Today's consumer is very concerned about healthy foods to eat. Through modern technol- ogy, man has been able to produce and preserve abundant supplies of almost perfect quality of all kinds of foods. But such miracle victories over ancient pests of insects and weeds in crop pro- auction have given rise to suspicions about food safety.

Pesticides, insecticides, fungicides, growth stimulants and many other man-made chemicals are used to produce the desired results and larger yields. The food manufacturer and his consumer customer have no idea or assurance what has been applied to their foods' raw material. They can only hope that they are protected and what they eat is safe.

Montague Farms has become very concerned about the sensitivity of its customers to the use of agricultural chemicals. Also of even greater concern: What if a soybean grower used the wrong chemical or used an incorrect amount? One contaminated shipment would destroy the reputation that Montague Farms has spent years trying to build to be a reliable supplier of healthy and safe food crops.

Montague Farms decided that something must be done to protect our good reputation and our markets. We must fully protect our customers so they can buy with confidence from us. Whenever possible, we make use of sustainable agricultural practices such as biological controls, mulch and conservation tillage, and crop rotation. We set up a monitoring system to keep close control on production. Two managers of production spend full time on production control. They develop with researchers at Virginia Tech University a list of approved substances that are totally safe for human consumption. They then select only a few of the most safe. Only minimum rates are allowed using Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques. Each grower is visited by Montague Farms staff two times or more each growing season. Fields are inspected and grower surveyed by the Virginia Crop Improvement Association again to assure that no safety problems have developed. When harvested, every load is sampled so any possible future problems can be traced back to a particular grower in a particular lot. More important than controls, Montague Farms staff knows each grower personally and professionally.

Montague Farms has put much time and money in searching for other ways to protect our customers and their consumer customer. The latest fad is "organic" grown foods. The theory is that crops grown without anything manufactured by man is inherently safe. The food manufacturer must be very careful in choosing raw materials for his products.

• Supplies are very limited. Organic is very difficult to produce in quantity.
• Yields are extremely unpredictable and varying.
• Reliability is not an attribute of organic growing.
• Large, modern food manufacturing plants require stable and adequate supplies.
• Extra organic price premiums are hard to pass onto the consumer.
• Depending on characteristics of crop production process, organic isn't safer.
• Quality of organic is inconsistent.
• Eye appeal to consumer is poor.
• Weed seed stain, insect damage, and odor are common in organically grown crops.
• "Organic" does not insure against toxic materials naturally produced.

Because of limitations of organic production, Montague Farms has developed an alternative approach that can assure health and safety while still maintaining high levels of reliability and quality.

Montague Farms announces its HEALTHY LIVING consumer assurance program in order to provide for a growing consumer demand for safe and healthy foods. It will give the manufacturer of food products another and better option in the market place that can provide food crops just as safe as organic but at less cost.

First, only very small rates of special pest control substances are used in production. These all must have one special characteristic: They are not taken up by the plant and therefore are not translocatable to the seed or fruit.

Second, each grower must certify in writing what was used from the approved list.

Third, samples and corresponding grower certificates are sent to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Grower certificates are used by USDA to determine what tests are to be run in their lab. There in the USDA lab, using the latest, most sophisticated lab equipment, the samples are tested for substances used.

Fourth, based on grower cenifications and official USDA certification of lab results, Montague Farms will be able to certify through HEALTHY LIVING that no agricultural chemical residues can be detected in our products.

Fifth, a HEALTHY LIVING certificate and USDA certificate will be included in shipping I documents. Copies of Growers Certificates can be included if requested. HEALTHY LIVING labels will be attached to the bags or packaging so that products can be matched to documentation.

Sixth, Montague Farms customers will be able to sell to its customers using the HEALTHY LIVING label and the official USDA certification. HEALTHY LIVING certification is value added to our product that will enable our customers to offer more value to their customers. No other supplier can offer this level of food safety assurance.

The HEALTHY LIVING program is meant to assure the food manufacturer and his consumer customer that our nutritious products are safe I and healthy. It offers both protection and confidence in the food product. No program, including organic, can offer more clear, specific certified assurance that your food product is safe and I healthy.

Ask us for more details and costs on how our HEALTHY LIVING program can make your food products more competitive in the market place.