The sprout industry has been strictly regulated for the safety of consumers since the 90’s due to poor understanding, and subsequent outbreaks, of the potential exposure to dangerous bacteria like Salmonella, E. coli, and other food-borne contaminants. These regulations have required modern commercial sprout farms like Sunny Creek Farm to develop an efficient and effective growing, testing, and packaging protocols that are highly controlled at every level.

Lee Ewing, President of Sunny Creek Farm, has a background in food safety that goes back over 34 years. In that time, he’s worked at every level of food production alongside other professionals to develop a safety process that has been a benefit to Sunny Creek Farm for twenty-two years.

“Proper food product safety for us has four major categories,” explains Lee. “First is regular laboratory testing of the food itself before packaging. Second is regular laboratory testing of the facilities. The third is partnering with a trusted seed source that adheres to our brand safety standards in their own production. They test seeds for pathogens and sanitize them using heat, and then we sanitize and test all seeds in-house as well. Then fourth is good working relationships with the regulatory authorities for testing and certification.”

The certifications that Sunny Creek Farm has earned for its products are among some of the most stringent within the food manufacturing industry. Below is a list of the current certifications that Sunny Creek Farm holds for their products.

• Food Safety Modernization Act
• Good Manufacturing Practice
• FDA Produce Safety Compliance
• USDA Organic
• Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)
• Sprout Safety Alliance

The many certifications that Sunny Creek Farm has earned have acted as a starting point for a sprout production process that in many cases far surpassed the requirements. In fact, on multiple occasions, Sunny Creek Farm has hosted new regulatory inspectors for training on best practices for sprout product processes. The laboratory testing that the Sunny Creek Farms team does, in partnership with the Clean Water Lab, goes well beyond the regulatory requirements—they do twice as many environmental Listeria swabs and four times more E. coli 0157(H7) and Salmonella swabs as required by the FDA. Every batch of sprouts produced is held and tested by the lab for Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli 0157 (H7) using the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) testing process developed by 3M. This test has been proven to give extremely accurate testing results with a minimal false-negative rate to ensure excellent data results.

Ed Mills, CEO of Sunny Creek Farm, explains that every batch of sprouts that the company produces undergoes a detailed series of checks throughout the growing process. “From the moment the seeds enter our facility there is are a set of documentation procedures that we follow to track and assure that our food safety standards are followed,” said Mr. Mills. “We carefully and precisely weigh every batch of seeds and document them before going through our own sanitation process before they are put in our growing equipment. Then each new batch of sprouts is grown under our watchful care, packaged, and then held in storage while our laboratory tests them. If any test is failed, then the entire batch is disposed of and all equipment is thoroughly sanitized before we start the process over again. Even after they have been tested and passed, we document the storage and shipping dates, temperatures, and details for every batch. It’s our uncompromising safety process that has led us to have a perfect track record for the past 22 years. It’s a big investment in time, labor, and resources to take on as a company, but for us, there is no better way to ensure that our customers are getting the very best healthy foods safely and efficiently.”

If sprout enthusiasts are considering growing their own sprouts at home, we recommend doing your homework to ensure you find a seed source that has excellent food safety processes and history. Most of the contamination for sprout seeds happens at the seed source from wildlife exposure and cross-contamination. The best seed suppliers can provide proof of certification and summaries of their own food safety procedures for customers. It’s much safer to depend on companies with a highly proven process of food safety and regulation, like Sunny Creek Farm, to provide healthy nutritional sprouts for peace of mind.

Sprouts are an incredibly beneficial fresh food option a person can add to their regular diet. They offer a host of nutritional benefits to improve everything from diabetes, eye health, cancer prevention, anti-aging, and much more. So, we encourage everyone to consider their inclusion in a well-balanced nutritional plan. Sunny Creek Farm will continue to produce them at the highest level of quality and safety, and our customer's health will continue to be our highest priority.

For more information about Sunny Creek Farm and its products, visit www.sunnycreekfarm.com or follow them on Facebook and Instagram.