The Evolution of Food Safety in Indoor Ag

As indoor operations lead the future of agriculture, we uncover the leading techniques used in their compliance and certification. 

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Client Spotlight

Nature Fresh Farms

Headquartered in Leamington, Ontario, Nature Fresh Farms uses over 250 acres of greenhouse operations to produce tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, and strawberries under a variety of labels. Committed to sustainability and safety, Nature Fresh is certified USDA Organic and to PrimusGFS.

Sunterra Greenhouse

Based in Acme, Alberta, Sunterra Greenhouse operates on a smaller scale – approximately 20 acres of greenhouse space hosting strawberries and tomatoes. Despite its size, Sunterra has become well-established as a player in the produce market, and operates on a CanadaGAP program.

Local Bounti

Local Bounti might be a newer name in the CEA industry, but they’ve already made a splash. With locations in Montana, Georgia, and Washington, the recent opening of their Texas greenhouse adds another six acres to their impressive group of SQF-certified facilities growing leafy greens.

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Priorities for Food Safety

Indoor ag operations are scaling to uncover new efficiencies. What does it take to prepare food safety for continuous growth? 

Despite using new technology and techniques for growing produce, many indoor ag operations have previously managed their food safety documentation on paper. The food safety teams at Nature Fresh, Sunterra, and Local Bounti were striving to keep up as their operations expanded. Bogged down by paper, with teams spread across large facilities and multiple states, too much time was lost to chasing operators, verifying handwritten data, and wrangling binders. Audits, even when announced well in advance, cost more time to try and prepare.

These indoor ag operations were motivated to build more robust methods to protect their brands. Recognizing the need for digital documentation, they set key priorities to enter the era of smart food safety: 

  • icn-check-circle-green Accessible Data
    Paper records led to critical lags for food safety leaders, who need the ability to connect and collaborate on any device, any time, anywhere
  • icn-check-circle-green Support Services
    Continuous growth means constant change in food safety programs — necessitating flexible software that comes with full-time support for configuration
  • icn-check-circle-green Intuitive Design 
    Diverse crews of non-technical operators need to capture data as easily as texting, on software that does not require long and tedious training

Powerful Tools to Empower Progress

Indoor ag leaders are reclaiming lost time and reconnecting with their teams to build more dynamic food safety cultures. 

Nature Fresh, Sunterra, and Local Bounti started comparing food safety software with accessibility, support, and usability top-of-mind. After choosing Provision, the benefits arrived as quickly as the first week.

With smart tasks, alerts, reports, and a huge range of other utilities, it’s easier for operators to capture data and collaborate on digital documentation. This doesn’t just save time — it also limits surprises in audits. Food safety managers are able to shift from routine reminders to risk management, ensuring their companies keep pace with evolving requirements from certifications, regulators, and customers. 

  • icn-check-circle-green Faster Records & Fewer Mistakes
    In-app translation and built-in SOP guidance facilitates fast, accurate data entry from all operators, including non-technical and ESL individuals.
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“We now have a lot of transparency - we know exactly where the forms are, and our team is trained to access the information they need at any given time. It’s definitely provided peace of mind.”


Shelby Dwyer • Director of Business Development, Sunterra Greenhouse

  • icn-check-circle-green Real-Time Feedback
    Smart rules immediately detect and escalate deviations to trigger root cause analysis and CAPA workflows - while centralizing resolution documentation for quick reference.
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“Provision lets us see trends and non-conformances in real-time, giving us the opportunity to tackle things immediately and put preventive controls in place.”


Steven Farrar • Health & Safety Manager, Nature Fresh

  • icn-check-circle-green Audit Confidence
    Searchable records, automated version control, and customizable reports ensure audit readiness and simplified compliance.
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“With Provision, I’m certain I have everything I need on the table. I feel incredibly comfortable going into our next audit.”


Adam Sweetman • HSE & Compliance Manager, Sunterra Greenhouse

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Growing Both Crops and Confidence

Indoor ag operations are discovering new efficiencies on Provision, unlocking the time and budget for data-driven process control. 

Empowered by their shift from paper to Provision, Nature Fresh, Sunterra, and Local Bounti are ready for audits and expansion. They represent three of the many indoor ag operations embracing smart food safety. Across North America, digital documentation is enhancing operator guidance, deviation detection, and management reporting. The results speak for themselves. 

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“Provision lets us see trends and non-conformances in real-time, giving us the opportunity to tackle things immediately and put preventive controls in place.”


Steven Farrar • Health & Safety Manager, Nature Fresh

60%

Average time saved on data entry

60%

Average time saved on team management

60%

Average time saved on record review and verification

85%

Average time saved on audit preparation

Authors

Amy Wayne

Amy Wayne

Provision Analytics

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The process trending in Provision helps our producers learn from data to advance their control of safety, quality, and cost.

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