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5-Star Food Safety Series: Star Five Your Kitchen/Customer Alex Govern of Intermountain Healthcare

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Markon prides itself on requiring the most stringent food safety measures of our supplier-partners to provide the utmost confidence in every case we ship to our operator customers. Our Five-Star Food Safety Program covers the critical points from field to plate to ensure that Markon fresh produce arrives as promised.

This is the eleventh in a 12-part weekly series where we break down the detailed steps Markon takes as well as meet some of the people involved in making it happen.

This time we are speaking with Alex Govern, Corporate Executive Chef at Intermountain Healthcare. Below he speaks to how Markon’s fifth star helps him in the busy hospital kitchens he oversees.

“As a chef, being in healthcare means a few things. One of the most impactful and important pieces of the 29,000 meals we serve daily is food safety. When we started doing business with Markon, it was important as a healthcare operation to fully understand the approach they take with both the traceability components within their operations as well as the environmental monitoring programs in place.” He explains, “To be honest, I was ready to see just another “blanket statement” associated with regular inspections etc. To say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. The mock recalls that Markon participates in as well as the accessibility to experts in order to pinpoint the potential challenges associated with product has been essential to a safe operation. We went from regularly participating in recalls in romaine, broccoli, and spinach—to being the ones calling at early hours about other consumers being faced with recalls, only to learn that we have nothing to worry about. I don’t ever remember a Markon recalled product.”

Diners are increasingly hyper-focused on high-protein and plant-based foods. Alongside all of the new-fangled, lab-based, cell-cultured options out there is the humble bean. A staple food for millenia, beans are being re-examined as a healthy, versatile ingredient worthy of menu inclusion.

  • Retro and heirloom recipes—like Southern succotash, French cassoulet, and Cajun red beans and rice—fit the bill for those in search of authenticity.
  • Most world cuisines incorporate some type of bean in their classic dishes. Think feijoada in Brazil, black beans and rice with plantains in Puerto Rico, and garbanzo beans in Israel. Modern interpretations of these recipes are packed with produce and herbs.
  • The creamy texture of mung beans is proving an ideal substitute for those that are eliminating soy from their diets.