Chipotle Serves Up Food Safety Grants To Five Florida Farms

By Growing Produce Staff|April 8, 2015

Five Florida farming operations have each won $1,000 from Chipotle Mexican Grill to use toward the reimbursement of a third-party food safety audit.

Chipotle, in partnership with South Florida-based Localecopia Inc., a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote and support local, sustainable businesses, announced the winners during Localecopia’s Spring Meet & Greet at the Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach.

The partnership between Localecopia and Chipotle enables the two entities to recognize and reward producers that match the philosophies of each.

The following operations are the recipients of Chipotle’s Seed Money: Third-Party Food Safety Audit Grant:

Abundant Harvests (Glen Saint Mary): Features organic produce and herbs including collard greens, mustard greens, kale, red leaf lettuce, cabbage and broccoli.
Got Sprouts? (Riviera Beach): Purveyors of certified organic wheatgrass and sprouts, seeds, juicers and growing supplies.
Kai-Kai Farm (Indiantown): Produces a variety of organic vegetables including broccoli, eggplant, cabbage, and okra.
Painted Quarter Farm (Indiantown): The 20-acre farm grows tomato, zucchini, squash, basil, eggplant, peppers, and lettuce crops.
Verde Community Farm & Market (Homestead): The 22-acre farm and market sells a variety of vegetables including tomatoes, broccoli, kale, peppers, squash, and eggplant.

The participants each had to submit a copy of their on-farm food safety plan and a letter explaining why they should be chosen. All submissions were reviewed by Localecopia and a Chipotle Produce Food Safety analyst.
According to the contest rules, the third-party audit certification must come from an approved third-party auditing firm.