United Fresh & the USDA have partnered to bring the industry the "Produce Inspection Training Program."  This specialized training course is developed into two courses: Introduction to Produce Inspection and Advanced Produce Inspection.  The introductory course is a classroom based program that covers the fundamentals of produce inspections such as grading, standards, tolerances, PACA, and sampling procedures.  The Introductory course as a pre-requisite to the Advanced course.

The 3-day advanced course focuses on hands-on commodity inspections in the lab. Each advanced course includes inspection of the five most commonly requested commodities: Grapes, Lettuces, Potatoes, Strawberries, and Tomatoes. Plus, in addition to these five, each course will be customized with up to ten additional commodities based on the attendees' most common preferences. 

"I came away with a better understanding of inspection procedures and tolerances, which has helped our operations tremendously. I strongly recommend this program to others, regardless of their present level of experience."  - Jim Balaguer, Produce Quality Assurance for Sysco Corporation, 2007 Program attendee.

The following course options are available in 2008 & 2009:

This unique program is designed to provide real, hands-on instruction from USDA experts to anyone involved in the produce supply chain - grower to retailer - if you receive, handle, buy, ship, or sell produce - this course is for you.   Sign up today to become more proficient and knowledgeable about quality control standards, inspection grading, USDA produce procedures and requirements, and much more!

Click here for Produce Inspection flyer and downloadable registration form.

 

Presented in partnership with:

Visit the USDA - AMS, Fruit and Vegetable Programs at their website: www.ams.usda.gov/fv.