Clover Stornetta Farms of Petaluma has taken the unprecedented step of having an independent auditor verify its milk quality standards, represented by the North Coast Excellence Seal on its carton.

The certified public accounting firm, Pisenti & Brinker, recently completed an examination of Clover Stornetta's policies and procedures for the NCEC program.

Carmel Brown, accounting and auditing manager at Pisenti & Brinker said, "In our experience, most companies don't go to these lengths to verify their product claims."

In 1996, Clover Stornetta became the first dairy processor to elevate milk from a commodity to a specialty food by establishing the NCEC program. NCEC purity standards are the strictest in the dairy industry, far surpassing the state and federal governments'. Clover tests the raw milk delivered to its plant daily to protect against antibiotic residues. The milk is also tested for bacteria, coliform and somatic cell count, to ensure Clover's customers are getting the cleanest glass of milk possible.

Clover Stornetta Farms' Chairman of the Board, Dan Benedetti, said, "To our knowledge, we are the only U. S. dairy processor that has made assertions on its milk quality and has those assertions backed-up by an objective third party. Clover Stornetta plans to have the assertions audited annually."

Pete Hardin, the publisher of the dairy industry trade magazine "Milkweed", has also reviewed Clover's quality standards. In an April 1997 article he said, "Clover Stornetta's milk has to be the cleanest supply consistently purchased by a U.S. fluid milk processor."

NCEC milk comes from 18 family-owned dairies in Sonoma, Marin, and Mendocino Counties. They follow sustainable agriculture practices and tend small herds on spacious ranches, where the cows are well treated and healthy. These dairy families have also signed contracts with Clover guaranteeing they do not use the controversial synthetic growth hormone, rBST.

Clover pays NCEC dairies a premium to produce milk meeting its rigorous standards. Each dairy is also visited at least once a year and judged on its appearance and ranch maintenance practices.

A committee representing the dairy families and Clover Stornetta Farms governs the NCEC program. Among its tasks are defining sustainable agriculture and each year identifying a new requirement the dairies are to meet, in order to enhance their sustainable agriculture practices and continue participating in the program.

Clover Stornetta dairy products are sold in upscale independent grocery stores and health food stores throughout most of California.