Safe Food Practices

While companies talk about their commitment to product quality, the Graeter family is obsessive about it. While our facility, like all similar food production facilities, is monitored by the FDA and the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) to ensure regulatory compliance, it is not enough to simply rely on government inspections to ensure food safety. Most people already know about the unique French Pot Process we use to handcraft our ice cream. What you may not know is how we apply that same passion and intricate attention to detail to ensure that we produce a safe product. Here are some examples: Graeter's has a special Food Safety Team whose sole purpose is dedicated to create the safest possible environment to make ice cream.

  • Every manufacturing employee goes through an intense training program (with an annual refresher course) that covers everything from proper hand washing techniques to hazardous analysis and critical control points (HACCP) training.
  • A sanitation team rigorously breaks down equipment daily to thoroughly clean and sanitize all surface areas that may come in contact with product.
  • Extra precautions are taken with allergens (peanut, tree nut, gluten, etc.) to avoid cross contact including thorough, allergen-specific washouts, dedicated ingredient storage and labeling, and regular swabbing of product surfaces for allergenic proteins.
  • All pints have a tamper proof band and get scanned for foreign materials while the facility itself has security protocols to prevent potential sabotage.
  • Internal audits, environmental monitoring, testing of finished and in-process products, testing of raw ingredients, and bacterial monitoring of air and water are conducted.
  • A thorough test and hold procedure is in place, which requires finished product pathogen analysis.
  • And most importantly of all, we voluntarily submit to independent third-party audits to assure our adherence to the Safe Quality Food Program.

Nothing is more important to our family than the families we serve. And the safety of your family is in the forefront of every decision we make. For any questions, please Contact Us.