Berry company Hortifrut México expects to receive a significant award of excellence early next year after Primus Auditing Ops found it had the "best average" for quality and safety audits of fields and growers in Mexico during the 2016 season.

The award is due to be presented on Jan. 24, 2017, at the Hotel Westin in Guadalajara, Mexico.

"This is the first time that Primus Auditing Ops has given this recognition and, of course, we are proud to inaugurate this award-winning path to excellence," Hortifrut México quality and food safety manager Carlos Castillo said in a release.

"This award confirms the seriousness and responsibility that they have seen in Hortifrut Mexico when it comes to fulfill the quality and safety standards.

"Undoubtedly, it is recognition to the trajectory of Hortifrut, an outstanding teamwork of the different areas that make up this Company that already has almost 15 years of history in Mexico."

The executive added a distinction like this represented a commitment to continue exporting with the highest possible quality, reaffirming Hortifrut's position as berry sector leaders in the country.

"Thanks to the joint work of each one of the links of our Company, I can assure that this will not end here," Castillo said.

"We recently received the Jalisco Award for Exportation in the Agricultural Mention and now this comes. We feel more motivated than ever to continue responding better to the different challenges that we face.

"And now we are going for the certification of our organic fields, which means another great responsibility with our customers."

Hortifrut México agricultural manager Iván Williams said the audit result was a recognition of the "greatest relevance" considering the group obtained the best results among all companies in the business in the country including the likes of Dole, Sun Belle, Expo Berries and My land, among others.

"We take it as a reward for the effort of several years in which we have placed special emphasis on quality and safety. Honestly, if a producer is not certified with the Global Food Safety Initiative, GFSI, we do not allow them to be in the market as our product," Williams said. 

Photo: www.shutterstock.com

www.freshfruitportal.com