How The FruitGuys Practices Food Safety (and You Can, Too)

The FruitGuys has delivered fresh, safe produce to offices, schools, and beyond since 1998. We have a comprehensive food safety system in place at all of our facilities around the country, and we hold our farm and snack partners to high standards, too.

Here’s a quick look at how we keep your fresh produce safe from the farm to your office, plus a few helpful produce-handling tips from our food safety consultant, Meta Dunn.* Use these tips yourself and share them with your team to keep everyone healthy and happy at work.

How The FruitGuys Puts Food Safety Into Action

These are just a few of the most important food safety practices we follow when ordering, packing, and delivering your produce and snacks.

• Third-Party Audits: All of The FruitGuys’ facilities are third-party audited for food safety, which means independent auditors visit us regularly to make sure we’re following the food safety rules.
• Supplier Verification: We make sure all of our farm and snack partners are also implementing food safety programs on their farms and in their facilities.
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Our team dresses for food safety success with PPE like gloves, hairnets, and smocks.
• Temperature Control: We keep all of our cut and whole produce at appropriate temperatures.
• Sanitation: We keep our facilities clean, and when trucks arrive to transport produce, we check that they’re clean and sanitary.
• Monthly Food Safety Trainings: The FruitGuys team meets monthly for fresh training on food safety practices.
• Food Safety Concern Monitoring: Our team pays close attention to all U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and health department updates.
• Recall Action: If a recall is issued for any food item we’ve delivered to you, we’ll always let you know right away.

Food safety might not be the most exciting topic in the world, but it’s critical to keeping your team healthy—which is what we all want to see!

“When we put into practice measures to keep our food system safe and keep every person we’re serving safe, then we can promote as much health and well-being as possible,” Meta said.

Tips for Keeping Your Fresh Produce Safe After Delivery

Once The FruitGuys delivers to your office, it’s up to you to keep your fresh produce contamination-free and good to eat. Here are a few food safety tips to keep in mind.

• Skip the Floor: Avoid storing boxes of produce or loose produce directly on the ground; set them on pallets, shelves, or another elevated surface.
• Avoid Extremes: Keep boxes of produce away from sources of extreme heat, extreme cold, or potential sources of contamination (ovens, trash cans, etc.).
• Wash Your Hands: Always wash your hands before handling produce, whether you’re getting ready to snack or simply moving it from the box to the fruit bowl.
• Rinse Before You Snack: Rinse fresh, whole fruits and vegetables in cool running water before you eat them. You don’t need to use soap or produce wash! Our guide to washing fresh produce digs into the details.
• Keep It Cool: Refrigerate produce right away after you cut it, and keep it in the fridge for as long as possible before serving.
• Level Up Your Setup: You can serve whole produce like apples at room temperature, but always serve cut produce chilled when you can, e.g., by placing an ice bath (a tray filled with ice) underneath the serving tray.

By following these simple food safety guidelines, you’ll reduce your team’s risk of illness and keep your healthy snacks living up to their name.

What to Do If Someone Gets Sick

If someone in your office gets sick and you believe it’s connected to a delivery from The FruitGuys, please let us know right away! You can contact customer service by calling or emailing, and they’ll start an investigation into the issue on our end.

Food Safety Questions? We’re Here to Help

If you have a food safety question or want resources for your break room, we’re happy to help! Just reach out to customer service with your request. They’re standing by to help keep you and the people you care about healthy, happy, and safe.

*Meta is a certified Preventive Controls Qualified Individual under the Food Safety Modernization Act and has also completed the Produce Safety Alliance training on regulatory requirements for growing fresh produce.