We are pleased to announce that Matt Capelli has been appointed chief, bureau of inspection and grading for the New Jersey Department of Agriculture. In this role, Capelli manages and coordinates programs, grants and staff across several commodity inspection programs. These programs included food safety initiatives such as the USDA Third Party Audit Program and FDA Food Safety Modernization Act inspection programs for Produce Safety and Animal Feed. Additional program areas included the Jersey Fresh Quality Grading Program, Fruit and Vegetable Quality Inspections, fertilizer nutrient Testing and Country of Origin Labeling audits for commodities in grocery stores.

The NJDA executes programs that ensure USDA, FDA and Jersey Fresh standards are met or exceeded. NJDA agricultural products agents complete continuing education courses and attend FDA and USDA training to ensure that they are current with the regulations and requirements of these programs. 

Additionally, representatives from these programs attend regional and national conferences, and events including the Vegetable Growers Association Convention, Jersey Fresh promotions, grower association meetings, produce safety trainings, farmers markets and fairs. Our extensive networking helps us stay in touch with our stakeholders and any relevant trends in production, marketing, inspection and food-safety.

The NJDA performs third-party audits including USDA Good Agricultural Practices, Good Handling Practices and Harmonized Audits for produce farms and facilities. The audits are conducted annually and are focused on a particular commodity grown, and evaluate the production areas, the packinghouse and sometimes both. Audits are voluntary and growers receive certificates from USDA which are required by many wholesale produce buyers and distributors. For more information go to USDA GAP Audit Program | Agricultural Marketing Service.

Additionally, the NJDA conducts FSMA Produce Safety Rule Inspections, which are mandatory FDA inspections for all covered farms (Title 21 CFR Part 112). 

PSR Inspections focus on the entire farm and all commodities grown. Inspectors evaluate worker training, agricultural water use, biological soil amendments, domesticated and wild animals, growing, harvesting and packing activities. This is a risk-based program and farms are inspected on a 3-5 year basis according to their risk-assessment. Many of smaller farms are exempt from PSR inspections, and we continue to offer education and outreach with our partners at Rutgers Cooperative Extension. 

Inspection and grading services play a vital role in ensuring imported and domestic produce meets USDA grade standards, with thousands of inspections conducted annually. NJDA inspectors perform shipping point and terminal market inspections and issue certificates detailing information such as size, condition, quality and grading of each lot. These inspections are conducted at cold storages, packing facilities, warehouses and brokerage firms throughout the state. 

Jersey Fresh is a promotional and quality grading program that began in 1984 to inform consumers about the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables grown in NJ. This program enhances regional and national marketability of New Jersey commodities by providing assurance to consumers and wholesale buyers that the produce meets or exceeds US No. 1 standards. Promotional materials bearing the Jersey Fresh logo ensure that the produce has been grown with the high standards consumers have come to expect. 

Other trends in New Jersey include sales and turnover of farms, with the majority of farmland remaining in crops. We see younger growers establishing new farms and larger farms renting more land and expanding with the purchase of more farm acreage. There are a number of indoor hydroponic and aquaponic farms growing leafy greens, microgreens, and even strawberries. 

As always, we will continue to monitor trends and provide the appropriate programs and guidance to our constituents in New Jersey. You can access all of our programs at www.nj.gov/agriculture/.