<p style="text-indent:0px; line-height:12px;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Olympia, WA -</span><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">By Jordan Okumura<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">01.21.13</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Greener Fields Together, Pro*Act's groundbreaking, industry-wide sustainability and local produce initiative, is partnering with NSF International to provide food safety and good agricultural practices education and verification for local farms, according to a press release.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/greenerfieldstogether012113body.jpg" alt="images012113" /><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">With NSF now on board the Greener Fields Together team, the initiative is one step closer toward achieving one of the initiative’s primary goals: to ensure an abundant supply of safe, locally grown produce for customers nationwide. NSF is a leading independent, not-for-profit global food safety leader,<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Local farms must agree to annual food-safety audits by NSF (or, in some cases, to audits by another approved third-party certifier they may already be using) and complete an educational program designed to enhance the safety of their products in order to participate as Greener Fields Together partners. PRO*ACT’s national network of distributors are providing financial support to help local farmers in their markets meet the requirements.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">“Demand for local produce continues to grow, as does demand for more scientific, verifiable food-safety practices – including at the local farm level. Greener Fields Together is designed to deliver both supply and safety with confidence,” says Michael Jantschke, Director of Food Safety for PRO*ACT. “Having independent NSF training and verification is a significant benefit both to the local farmers and to those who ultimately purchase and consume their products through the Greener Fields Together supply chain.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Greta Houlahan, Communications Director for NSF International, comments, “Combining NSF’s food safety and certification expertise with PRO*ACT’s expertise in produce will result in enhanced sustainability initiatives and safer produce, whether it’s grown by a national producer or by a regional or small local farmer.”</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://www.greenerfieldstogether.org" target="_new"> PRO*ACT</a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
