Posted: September 7th, 2011 - 9:58am
Source: The Packer

Brassica Protection Products LLC is promising to increase the safety of sprouts through a partnership with a manufacturer with a new type of container.
The Baltimore-based sprout marketer is switching to what it calls the industry’s first tamper-evident and tamper-resistant vented clamshell.
Brassica officials say it has added another food safety measure, Inline Plastics Corp.’s Safe-T-Fresh package, Food and Drug Administration seed sanitation guidances that require 2% calcium hypochlorite and hold-and-release testing of 100% of production, according to a news release.
The container’s tighter seal and the vents allow proper sprout respiration, which boosts shelf life, according to the company. Side vents also help prevent moisture misting or leaking into the container, Brassica officials said in the release.
In the release, Paul Battaglia, Brassica’s vice president of business development, said Brassica is the only sprout company that mandates its growers to be Global Food Safety Initiative certified and use the new tamper-evident container.
“GFSI made us examine every detail of our food safety protocols,” Battaglia said in the release. “That focused our attention on the container in which our sprouts are sold. Eliminating the chance of the package opening and causing cross-contamination is a high food safety priority.”