SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM SUMMARY

Providing quality products, stewarding resources for the future, and protecting the health of our customers, suppliers, and employees.

• Protect ecologically sensitive areas, i.e., highly erodible land, aquifers, and rivers.
• Since 1977, our process rinse water is recycled during our process and then applied to land to irrigate crops and help to recharge the aquifer.
• Our plant is committed to the concept of reduction, reuse, recycling of water, corrugated cardboard, oil products, and other processing materials to the fullest extent possible.
• Water, electrical, and natural gas usage are tracked and resource conservation goals are set annually.
• Our food by-products are collected and dispensed as feed for local cattle, hogs, and other farm animals.
• Energy is conserved by the use of a state of the art computer controlled demand management system aided by the installation of high efficiency equipment and motors throughout our facility.
• Our conventional growers rely on the latest techniques in Integrated Pest Management.
• Patterson Vegetable Company, L.L.C. is certified by Quality Assurance International (QAI) as a certified organic processor with a history of development of organic products, from a select group of local organic growers.
• We maintain an active HACCP program to assist both our Operations Staff and Quality Assurance personnel to monitor our process with quality as our guide.
• We have a collective bargaining agreement covering our plant staff, and actively participate in various health, pension, and training programs to benefit our loyal employees.
• Processed product is tracked from the farmer’s field through our process to the distribution channel and then to our customers.
• We are committed to continuous improvement in all areas of our process.
• Our Sustainability Program is audited annually by a third party auditor, “Primus Labs”.