Commodity Inspection

The process whereby licensed inspectors obtain representative samples and inspect the samples for quality and sanitary characteristics. The majority of the inspections are visual; however, commodities such as milk may be mechanically and chemically tested. The processes for inspecting major agricultural commodities are presented in this chapter.

Agricultural Commodity Inspection Rationale

There are three major reasons to inspect and grade agricultural commodities. The first is to facilitate efficient movement of commodities from the point of production to the point of consumption. The second reason is to provide a method for end users to communicate to producers which commodity characteristics are considered important. A third reason is to insure that safe, unadulterated products are delivered to consumers.

Agriculture commodity inspection criteria for each commodity are set and regulated, depending on the commodity, by different departments of the federal government. Actual inspections may be conducted by either state or federally licensed inspectors. State inspection agencies must enforce requirements “at least equal to” those imposed by, and under, the oversight federal agency, the Food Safety and Inspection Service, or the United States Department of Agriculture (FSIS/USDA).

Quality standards are identified and used by end users and consumers. Sanitary and grade standards are set by federal agencies. To ensure consistent and unbiased identification and application of grades and standards, federal or state agencies coordinate with end users to identify the commodity characteristics essential for grades and standards. Official grades and standards are established by the U.S. Congress under the direction of the appropriate federal agency.

Inspection procedures are established to determine grades and enforce sanitary requirements. Grades and standards are under the jurisdiction of the Agricultural Marketing Service, United States Department of Agriculture (AMS/USDA). Sanitary inspections are under the jurisdiction of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Federal and state agencies have the responsibility to oversee the training and licensing of inspectors.

Brent Hibbets, federal licensed grain inspector at Enid Grain Inspection Service, Enid, Oklahoma, inspects barley for damage and foreign material. Photograph by Kim Anderson.

Most agriculture products and processing facilities are inspected for quality and sanitary conditions. The inspection system varies by commodity. Dairy, poultry and eggs are inspected at each level in the marketing system. Beef, hogs, lambs and other animals are inspected before slaughter and then again during processing. Inspection and grading are essential parts of the marketing system for establishing value or price.

Dairy

Milk inspections begin at the point of production and continue until the milk reaches the retail shelf. Dairy milking facilities are periodically inspected for sanitary conditions. Milk samples are taken for inspection from the farms’ bulk tanks, from the tanker trucks at delivery, and from receptacles in the processing plant. The samples are tested for bacteria and foreign substances.

Milk inspections are conducted in accordance with the “Grade ‘A’ Pasteurized Milk Ordinance” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). Milk processing plants are periodically inspected for sanitary conditions, and the processed milk is tested. Inspectors periodically test to ensure that the milk is maintained in a specific temperature range at the farm, during transportation from the farm to the processing plant, at the processing plant, during transportation to the retail facility, and in the retail display.

Grade A milk is used for human consumption. Milk that is not Grade A is sold and processed for nonhuman uses.

Meat and Poultry Inspection

Meat is defined as all cattle, sheep, swine, goats, horses, mules and other equines. Poultry is defined as “any domesticated bird.”

Meat and poultry inspection programs must meet the requirements imposed under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) and the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA). Regulations are designed to ensure that meat and poultry products are wholesome, unadulterated and properly marked, labeled and packaged. Inspectors are also required to enforce requirements imposed under the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act of 1978 (HMSA).

Live animals are inspected at sale barns for abnormalities and again at processing facilities. When plants are slaughtering, inspectors must be present. If an abnormal condition is observed in a live animal, a Meat Inspection Veterinarian must examine the animal to determine if the animal’s meat will be suitable for human consumption.

Meat and poultry inspection is conducted at slaughter processing facilities. Meat carcasses are inspected before being placed in a cooler. Inspection to assure that meat is fit for human consumption is required by law. Grading meat is optional and is used to establish the meat’s potential use and value.

After the initial carcass inspection, inspections are conducted to insure that the meat is maintained at specified temperatures and processed in sanitary conditions.

Grain

The Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) operates under the oversight of the Grain Inspection, Packers & Stockyards Administration (GIPSA). The USDA oversees federal grain inspection, grading and weighing programs. These programs were established by the U.S. Grain Standards Act (USGSA) of 1976.

Most grain exported by the U.S. is officially inspected, graded and weighed. Exemptions include grain exported by companies shipping less than 15,000 metric tones per year, grain shipped to Canada or Mexico by truck or rail, or grain not described in the export contract by grade. However, most grain shipments to Canada or Mexico must meet quarantine requirements; therefore, a Sanitary/Phytosanitary (SPS) certificate is required for each shipment. Licensed inspectors must inspect the grain before Phytosanitary certificates are issued.

