When inspecting apricots there are a few defects you should always keep an eye out for. Bruising, surface discoloration, soft and decay are the most common defects, along with sunken discolored areas. Sunken discolored areas can be caused a few ways, but it always is due to some kind of injury to apricot, where upon [...]
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Inspecting watermelons can be challenging, especially when you encounter a load of watermelons with maturity problems, or pink to light red color. There are a few external indicators to look for to determine if a watermelon is mature. You would want to see a creamy or yellow color on the ground side of the melon; a filled out [...]
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With Pineapples reaching $3 a piece on the retail shelf, I received a question regarding the proper procedure for sampling pineapples when determining the percent of soluble solids (brix), specifically how many pineapples would have to be destroyed, for the extraction of juice. The produce inspector had done his research, noting the USDA does not have [...]
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You may be receiving some bulk peaches, and the color does not appear to be as uniform as the place packs from Chile or California. You may be wondering if the peaches can be rejected based on color. As you can see from above, some of the peaches have full color, while others have the [...]
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Because asparagus is a highly perishable commodity, the freshly harvested spears are either cooled quickly using a hydro-cooler, or through forced air cooling. From the hydro-cooling process it is very possible the tips of the spears may appear wet, or even exude water when squeezed. Although this may lead to an increased chance of decay, the mere [...]
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This may be new to you. It is new to everyone. The USDA has decided to score strawberries being wet from leaking juice as a serious damage defect. I assume the US Grade Standards for Strawberries has been around since the Raspberry Standard, which has a date of 1931. Up until this year, this defect was pretty much [...]
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Maybe the USDA will get it right this time. They struggled with making revisions to the US Grade Standards for Potatoes back in 2008, issuing changes in April and once again in November. This time around they are attempting to clean up their mistakes, and for the most part they seem to have it right. [...]
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For those of you that have read a USDA Inspection Certificate you have noticed certain terms used over and over, such as “Generally”, “Mostly”, and ”Many” to name a few. These terms actually mean something within the inspection service. Listed below are the terms and their definitions you may see: Practically All- 95 to 100% Generally- [...]
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The first of two training classes in 2011, being sponsored by the Southeast Produce Council, hosted by General Produce, Inc., Forest Park, Ga has been completed. Approximately 16 participants attended the 2-day training class, which covered general inspection procedures, U.S. Grade Standards, defect identification and grading demonstrations. This very lively, interactive group originated from produce companies [...]
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It happens all too often. You receive a load of produce, where the product is in good shape, but the load has shifted and you notice some damaged cartons. What are your options? In most cases you can simply separate the damaged cartons from the rest of the load and place the damaged cartons back on the [...]
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