Balance Farms achieves Gap 3.0 Harmonized Certification
We are pleased to announce that our Balance Farms facility has achieved a Gap 3.0+ Harmonized Certification for food safety and manufacturing processes by the USDA in conjunction with the FDA.
One of just a handful of Urban Indoor Farms to have achieved this certification, and one of the first Aquaponic Operations in the country, we’re proud to bring this accomplishment home to Toledo. This certification allows us to move our products into major food distribution hubs like your favorite grocery store or your favorite restaurant’s food supplier.
About the Audit
The AMS Specialty Crops Inspection (SCI) Division offers voluntary independent audits of produce suppliers throughout the production and supply chain. Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Good Handling Practices (GHP) audits focus on the use of best agricultural practices to verify that fruits and vegetables are produced, packed, handled, and stored in the safest manner possible to minimize risks of microbial food safety hazards. USDA GAP & GHP audits verify adherence to the recommendations in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables and industry-recognized food safety practices.
About Balance Farms
Founded in 2019, Balance Farms is an 8,000-square-foot aquaponics farm vertically integrated into the multi-unit fast casual restaurant Balance Grille, and located in the heart of Downtown Toledo. The brainchild of Balance Grille restaurant chain Co-Founders Prakash Karamachandani and HoChan Jang, Balance Farms provides transparency to Balance Grille customers on how their food is produced, how it’s grown, how it’s handled, and where it comes from 365 days a year. Through the farm, fresh vegetables and herbs are supplied to Balance Grille restaurants, as well as other Toledo-area businesses and the local healthcare system, providing customers quality products right from the heart of the city. For more information, visit:https://www.balancefarms.com.
About Balance Grille
Balance Grille is an Asian-Fusion fast-casual restaurant chain, featuring a diverse menu of build-a-bowl bowls, tacos, snacks and bubble teas. Since its founding in 2010, Balance Grille has successfully reinvented both the fast-casual concept and Asian Fusion cuisine with a refined focus on clean eating, a literal approach to menu transparency, authenticity and ahead-of-the-curve tech integration. With 4 locations open and operating throughout Ohio, and its first outside of its home state in Colorado, Balance remains committed to serving happiness through food with a focus on community-minded, customer-centric craftsmanship, from farm to kitchen to taste buds — and a real appreciation for both those enjoying and those serving its feel-good food.