Phoenix Food Safety Consultant
Produce Safety Rule and LGMA readiness, HACCP, and SQF programs for Arizona's growers, coolers, packers, and plants.
Arizona feeds the country its winter salad, and it does so under some of the most scrutinized food safety programs in the produce world. From the Yuma leafy greens corridor to the coolers, salad plants, co-packers, and distributors that move product across Phoenix and the Southwest, buyers and inspectors expect airtight documentation and a cold chain that holds in desert heat. We do the hands-on work of building or upgrading your food safety plans, prerequisite programs, and traceability, then pressure-test them with a mock audit. We work shoulder to shoulder with your team rather than handing over a course and leaving.
Produce under the microscope
Leafy greens carry the strictest scrutiny in fresh produce, from the Produce Safety Rule to LGMA audits.
A cold chain fighting the heat
Summer temperatures well past 110 degrees put constant pressure on cooling, holding, and transport.
A seasonal, cross-border supply
Winter volume and imported product through the Yuma corridor make traceability and timing everything.
Two pressures define food safety in the Valley: produce risk and the heat
Most food safety programs in metro Phoenix and the wider desert live or die on two fronts that other regions rarely face together. Get these right and the rest of the program tends to follow.
FRESH PRODUCE AND LEAFY GREENS
The most audited crop in America
Arizona grows close to 90 percent of the winter leafy greens eaten in the US and Canada, and after the 2018 Yuma romaine outbreak, the bar rose sharply. The Arizona LGMA now enforces tighter water risk assessments, larger buffers from animal operations, stricter equipment sanitation, and stronger traceback, on top of the federal Produce Safety Rule. We help growers, harvesters, coolers, and packers meet all of it.
- Agricultural water assessment, testing, and treatment
- Preharvest and harvest risk and buffer controls
- Equipment cleaning, sanitation, and worker hygiene
- LGMA and Produce Safety Rule audit and inspection readiness
- Traceback and lot identification from field to pack
COLD CHAIN IN EXTREME HEAT
When it is 115 outside, the chain is the hazard
Desert heat turns temperature control from a formality into a critical, everyday risk. From field cooling within the first hour of harvest to loading docks, storage, and refrigerated transport, a single break can compromise a load. We design monitoring and controls that keep the cold chain provable, not just intended.
- Field and forced-air cooling verification
- Dock-to-truck loading and staging controls
- Cold storage mapping and temperature monitoring
- Refrigerated transport and receiving records
- Deviation response and corrective actions
Programs built for a supply that peaks when the rest of the country pauses
Arizona's produce calendar is unlike anywhere else, and your food safety program has to flex with it. We plan around the season so readiness peaks when your volume does.
Peak winter harvest
Yuma ships 1,500 to 2,000 refrigerated truckloads a day. LGMA and PSR scrutiny is at its highest.
Field to Phoenix
Crops harvested in the morning can reach Phoenix by afternoon, so cooling and records must keep pace.
Coolers and salad plants
Cooling facilities and salad plants run high-volume RTE lines that need environmental monitoring.
Imported produce
Product crossing through the Yuma corridor adds importer records and FSVP considerations.
Sort the jurisdiction first, then build one program to fit it
Arizona splits oversight across agriculture, health, and federal partners, and produce sits in its own lane. We confirm exactly who covers your operation before a single document is written.
Produce and leafy greens - AZDA, OFFICE OF PRODUCE SAFETY
The Arizona Department of Agriculture runs the FSMA Produce Safety Rule under a cooperative agreement with the FDA and administers the Arizona LGMA, which covers the large majority of the state's leafy greens.
Processing and imports - FDA
Packaged and processed foods fall under FDA Preventive Controls (21 CFR Part 117), and imported produce brings Foreign Supplier Verification obligations for the importer of record.
Meat and poultry - USDA FSIS
Facilities handling meat and poultry operate under USDA inspection, with sanitary dressing, SSOP, and validated HACCP expectations specific to protein.
Manufactured food and dairy - AZ DEPT OF HEALTH SERVICES
State food and dairy programs and licensing apply to many manufacturing operations, alongside the federal requirements that come with wholesale distribution.
Retail and food service - COUNTY ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
Maricopa and neighboring counties license retail and on-site food service. Operations that both wholesale and sell direct need to satisfy each track.
Traceability - FDA, FSMA 204
Leafy greens and other Food Traceability List items require lot-level records under the Traceability Rule. See our FSMA 204 support.
From a first PSR inspection to a full GFSI certificate
We prepare Arizona operations for the produce programs, certifications, and regulatory frameworks that buyers and inspectors require, then keep the program running between audits.
