Clean:

 

Our size is no excuse for messy food practices!  At Polar Greens we value the safety of your food above all else, our system of rotational sterilization, sanitation, and isolation ensures that we provide the healthiest food possible to our customer. We rotate natural cleaners between vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, and isopropyl alcohol, to ensure effectiveness against a full spectrum of potential pathogens.  Microgreens from Polar Greens are only ever touched by one person using full personal protection and regular glove changes.  Limiting the number of people who handle food greatly minimizes the risk of food pathogens!

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Safe:

​In the horticulture industry it is common for growers to use HID and fluorescent lighting, unfortunately when these lights are broken or comprimised they release mercury vapour into the grow space and in turn expose the crop.  We use only LED lights that will never break, never leak, and never contaminate our microgreens with chemicals or broken glass.

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We also use an in house prepared, natural, and soilless medium that fights the growth or spread of pathogens.  Unlike many soil and soilless mixes, our medium is never exposed to pathogens that may come from manure, or improperly prepared compost.  As an added bonus it is very high in lignins, one of the most slowly decomposed polymers in nature.  Because lignin resists degradation, our medium is not a happy home for pathogens and they will not thrive or survive.  Combined with rapid turnover of our crops and sterilization of trays and surfaces between grows, fungi, bacteria, or mold are deprived of the conditions to establish a population.  Our soilless products always make a welcome addition to a compost pile or vermicompost bin and will break down quickly in the right conditions.

 

Fresh:

 

We don't wash your greens, you're welcome!  This is for good reason, as most contamination of food occurs after it is harvested and during processing.  Once a plant is harvested the decomposition process begins immediately, this not only affects freshness and appearance but also the bacterial load.  Most recent research into contamination in grocery store produce has pointed towards handling and damage to the leaves and stems as a major source of bacterial growth.  One of these many recent studies highlighted the dangers of handling produce:

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• Juices from damaged leaves in bagged salad increase Salmonella pathogen growth 2400-fold over a control group

• Leached juices also increased the pathogen’s capacity to form a strong and wash-resistant attachment to salad leaves

• Juices released from damaged leaves also had the effect of enhancing the virulence of the pathogen, potentially increasing its ability to cause infection in the consumer.

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Washing delicate microgreens before packaging is very hard on them, leaving breaks and cuts that allow for innoculation and growth of food pathogens.  At Polar Greens we believe that you should wash your all your produce before consumption as a best practice, whether or not it was washed before packaging.  So please wash your greens prior to eating.

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Chemical Free:

 

At Polar Greens we can control all aspects of our facility, providing ideal conditions to our crops!  Our crops are pest and weed free, do not require chemical fertilizers, and our soilless mix inhibits mould or fungi, so we do not use pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or chemical fertilizers at any time in our process.  If at some point we were to experience unwanted guests in our facility, our biological control plan is simple; isolate and remove the substandard product, sterilize, and start over.