As in past years, New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s Division of Marketing & Development is providing New Jersey’s fruit and vegetable industry with vital and expert inspection and grading services. Working in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, NJDA’s inspectors work with brokers, shippers, dealers, processors and farmers throughout the state.

Through this service, NJDA’s inspectors perform both shipping point and terminal market inspections, and issue official certificates that are admissible in all U.S. courts as prima facie evidence. Each certificate includes information such as size, quality, condition and official grading of each lot. These inspections are conducted at various locations, including growers’ fields, packaging houses, warehouses, processing plants, cold storages or wherever the need arises.

The inspection program offers many benefits for both the seller and buyer. The official inspection/grading certificates offer factual evidence concerning the quality and conditions of products inspected, and provide the basis for establishing the value of produce as well for making/obtaining loans and settling claims.

Grading certificates also are used to establish incentive payments for higher quality product and fair deductions or rejections for lower, unacceptable quality.

As the name implies, shipping point inspections are usually conducted at origin as the produce is being packed for shipment to market, although they are occasionally accomplished at other points along the distribution system, for example in cold storage or brokers’ warehouses. During the 2012 growing season, the NJDA conducted shipping point inspections on 4.9 million pounds of fruits and vegetables.

In addition, 56.1 million pounds of tomatoes for processing were graded under contract with a processing facility located in southern New Jersey. Commodities for processing are graded on the basis of processor/grower-approved specifications that usually are based on federal/state standards.

Terminal market inspections continue to increase in number and volume, mainly due to fruit and vegetable imports from South America and Europe. A considerable portion of this imported product enters the country via the Philadelphia port.

New Jersey inspectors and facilities play an important role in receiving and storing these commodities. Terminal market inspections, which totaled 147 million pounds during the past year, are of significant value to New Jersey receivers of fresh fruits and vegetables, including hospitals, hotels and other institutions that require product accompanied by an inspection/grading certificate.

The Bureau of Commodity Inspection & Grading also offers a third-party food-safety audit service, on a voluntary basis, to fresh produce growers, packers and shippers who are being required to show buyers they are growing, harvesting, packing and handling their product in a safe and sanitary manner.

The third-party audit service is operated in conjunction with the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service. Division staff has received formal classroom and practical training in auditing procedures and Hazard Analyses Critical Control Points inspections. The staff has been certified to perform third-party audits and performed 52 audits during the 2012 growing season.

Shipping point, processing and terminal market inspections and third-party audit services are provided through the Bureau of Commodity Inspection & Grading. To schedule an inspection or for more information, contact Chris Kleinguenther at (856)453-3870.

Larry D. Hardwick is chief of the NJDA’s Bureau of Commodity Inspection & Grading.