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Dr. Shetty Seetharama Thombathu is a PrimusLabs.com microbiologist
and Tina Price performs audits for the company.
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Because food safety has never been more important, fruit and
vegetable producers depend on the services of PrimusLabs.com.
Based in Santa Maria, Cal., PrimusLabs.com offers a multitude of
food safety services to help producers ensure they are doing all they
can to offer fresh, wholesome products to consumers.
PrimusLabs.com is the company’s name as well as its website
address. Incorporated in 1988, the company originally offered its
customers testing to determine pesticide residue compliance. Today, it
inspects, analyzes, certifies, audits, verifies and provides data
management for customers throughout the supply chain.
In Florida, growers, packers and
shippers look to the company’s Lakeland laboratory for testing of
irrigation water, products and environmental samples, and for
third-party audits to determine compliance with Good Agricultural
Practices, Good Manufacturing Practices and Hazard Analysis Critical
Control Point programs.
Dr. Shetty Seetharama Thombathu performs microbiological testing at
the Lakeland lab. “We provide wide range of testing services in
addition to providing technical information and guidelines on
interpretation of test results to our customers,” he said, adding
that the company also offers testing on samples of the product itself.
“It’s a verification tool to confirm to buyers that the
producers are following proper food-handling protocols,” he
said.
The Lakeland location offers third-party audits throughout the
Southeastern United States on farms, harvesting crews, packinghouses,
processing facilities, cooling operations, greenhouse operations and
more.
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Dr. Shetty Seetharama Thombathu tests a water sample for
pathogens.
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“These food-safety audits cover all of the farming practices
including ground history, adjacent land use, fertilizer use, irrigation,
crop protection applications and employee hygiene,” said Tina
Price, a Lakeland-based auditor. “We’re looking at the
various food safety risks that may be present in each operation. Using
a checklist-type of audit template, the customer will
receive a detailed electronic report and score of their
performance. The electronic audit information can be transferred
to the auditee's customer base, which is an excellent tool
in facilitating their data management needs. Audits are
always being improved and developed to meet the demands of the
produce industry,” Price said.
The company performs other types of audits as well and offers a
web-based self-audit at no charge that includes all necessary auditing
checklists, guidelines and tools.
PrimusLabs.com also uses the Internet to manage customers’
data. Its data management services allow information to be sorted,
grouped and displayed in a way to show trends for analysis. It also
allows its customers’ customers to view details of testing and
audits both on paper and online. The combination provides buyers with a
low-cost way to view a company’s compliance with food safety
protocols.
To remain an accredited and respected microbiological laboratory and
auditing firm, numerous buyers -- including Publix, Costco and SYSCO --
have evaluated PrimusLabs.com. It also satisfies international standards
such as ISO 65 accreditation for auditing under the GlobalGaP standard,
ISO 17025 laboratory accreditation for its lab in Mexico, and
registration by the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare.
To learn more about the work PrimusLabs.com does for the fresh
produce industry, visit its website. Florida operations interested in scheduling an
audit or testing samples also may call the Lakeland office at (863)
701-9727 or California office at (805) 922-0055.