What is the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA)?
In response to the proliferation of GAPs supermetrics (required by buyers), and in an attempt to reach a single standard for buyer approval for fresh cut greens for fresh consumption, the Western Growers Association has developed the “LGMA” and promoted it in California and Arizona as an alternative to GAPs. It is a voluntary agreement, implemented by the California Department of Agriculture. There are concerns about the LGMA among many groups as well as by small and mid-size producers. Critics argue that in n the rush to address buyer concerns, and to develop a single solution acceptable to all buyers, this agreement was developed with little involvement of small and medium scale producers, or environmental or consumer groups. As a result, the current proposal has not identified common ground on requirements related to wildlife habitat management, and conflicts with federally mandated clean water and soil erosion practices. Further, there are no provisions to modify costs or requireme
