events, political strife, or economic stressors. 

​

We gut-check your food safety thinking, to validate, or challenge it, by

1. Holistically reviewing your food safety program, and the rationale behind it
2. Bringing expertise and experience to move difficult conversations forward - whether within the organization, with regulators, or with other stakeholders. 
3. Analyzing, interpreting and applying relevant scientific research to your situation in light of practical considerations
4. Arming you with the knowledge and skills to continue to adapt to the changing food safety landscape

We provide strategic food safety consulting. Our goal is to teach you how to assess and manage food safety risks, locate and interpret the resources to support your approach to food safety, and build the capacity and confidence within your team to address and prevent food safety issues. And if things go wrong, we are here to provide food safety crisis support.

​

The result?

✅ Be able to defend your approach to food safety, whether to customers, regulators, auditors, or others.

✅ Have a network to lean on when you face new food safety challenges

✅ Stay updated on food safety happenings without having to attend every meeting or read every article

✅ Know that food safety policy and systems are risk-based and developed fairly

✅ Sleep soundly knowing you’re doing all you can to protect consumers

Today, regulatory compliance and passing audits are seldom enough. Keeping up with the challenges of today-- and tomorrow- requires expert understanding of food safety hazards, their risks, and effective ways of managing them. At Food Safety Strategy, LLC, we're not about short term fixes. We aim to grow your food safety critical thinking skills so you can build your food safety system for the future. We can help you get strategic about food safety.

Church Brothers Farms is a vertically integrated, family-owned and operated company that produces a full line of fresh vegetables year-round. Church Brothers has an in-house farming/harvest program and state-of-the-art processing plants in the U.S. and Mexico. The Church family has a legacy of service and innovation in the Salinas Valley that spans multiple generations.

https://www.churchbrothers.com

CCOF, California Certified Organic Farmers,  is a nonprofit organization that advances organic agriculture for a healthy world through organic certification, education, advocacy, and promotion. We envision a world where organic is the norm. 

Founded in California over 50 years ago, today CCOF's roots span the breadth of North America and our presence is internationally recognized. At CCOF, we provide certification services that are personal and accessible. We work closely with you through each stage of the certification process, from putting together your first Organic System Plan to staying compliant and adding products or acreage later. Every client has a dedicated service specialist and we answer the phone.

Silo is building the modern operating system for the specialty crops industry—bringing together ERP, payments, labor, and traceability into a unified platform designed for the people who grow, pack, and move the world’s most essential food.

At our core, we believe technology should meet operators where they are. That’s why Silo is purpose-built for fresh produce and agriculture, combining deep industry expertise with modern, cloud-based infrastructure. Through our integration with Pet Tiger, we extend that visibility all the way to the field—capturing real-time labor, harvest, and production data at the source. This creates a continuous thread of information from field to finance, unlocking a level of operational insight the industry has never had before.

Artificial Intelligence is the next evolution of that vision—but not as a replacement for people. At Silo, AI is designed to empower users. We are embedding AI directly into workflows to reduce manual processes, surface actionable insights, and help teams make faster, more informed decisions. From predicting labor needs and optimizing harvest schedules, to identifying cost drivers and automating back-office functions, our approach ensures that AI enhances the expertise of operators rather than replacing it.

Traceability is a critical pillar of this transformation. As regulatory requirements like FSMA 204 continue to evolve, Silo is enabling end-to-end traceability by connecting field-level data from Pet Tiger with transactional and inventory data inside Silo. This creates a transparent, auditable system that not only supports compliance, but also builds trust across the supply chain—from growers to retailers to consumers.

By unifying data, simplifying operations, and embedding intelligence into every layer of the platform, Silo is redefining what’s possible in agtech—delivering agility, affordability, and accessibility to an industry that feeds the world.

AEMTEK: Your Data & Research Partner in the Salinas Valley

In an era of predictive modeling and tech-enabled traceability, AEMTEK is more than just an ISO 17025-accredited laboratory. We are a scientific extension of your team, providing the data required to turn Produce Safety insights into action. From our Salinas, CA facility, we deliver accurate, fast, and reliable analytical results so you can focus on what matters most: getting safe, quality produce to market with maximized shelf life and retailer confidence.

THE AEMTEK ADVANTAGE

• Ph.D.-Led Scientific Team: Deep technical expertise available for every project.
• Fast, Reliable Turnaround: Data that keeps pace with your harvest schedule.
• Unmatched Customer Service: Personalized, responsive support at every stage.
• Excellence in Data Quality: Accuracy that ensures total confidence in your results.
• Cutting-Edge Methods & Technology: Staying ahead with the latest advancements, including WGS-based investigations and advanced analytical approaches.

OUR SPECIALIZED SERVICES

• Agricultural Water Risk Assessments
• FSMA PSR & Rule 204 Consulting
• Pathogen Fitness & Survival Studies
• Environmental Monitoring (EMP) Design
• Predictive Risk Modeling Support
• Genomics & Advanced Pathogen Characterization
• Sampling Plan & Method Development
• Microbial Challenge Studies
• Wash & Blanch Process Validations
• Spoilage Investigations
• Custom Research Solutions

Partner with AEMTEK to advance a culture of food safety excellence and transform your data into a competitive advantage. Visit us at www.aemtek.com or contact our Salinas team at lab@aemtek.com.

Blue Tech Water is a dynamic water treatment and process improvement company based in San Francisco, CA. BTW delivers significant environmental and economic performance benefits to a variety of industrial and institutional customers. Our programs and services are used in water treatment applications to prevent damage due to corrosion, scale deposition, and microbial growth. BTW focuses on production processes to enhance process efficiency, extend equipment life, improve our customers' end products, and enhance air quality. We help our customers reduce energy, water, and resource consumption while boosting their bottom line. 

Headquartered in Castroville, California, Ocean Mist Farms is the largest grower of fresh artichokes in the United States.  Farming artichokes year-round in three ideal California growing regions: Castroville, Oxnard and Coachella – plus Baja, California - each area is known for fertile ground and productive microclimates. Castroville is, in fact, known as "The Artichoke Capital of the World" and Artichokes were named the official state vegetable of California in 2013!

In addition to artichokes, Ocean Mist Farms grows a full line of premium, fresh vegetables year-round in multiple growing regions throughout California (Castroville, Huron, Oxnard, Coachella and Imperial Valley), Arizona (Yuma) and Mexico.

Our fresh produce is grown using both organic and conventional methods and can be found in fine grocery stores across North America.

Food safety continues to be the highest priority for Ocean Mist Farms. The health and safety of our customers always comes first. Our approach to food safety is holistic, taking full advantage of the vertical integration within our company to implement best practices at every stage of the production cycle, from planting all the way through harvesting, processing, cooling and distribution.

Through our rigorous food-safety principles and procedures, Ocean Mist Farms is able to provide our customers and consumers with not only the best quality products, but also products that are wholesome, nutritious, and safe.

We are committed to continuous improvement and will maintain our leadership role in research toward advancement in food safety and quality.