Those of us in the wholesale herb industry are used to following strict safety guidelines from farm to table, so in many aspects not much has changed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we are taking extra precautions to safeguard our employees and our growers as we pick, process, and deliver our products to sauce manufacturers and other grocery suppliers.

Safety Precautions for Handlers of Wholesale Herbs

At Greenworld, we follow CDC guidelines to help keep our employees safe from COVID-19. In addition to monitoring themselves daily for symptoms and staying home if they feel unwell, our employees wear proper protective face masks and gloves when working in close quarters to process and ship our farm-fresh products.

Masks must be worn properly in our facilities and whenever workers are outdoors but in close proximity to one another. Masks must fully cover the mouth and nose and must be disposed of or washed frequently to prevent the spread of infection. Similarly, gloves are required to handle our products and must be changed often for cleanliness.

Because agricultural workers are at high risk of catching and spreading COVID-19, we also urge our growers to take extra precautions during this time. In addition, we are not allowing anyone from outside the company to be present on our docks or in other workspaces.

Safety Precautions for Handling Wholesale Herbs

Though surface contamination is not known to be a significant cause of concern for spreading the virus, we encourage our customers and theirs to continue following guidelines for the safe handling of fresh herbs. We recommend following these procedures:

• Clean your workspace before starting to work with food
• Wash your hands with warm, soapy water or wear clean gloves during preparation
• Gently wash herbs with cold running water and dry them with clean paper towels
• Only work on cutting boards that are designated for produce to avoid cross-contamination
• When using wholesale herbs to make sauce, follow appropriate guidelines for safe cooking and canning.

Again, these safety procedures are standard in the food industry. However, they can also help alleviate some concerns about COVID-19.   

We are proud to supply the country with fresh herbs while still keeping our growers and facilities safe during the current pandemic. If you have any questions about our procedures or about purchasing from us, send us a note.