The company has hired Primuslabs.com, Santa Maria, Calif., as a third-party auditor, said Joe Caldwell, vice president of eastern operations for Monterey Mushrooms, which is based in Watsonville, Calif., and has a branch office in Loudon.

Good manufacturing practices and a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point program also are in place. Increased cooling capacity is part of the HACCP plan and part of a $2 million renovation project, said Mike Reed, Southeast regional sales manager.

"We can very confidently say we've got the most developed food safety program in the (mushroom) business," Caldwell said.

Reed added portabellas and sliced mushrooms continue to increase in sales for Monterey Mushrooms. The company also continues to work with several customers in category management. The Kroger Co., Cincinnati, and Wal-Mart Inc., Bentonville, Ark., are two of those customers, Caldwell said.