International Produce Training

A few weeks ago I received an e-mail from a major chain asking me to post an article about the proper sampling procedures for Romaine Hearts.  They were concerned because they were finding the USDA inspectors were not being consistent, from DC to DC.

For example, some USDA inspectors were inspecting the entire carton of Romaine Hearts, opening up every consumer package, inspecting every romaine plant.  Other USDA inspectors were only inspecting one or two consumer packages, ignoring the romaine in the rest of the carton.  And even others were opening enough consumer bags to make a sample size of 15 plants.  So what is the correct procedure?

The confusion is very surprising because there are written instruction procedures for the proper sampling of Romaine Hearts in the USDA Inspection Instructions for Lettuce.  The instructions state:  “The total number of plants in the container shall be the sample size.  However, if the plants are in consumer type packages, with 2 or more plants in a package within master containers, the consumer package will be the unit of sample.  Bag or wrapping material must be completely removed from the sample plants in order to determine the presence or absence of defects.”

To summarize, if the Romaine Hearts are packed in a consumer package, having at least two plants, you would open up the package and inspect the plants.  For example, if your consumer bag has three plants, as pictured above, your sample size would be 3.  If one of the plants had decay, you would have 33% (1 out of 3) decay for that sample.  You would inspect two to three consumer bags per master.

You would want to look at least three masters for a quick inspection, meaning you would have 9 samples in total on your notesheet, assuming you inspected three consumer bags per master.  If you had one plant (33%) with decay, in your first sample, and no other defects in the remaining samples, you would have 4% decay for the lot.

I hope I cleared this up a little.  If I totally confused you with the percentages and sample sizes, etc, maybe this light-hearted video will help you with the formulas used in determining percentages.  Click on the:  Produce Math Video

With winter weather in full swing you know it is that time of year to begin seeing Clementines arriving from Spain and Morocco.   But when you receive these citrus fruits in their wooden lugs do you understand what U.S. Grade Standard should be applied?  There is no U.S. Grade Standard for Clementines, so what would you use as a guideline?

Clementines are a variety of a mandarin orange.  Clementines separate easily into seven to fourteen juicy segments. They are very easy to peel, like a Tangerine but are almost always seedless. Clementines are, thus, also known as seedless tangerines.  Although a clementine is actually a mandarin orange, but has the characteristics of a tangerine, the USDA has determined to use the U.S. Grade Standards for Tangerines when inspecting clementines.

Typically you will find the crates or mesh bags printed with ”Cat 1″ denoting a Category 1 Grade.   Follow the requirements of the U.S. No. 1 Grade in the tangerine standard during your inspection.  Aside from decay, which usually is found affecting the stem end, you could encounter skin breakdown or oil spots.  The standard only allows a small area of 1/4 inch for skin breakdown, before scoring it as a grade defect.

Many quality packing houses implement strict measures of quality control, keeping defective clementines to a minimum; but remember there are no minimum import requirements for clementines entering the United States.  In other words, no one is inspecting them as they arrive in the United States.   Condition defects could develop in transit from Europe and Northern Africa.  The U.S. Grade Standard allows not more than 3% decayed clementines.  Depending on the count per crate, if you average 1 decayed clementine per container it most likely will exceed the tolerance allowed for a U.S. No. 1 (Cat 1) clementine.

With blueberries arriving from South America I thought it would be a good time to cover some of the more common defects you may find.

Yes, it is true that most blueberries are run over a grading line before they are packed.  But as you can see from above, the process of grading out all defective blueberries is quite challenging.  Most likely a few defects will slip by.  Aside from a few scars, and blueberries with attached stems, one of the most common defects is soft or overripe blueberries.  Unfortunately showing you a picture of a soft blueberry would be pointless, you have to physically pick up and roll and the berry in your hand to feel for a soft berry.  Soft berries may be leaking juice, may be shriveled, but they also may look exactly like every other blueberry in the container.  You have to open up the clamshell and feel for soft berries.

One defect you should be able to identify rather easily is shriveling.  To be scored as damage by shriveling the USDA states the shriveling must be readily noticeable.  In other words if you can see the shriveling, it is a defect.  If the shriveling is severe enough, as pictured above, the shriveled berry is scored as serious damage.