HACCP
PRODUCE SAFETY RULE
FSMA Preventive Controls
SQF
BRCGS
FSSC 22000
GMP and cGMP
GFSI-aligned
USDA
Keep the evidence organized from the field to the loading dock
Consulting gets you certified. The platform keeps you ready. Built with expert food safety guidance and tailored to different industries, it captures the records that produce auditors and inspectors expect to see.
AI HACCP Builder
Pre-built templates cut HACCP and food safety plan development from hours to minutes, with expert guidance built in.
AI SOPs and Checklists
Automatically generates SOPs and checklists, flags missed tasks, and keeps protocols on track.
Batch and Inventory
Real-time tracking of production, inventory, and cost, reducing errors that create compliance gaps.
Traceability and Recall
Links raw lots to finished product for fast mock recalls and clean, defensible traceback.
Supplier Compliance
Automates supplier document management and updates, cutting manual effort and adding transparency.
Live Monitoring and Alerts
Dashboards track temperatures and KPIs in real time and send instant alerts so you can act fast.
Four moves from first walkthrough to a program that passes
Assess and prioritize
We review your operation on-site or virtually, measure it against your target standard, LGMA, or PSR, and hand back a prioritized plan tied to your season or audit date.
Build the documentation
We create or refine your food safety and HACCP plans, prerequisite programs, water and sanitation controls, supplier approval, and traceback, with practical forms.
Verify sanitation and cold chain
We design environmental monitoring and temperature controls, from zone swabbing to cooling and transport records, so the program holds under real conditions.
Rehearse the audit
We run a mock audit or readiness review, coach your recordkeepers, and close remaining gaps with effective corrective actions before the real thing.
Co-Founder & Chief Food Safety Officer
Meet the Lead of Our Expert Phoenix Food Safety Consultant Team
Driven to ensure organizational requirements meet the challenges of technology integration with sound food safety and quality planning with focus on risk mitigation and prevention. Technical expertise in audit standards, lead instructor via accredited programs, and community leader to advance local / national food ecosystems.
What food and beverage teams say about working with us
"You cannot build a holistic food safety program without capturing every piece of data that’s important to every aspect of business, from accounting to logistics, to warehousing. What’s really cool is because of that FoodReady is becoming an even greater and more powerful tool as it adds on additional modules. If you buy into the Enterprise program from start to finish as we did, you can almost run your whole business through FoodReady with very minimal other input necessary,” Josh Svenhard, Owner of Eurobake."
"They know the industry, they're professional, responsive, and here to help manufacturers to the next step so if you need a HACCP plan, need to pass an audit or are just getting started they're very helpful!"
"FoodReady helps reduce time and complexity in filling out our programs and keeping track of filled-out forms and it has reduced staffing needs."
"FoodReady food safety software and SQF / GMP expert QA Manager Consultants helped us prepare for and develop the required haccp plans and SOPs and recall plan and checklists and batch monitoring for our future GMP certification audit which we passed. This has allowed us to expand our business relationship with a national grocery chain. We can’t thank FoodReady enough for the wonderful assistance they provided!"
Phoenix food safety consulting, answered
Do you help with the Produce Safety Rule and Arizona LGMA?
Yes. We prepare growers, harvesters, coolers, and packers for the FSMA Produce Safety Rule, which the Arizona Department of Agriculture enforces under a cooperative agreement with the FDA, and for Arizona LGMA audits. That includes agricultural water, preharvest and harvest controls, sanitation, worker hygiene, and traceback.
How do you handle cold chain in Arizona's extreme heat?
We treat temperature control as a critical, everyday risk. We design field and forced-air cooling verification, dock and storage controls, refrigerated transport records, and deviation response, so your cold chain is provable from harvest through delivery even in peak summer.
We import produce from Mexico. What applies to us?
Imported produce brings Foreign Supplier Verification obligations for the importer of record, plus traceability under FSMA 204 for covered commodities. We help you build supplier verification and lot records that satisfy both.
Who regulates food operations in Arizona?
It depends on what you make. Produce and leafy greens fall under the Arizona Department of Agriculture, manufactured food and dairy involve state health programs and the FDA, meat and poultry run under USDA, and retail sits with county environmental health. We confirm which apply to you first.
Can you prepare us for SQF, BRCGS, or other GFSI audits?
Yes. We prepare facilities for SQF, BRCGS, and FSSC 22000, plus HACCP, FSMA Preventive Controls, GMP and cGMP, and USDA documentation. We run gap assessments, build documentation, run mock audits, and coach staff. We do not provide certification training.
How fast can we be ready?
It depends on your current systems and whether you are targeting a PSR inspection, an LGMA audit, or a GFSI certificate. Some Arizona operations are ready within weeks of the assessment, others take months. We build the roadmap around your season and your date.
Put a food safety expert on your Arizona operation
Book a free consultation with our food safety and quality team, and get a clear path to your next produce inspection, LGMA audit, or GFSI certificate.