The New Limeco Story: How One Produce Company Used Third-Party Food Safety Audit Scores to Improve Its Operation

Food safety is a major concern of many food operations. Over the past 30 years especially, companies both large and small have focused on ensuring that the food they produce is safe as well as wholesome. Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) programs are designed to prevent food contaminations through chemical, biological, or physical elements and are unique in that they were designed to prevent contamination during production rather than as a system for inspecting finished products. This chapter presents New Limeco's journey to safety. New Limeco is a medium-sized firm located in Homestead, Florida, and an example of one company that has experienced great success with food safety management. While some food firms might view third-party audits as an intrusion, firms with a strong food safety culture, such as New Limeco, benefit greatly from the process of external evaluation and scoring.