And lastly, it is important to dump the blueberries from the clamshell when inspecting.   From the image above you can clearly see two areas on the pad which show evidence of  leaking or decayed blueberries.  But just looking at the sample they all appear fine; you must pick up each berry individually to find (and feel) the defects.

One topic that is on the training agenda year after year for the  USDA Inspectors is the topic of size involving tomatoes.  I’ll try my best to keep this short, clear, and easy to understand.  Tomatoes are designated in size by two different methods.  You may see your tomatoes being marked as Small, Medium, Large, or Extra Large.  Or you may see your cartons marked as 5 x 6,
6 x 6, or 6 x 7.  Is there a difference, and why the different markings?

Years ago, when tomatoes were first packed and shipped throughout the country, the majority of the packing was done by hand, placing each tomato into the carton.  The tomatoes were uniformly sized by the packer to place the tomatoes in rows, such as 6 tomatoes across one way and 6 tomatoes across the other, hence the 6 x 6 pack.

If the tomatoes were larger, the packer could only fit 5 tomatoes one way, while placing 6 tomatoes across, making that a 5 x 6 pack, shown above.  Actual size dimensions (minimum diameter and maximum diameter) were later established for a 6 x 6 tomato as well as the other packs, such as a 4 x 5, 5 x 6, 6 x 7 and a 7 x 7. We still see this concept today in tray packs, although the tomatoes are no longer being sized by the judgement of the packer.

Many of the larger tomato packers and re-packers size their tomatoes using optical technology.  The tomatoes pass under cameras which instantaneously take a picture, and measure the size, and send that tomato to the correct packing line.

As you can see, the tomatoes are measured to the hundredth of millimeter, ensuring the tomatoes are packed in the carton, with the designated size.

But let’s get back to the beginning…….why the different designations?  When the U.S. Grade Standards for Tomatoes was developed a uniform method of sizing tomatoes was established.  The tomato industry across the United States requested a simple method, so 4 size categories were created, small, medium, large and extra large.  Size designations were set, for each size.  For example, a tomato marked as Large means it must be larger than 2-1/2 inches in diameter but no larger than 2-25/32 inches in diameter, to keep the tomatoes fairly uniform in size.

The Florida Tomato Industry decided to keep the established method of sizing tomatoes, so they do not use the U.S. Grade Standard size designations, they still use most of the original size terms.  The Florida growers pack their tomatoes to three size designations, 5 x 6, 6 x 6 and 6 x 7.  The size designations they established are a little different than the U.S. Grade Standard sizes.  For example, a 6 x 6 is similar to the Large tomato, but the minimum diameter for a 6 x 6 tomatoes is 2-17/32 of an inch, 1/32 larger than the large size.  The maximum diameter of a 6 x 6 is 2-29/32 of an inch, 4/32 of an inch larger than the large size.

Because of the different size designations and diameters of each, two sets of tomato sizers are available.  As an inspector it is pretty simple; if the tomatoes are marked with the size markings of “Small”, “Medium”, “Large” or “Extra Large” use the sizer marked as such.  If the tomatoes come from Florida, or from any state which also packs using the numerical markings (which is most) use the Florida Tomato Sizer, marked as “5 x 6″, “6 x 6″ or “6 x 7.”

If you need to purchase one or both of the sizers, they are available for purchase from the USDA Inspection Service’s Supply Depot.  Click here for the link to their inspection equipment catalog.

A few years ago the USDA published a standard for sno peas, or any type of edible pea pod.  The standard is titled U.S. Grade Standards for Pea Pods.  When inspecting sno peas there are usually a few defects you would be on the look out for.  You would immediately notice the freshness, looking for the color of the calyx as a good indication.  A fresh green calyx is preferred over a dry turning brown to brown calyx.  If the calyx is turning brown, is it a defect?  Nope, there is no requirement the calyxes be a certain color.

Some of the scoreable defects you would be looking for, would be decay, mold, shriveling and discoloration.  Decay is a fee from defect, meaning any amount of decay found on the sno pea would be a defect.  The other defects have scoring guidelines that test one’s patience.  You wouldn’t think a small little sno pea would not have so many different scoring guidelines.  Here is just a small sample:

• Bruising- more than 1/2 inch
• Discoloration- more than 3/8 inch
• Mold- more than 5% of the surface
• Shriveling- more than 10% of the surface

Hard to imagine one inspecting sno peas and measuring for all the different scoring guidelines…..and these sizes are all based on a sno pea 2-1/2 inches in length.  Find a defect on a longer sno pea and these guidelines become skewed, as you are allowed more of a defect on a larger specimen.

