California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement Hires New Compliance Officer

The California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA) has named Alyssa Licata its new compliance officer. Licata was hired to replace Jonathan Field, who is retiring this month after holding the role since the LGMA was established in 2007. Licata is working out of the LGMA’s new Salinas, Calif., office.

“We are very pleased to welcome Alyssa to the LGMA as our new compliance officer,” noted Tim York, CEO of the LGMA. “We anticipate her skill set as a microbiologist will provide the LGMA with a unique skill set, new eyes and a fresh perspective. We are very much looking forward to having her on the LGMA team.” 

In her new role, Licata will review all government audit reports of member farms, and will work to ensure that any infractions cited during the mandatory audits have been corrected. If the correction can’t be made immediately on site during the audit, she will make sure that members submit a Corrective Action Plan and that the infraction is corrected in a timely manner. Additionally, she will make sure that corrections have been verified in a follow-up audit.

“The job of the compliance officer is extremely important,” added York. “When customers purchase leafy greens from our members, it’s with the expectation that all of the LGMA’s required food safety practices are being followed and verified by government audits. The compliance officer’s role is to double-check to make sure this is happening.”

Most recently, Licata was lab manager for Salinas-based Seed Dynamics Inc. Before that, she worked as a food safety specialist for Markon Cooperative, also in Salinas, where she brought a scientific approach to understanding why food safety and environmental safety were important for Markon’s 250 produce suppliers. She has a bachelor of science degree in cell and molecular biology from California State University, Monterey.

LGMA members produce more than 70% of the nation’s lettuce and leafy greens, adding up to 30 billion-plus servings a year. To provide consumers with safe leafy greens, the LGMA verifies food safety practices, enforces through government audits and requires a commitment to continuous improvement.