International Produce Training

Raspberries and Blackberries have one thing in common, different from every other commodity.  When determining the percent of defects, the US Grade Standards state the tolerances are based on volume.  Do you have any idea how this is done?  Don’t feel bad, I have never met an inspector (USDA, State, or industry) that actually follows [...]

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International Produce Training has announced it is now selling the Commodity Reference Manual.  For those of you that are familiar with the USDA version, you will be pleased to find this manual has included all the information you found useful, plus more.  You will now have PACA’s Good Delivery tolerances at your fingertips, and also [...]

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With the recent cold weather you may have noticed some peeling and feathering affecting the outer leaves of romaine.  This defect is the by-product of romaine being affected by cold (below freezing temperatures) in the fields, while growing.  The water in the cell walls of the outer epidermis of the leaves freezes, and when ice crystals [...]

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Every now and then, depending on the growing conditions you may see this defect on broccoli.  It is aptly named “hollow stem.” Hollow stems could be caused by a boron deficiency, but not all hollow stems in broccoli are caused by boron deficiency.  Excessive nitrogen, or growing conditions favoring rapid growth could cause this defect.  That [...]

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If you look through a U.S. Standard, for just about any commodity, you will find it includes the applicable U.S. Grades, defect tolerances, defect scoring guidelines and application of tolerances.  For example, let’s look at the U.S. Standard for Cucumbers.  If you look at Section:  §51.2228 Application of tolerances. (a) The contents of individual packages [...]

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If you have inspected artichokes recently, you may have come across this defect.   Yes, this is a defect.  You may have been told that these “frosted” artichokes actually may taste better.  Regardless, the appearance is still materially affected, thus these artichokes would be scored as a defect.  So what is it?  While the artichokes [...]

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As the table grape season in Chile starts up, a defect to keep an eye out for is sulphur dioxide injury.  I wouldn’t say it is a common defect, but you will come across it every now and then.  When packed, the grapes are subjected to sulphur dioxide, to act as a fungicide, to control [...]

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Have you opened a carton of limes and discovered a discoloration affecting the stylar end (opposite the stem end)?  You may have wondered if this is a type of decay, will it progress on the lime, will it spread to other limes? What you have found is Stylar End Breakdown.  This is a fairly common [...]

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The most important factor when completing an inspection is making the determination if the lot is in grade or out of grade.  Practically all the U.S. Grade Standards are fairly easy to comprehend.  They will usually have wording such as: 10% total defects, including 5% serious damage, including 1% decay.  Some examples: 12% damage by [...]

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Well, the USDA has come out with a new defect for sweet cherries.  You will not find this mentioned in the U.S. Standards, nor will you find any reference to this in their inspection instructions.  Pebbling will now be scored when the surface of the cherry is showing a rough or pebbled texture.  The image below was [...]

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