One scoring defect I found inconsistent was the defect “yellowing.”  No one will want to purchase sno peas that are yellowing (of course no one will pick up a moldy sno pea either, whether it had 5% or 25% of its surface covered in mold).  But surprisingly the U.S. No. 1 Grade Standard allows for a sno pea to have up to 10% of its surface with yellowing.  But if another sno pea was discolored, only 3/8 inch is allowed.  Isn’t a yellow sno pea also a discolored sno pea?   Maybe someone from the USDA Inspection Service will chime in and explain the difference. 

It is common to find sweet cherries with flattened areas, most of the times around the shoulders.  There is usually no discoloration, and the underlying flesh is fine too, with no discoloration.  The cherries may be bruised from a tight pack, or the bruising may have resulted from rough handling.  It never mattered much as to what caused the bruised, flattened areas, as it was not a defect, and the USDA inspection instructions stated: “Fruit that show only slight flattening on one side due to pressure of the pack and show no internal discoloration should be ignored.”

New instructions have been issued, now making this a defect…..well sort of.  A new scoring guide for bruising, regardless of any discoloration, resulting from rough handling or an excessively tight pack is:

Damage: When the area aggregates more than 1/4 inch in diameter.

Serious Damage: When the area aggregates more than 3/8 inch in diameter.

But here’s the kicker, fruit with only a slight flattening on one side due to pressure of packing should be ignored.  I hope the USDA will be forthcoming with some good visual aids depicting bruising from an excessively tight pack which is a defect and bruising from the pressure of packing, which is to be ignored. 

The bottom line, unless some visual aids are developed the inspectors will be scoring all bruising on cherries (whether there is discoloration or not) as a defect, if the aggregate area is more than 1/4 inch.  No one is going to attempt to distinguish if the bruising was from an excessively tight pack (whatever that means for a lug of cherries??)  or if the bruising was from the pressure of a normal pack.

I’d be curious to see how many lots of cherries will now fail to grade, based on these new instructions.  My guess, a lot more.

How many times have you received donut peaches but wondered what are the guidelines for defects and for tolerances?  Believe it or not, you would use the same U.S. Grade Standard when inspecting donut peaches as you would for regular peaches.

Of course there are exceptions to every rule and this is no exception.  The minumum shape requirement for a U.S. No. 1 Peach is the peach must be well formed.  Looking at the visual aid below you have to wonder how these donut peaches can ever be called well formed.  The peaches shown below all meet the requiremenst for shape, for the U.S. Fancy Grade as well. Using common sense, the shape would have to badly deformed to be called a defect, for a donut peach.

Odd shapes are not the only problems found with donut peaches.  Decay is sometimes found as well as bruising.  The amount or size  of decay found on a donut peach is the same as a regular peach……None.  Any spot of decay, no matter how small, is considered being decay.  Bruising involves a little more thought.  On a regular peach, 2-1/4 inches in diameter, you are allowed bruising up to 1/2 inch in diameter; allowing for a larger area on a larger peach and smaller area on a smaller peach.  This same guideline applies to a donut peach.

Another common defect found in donut peaches is scarring affecting the blossom end.  The pictures below depict this defect in various degrees.

Number 1

Number 2

Number 3

Number 4

With the sweet cherry season arriving, now would be good time to clear up a little confusion.  When the cherries arrive from California or Washington State you will notice the different size designations on the containers.  You may receive cherries marked as “12 Row”, “11 Row” or even in half rows, such as “10-1/2 Row” or “11-1/2 Row’.  These row sizes do have specific size designations.

You may find it useful to size the cherries using one of the cherry sizers.  The first sizer pictured below is the cherry sizer used for cherries packed and shipped from California.

The second sizer, pictured below is the sizer used for cherries originating from Washington State.

The California Sizer has a few more row size designations, (12-1/2, 13 and 14 Row), but the minimum sizes for the remaining sizes are the same.  For example; if you receive sweet cherries marked 12 Row, that means not more than 5% of the cherries may be smaller than 54/64 of an inch.  Cherries marked 9 Row, means that not more than 5% of the cherries may be smaller than 75/64 of an inch.

