Benefits of Quality Control for Fruit and Vegetable Products
- Improves the quality of exported products, reducing the number of complaints and associated losses, and preventing low-quality or health-hazardous products from reaching the market.
- Builds a positive company image and increases trust from importers and foreign buyers.
- Any defects and deviations from standards are identified at the earliest stages.
- Expands the product range and supply geography.
- Increased sales contribute to higher profits for the exporting company.
- Systematic control allows for planning deliveries, avoiding shortages or surpluses of certain types of vegetables and fruits in storage warehouses.
Inspections enhance the quality of agricultural products reaching store shelves. They help determine the causes of spoilage during transit and enable timely measures to minimize potential losses.
Requirements for Suppliers and Retailers
When selecting a supplier, retail chains examine product samples before placing large orders to ensure they match the description and verify the availability of necessary certificates. When adding new items to the assortment, attention is paid to the product’s novelty, seasonality, and consumer interest at different times of the year. For example, watermelons and melons in summer, and tangerines and other citrus fruits in winter. The supplier’s track record, stability, and feedback from other clients are also considered. One stage of quality control for export products is an audit of production facilities. This procedure provides a complete picture of hygiene and sanitary norm compliance during the storage of vegetables and fruits. In warehouses and storage facilities, the following is checked:
- Effectiveness of protection against rodents and parasitic insects;
- Performance of ventilation systems;
- Frequency of disinfection for ventilation systems and warehouse premises;
- Availability of specialized cleaning and washing agents;
- Location of storage facilities and packaging workshops away from hazardous objects, such as landfills;
- Use of automated storage systems.
How Inspections are Organized
Initial audit when purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables includes:
- Organoleptic check of appearance, aroma, texture, and the absence of spoiled, damaged products;
- Control for the absence of bacteriological contamination and hidden defects acquired during transportation, such as mold or rot;
- Compliance with the declared variety, weighing, size measurement, checking packaging integrity for pre-packaged goods.
Specific requirements for grade, size, color, and other criteria are defined for each product entering the supply chain. For sweet vegetables and fruits like pineapples, tomatoes, and mangoes, sugar content is measured using rapid tests. Rejected items are excluded from the shipment and returns are processed.
To maintain initial characteristics and quality during transportation and inspection, fruit and vegetable products must be stored in specially equipped premises at an average temperature of +2 to +4 degrees Celsius (specific norms may apply for certain cultures, e.g., bananas).
Various types of analyses, from determining nitrate levels to establishing the geographical origin of fruits and vegetables, are conducted in laboratory conditions. The results of inspections and tests are recorded in protocols.
Strict control helps suppliers optimize and streamline their business processes, reduce the amount of defective products and losses due to improper storage or non-compliance with transportation conditions for fruits and vegetables from other countries. It provides a complete understanding of the ability of such “delicate goods” to withstand shelf life, allowing for more accurate and competent planning of delivery and procurement timelines. This service is beneficial for retail chains and stores selling fresh vegetables and fruits.
Transportation Control
To reduce the quantity of spoiled or damaged products, it is crucial to monitor their condition during delivery. For this purpose, additional inspections are organized to determine:
- The overall technical and sanitary condition of vehicles performing transportation, the availability of appropriate containers for different types of fruits and vegetables;
- Placement of vegetable products and fruits in cargo compartments;
- Quality of pallets and containers;
- Absence of foreign objects and odors;
- Absence of substandard items within the total mass of goods.
Temperature monitoring inside containers is performed using non-contact thermometers. Data on humidity and temperature conditions are entered into a corresponding software application or reflected in accompanying documentation. Requirements for characteristics, condition, appearance, and taste of products are usually specified in contracts between suppliers and buyers. Particular attention is paid to juicy fruits and vegetables with short shelf lives.
Frequency of Inspections
Quality checks for export batches of vegetables and fruits can be organized on a permanent or temporary basis, including on-site warehouse visits upon client request. Our company conducts inspections at the port of shipment, in temporary storage warehouses, or during the transportation of perishable goods. We also perform tallying. We conduct examinations in cases of damage, spoilage, loss, or alteration of the initial condition of goods.
Control is ensured by:
- Pre-Production Inspections (PPI)
- During Production Inspections (DPI)
- Pre-Shipment Inspections (PSI)
- Sampling
- Cargo survey during loading and unloading
- Damage analysis
- Testing of fruits and vegetables.
Inspectors can take samples of fruit and vegetable products on-site for testing in accredited laboratories to guarantee their safety for consumers. This involves:
- Determining chemical and physical composition;
- Conducting microbiological and sensory tests;
- Checking nutritional properties.
To confirm the quality and safety of exported vegetables and fruits, certification is carried out. It guarantees that the concentration of nitrates and similar substances is within permissible limits. When exporting, the supplier must obtain a phytosanitary certificate from the relevant authority (e.g., Rosselkhoznadzor in Russia), confirming that the vegetables and fruits were grown in an environmentally favorable setting. Since most fresh products have a short shelf life, it is better to prepare the necessary transportation documents in advance. The validity of a phytosanitary certificate for export to Customs Union countries is 14 days. The declaration procedure consists of several stages:
- Collection of laboratory test protocols and other materials confirming safety.
- Submission of these documents along with an application and a completed declaration to the certification bodies.
- Review of the declaration.
- Registration and entry of data into the state register.
After receiving the declaration, the exporter gains the right to label their products with a special mark. For preferential customs clearance of certain product types, a certificate of conformity confirming the country of origin is issued. During the research and document acquisition period, fruit and vegetable cargoes acquire the status of “quarantine products.”
Phytosanitary declarations are presented at customs, as well as during inspections by regulatory organizations at points of sale. When transporting fruits and vegetables, test protocols are necessary, containing tables with their normative and actual indicators and the conclusions of the expert commission on compliance.
Contact us today to learn how our experience can help you create a safer supply chain for your fruits and vegetables. Our company has been operating since 2009, providing highly qualified expert services in various countries worldwide. We organize full, comprehensive inspections of agricultural products, confirming their compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards. Our specialists continuously enhance their knowledge and qualifications, enabling them to solve the most complex tasks and assist clients in international shipments.