The cherries are measured by holding the cherry by the stem and dropping it through the designated hole.  If the cherry passes through the hole, the cherry is considered undersize.  If you have a problem with the size you would want to count out 50 cherries at random and measure each one.  If 3 cherries passed through the sizer, based on 50 count, you would have 6% of the cherries being undersized, exceeding the tolerance for undersize.

For your convenience, listed below are the minimum size requirements:

• 9 Row-               75/64″
  
• 9-1/2 Row-      71/64″
  
• 10 Row-            67/64″
  
• 10-1/2 Row-   64/64″ (or 1 inch)
  
• 11 Row-            61/64″
  
• 11-1/2 Row-   57/64″
  
• 12 Row-           54/64″

I recently received a question from someone who was a bit confused over which lettuce standard applied to which type of lettuce.  The confusion arises out of the many lettuce standards that are available. 

The Boston or Butter lettuces are inspected using the US Grade Standards for Lettuce.  This standard also applies to head lettuce, cello wrapped or naked.        US Grade Standards for Lettuce

The Leaf Lettuces, for Red Leaf Lettuce and Green Leaf Lettuce you would use the US Grade Standards for Field Grown Leaf Lettuce.  This standard is a relative newcomer, being established in 2006.            
 US Grade Standards for Field Grown Leaf Lettuce

Romaine lettuce also has its own standard.    This standard does provide tolerances for defects, but offers very few scoring guidleines when determining if a defect is “damage,” “serious damage,” or if it is even a defect.  US Grade Standards for Romaine

The final standard for all the field grown lettuces, is the standard for Endive and Escarole.  This standard looks to be the oldest, as it has not been updated for 45 years, being created in 1964.               
US Grade Standards for Endive and Escarole

Have you ever received a load of fresh cut produce, and after checking out a few bags you found some problems?  But now what?  How much discoloration are you allowed, how much decay is permissible?

Well, I will try not to confuse the issue, but reading the USDA Inspection Instructions and trying to make sense of what you are doing is a challenge. Let’s just say, who ever in the USDA came up with these inspection instructions must have had a great sense of humor.   Because of the complexity of inspecting Fresh Cut Product I have included a copy of the inspection instructions for you to download and read at your leisure.

First off, when inspecting cut or sliced products, such as carrot sticks, cauliflower florets, celery sticks, the inspection is sort of plain and simple.  Your sample would be all the pieces in the bag, but stop counting when you reach 50 count.  Look for defects, such and discoloration, flabby pieces, or decay.  Count up the defects and divide by the number you inspected to give you the percent of defects.   Three carrot sticks with decay, would equal 6%, if you looked at 50 carrot sticks.  If you looked at 25 carrot sticks and found 5 pieces with decay, you would have 20% decay.  You would use this count method only if the pieces are uniform in size and length.  Of course the USDA does not define what is considered as “uniform,’ so use your best judgement.  If they are not uniform in size then your inspection is based on weight, using a gram scale or ounce scale.

Now comes the tricky part.  How do you inspect salad mixes?

When you encounter the mixes, the inspection is based on a weight basis.  If you think this sounds like a tedious inspection, you are 100% correct.  You would take a bag of salad mix, dump out the entire contents, but inspect not more than 8 ounces, or 225 grams.  Spread the pieces around on a clear white board and begin to pick out any pieces that have defects.  Again, the USDA has offered no guidance as to what is a defect and what is not a defect, only suggesting you use your common sense.  Because this makes uniformity between inspectors a very difficult task,  I would suggest you work as team with your QA Staff, to help everyone get on the same page.

After you separate all the defects into little piles, such as a pile of discoloration, a pile of core pieces, a pile of decay, you would then count all the pieces in each pile.  Record your count, and then combine all the piles and weigh them as one group of defects.  Divide your total weight of defects by your sample size to give you the percent of defects.  You would report, for example, 12% defects, including 17 pieces of discoloration, 9 core pieces and 6 pieces of decay.

No matter if you are inspecting salad mixes or sticks or florets, the percentage of defects you find does not mean the product is in grade or out of grade.  Their are no grade tolerances for any fresh cut produce……except broccoli florets, but that is for another post.

Please click on the following link to download a copy of the Fresh Cut Produce Inspection Instructions.