All grain delivered to a state or federally licensed warehouse must be inspected, graded and weighed by a licensed inspector. The grain is inspected for quality characteristics, damage, foreign material and dockage. Most grain is divided into one of six grade categories: U.S. Number 1 through Number 5 and sample grade. Most flour millers use U.S. Number 1 and 2 grades, but no food and drug restrictions reject grain from human consumption for grade alone.

Grain that contains foreign material or that has been adulterated is reported to the FDA and is restricted to non-human consumption. Foreign material items that restrict grain from human consumption include rodent pellets, glass, stones, caster beans, crotalaria seeds and other materials.

Grain may be officially or unofficially graded. Unofficially graded grain is graded by state or federally licensed graders who are not under the direct supervision of FGIS. Guidelines are provided by FGIS for collecting samples for officially graded grain samples, but a license is not required for the person collecting the samples. The person weighing and grading the grain must be federally or state licensed.

Official grades are determined by graders trained, licensed and periodically tested by FGIS. Inspectors may be employees of FGIS, a private company, states with a cooperative agreement with GIPSA, or employees of the Canadian Grain Commission with GIPSA oversight. The person obtaining the sample and the person grading officially graded grain must be licensed by FGIS.

Wheat and other grain processed for food does not require an official inspection. However, all grain entering the food chain is inspected for sanitary conditions and graded. The purpose of the inspection is to insure that an unadulterated and wholesome product enters the food chain.

Eggs

USDA and state licensed inspectors are responsible for inspecting and grading eggs. The USDA program is overseen by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Grade standards are set by the Agriculture Marketing Service, United States Department of Agriculture (AMS/USDA). Some states have a cooperative agreement with the AMS/USDA to conduct shell egg surveillance inspections at producers and hatcheries. Inspections must meet requirements set by AMS/USDA.

Inspections are conducted to insure that eggs and egg products that enter the food chain are wholesome, unadulterated and properly labeled. Eggs are inspected at the retail, dealer and packer levels to insure they meet USDA grade, size, food safety and refrigeration requirements.

Every egg that is labeled with USDA’s seal has been inspected and graded by a USDA licensed inspector. The inspector may be a state or federally licensed employee. Both federal and state inspectors must meet the same training, testing and performance criteria before receiving a USDA license. Each inspector’s accuracy is spot-checked by a supervisor.

A small percentage of eggs are “plant run eggs” and are not graded by a USDA licensed grader. The plant and eggs are periodically inspected by USDA or state inspectors to insure that egg quality and sanitation standards are maintained.

Inspectors also periodically check egg quality and standards at retailers, processors and other end user locations.

Organic Foods

All certified organic foods must meet the standards established by the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990. An agriculture commodity is either “organic” or it is not. Organic crops must be grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers, chemicals or other prohibited substances being applied to the land for a period of three years immediately preceding the harvest of the organic crop. Livestock must be produced without the use of hormones and antibiotics. No synthetic fertilizers or chemicals may be applied to pastures, and organic feed rations must be fed (NOP 205.201 and 2005.235 through 205.239). Inspectors are trained by the Independent Organic Association, and they complete an apprenticeship.

Organic commodity producers apply for certification by completing an application, and submitting an organic system plan. The application and plan are reviewed by an AMS/USDA certifying agency. An on-site inspection is conducted before the producer receives certification.

Commodity inspections are conducted during the production process. In the case of crops, soil samples are used to determine if a non-organic substance has been used. The inspectors also review the producer’s fertilization plan and source of seeds. Spot inspections are conducted of each commodity.

Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

No law requires inspection of fruits and vegetables that are grown within the continental United States. However, most buyers contract a specified quality. If the delivered fruits and vegetables are suspected of not meeting the contracted quality, official inspectors may be requested to grade the commodity.

Some fruit and vegetable retailers may have the commodities inspected for merchandising purposes. Some consumers will pay more for commodities that are labeled “officially inspected by USDA” or by a licensed inspector.

Summary

Commodity inspections are conducted to insure that safe, unadulterated products are delivered to consumers. The Food and Drug Administration has oversight of all inspections and sets the standards. Inspectors are trained and licensed by various federal and state agencies. Both federal and state inspectors must meet or exceed guidelines set by the FDA. Inspectors notify the FDA when a commodity does not meet FDA standards. The commodity may be restricted to non-food uses or the commodity may be destroyed.

Establishing grades and standards are under the oversight of the Agriculture Marketing Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Grades and standards are used in the marketing system to establish value. Grades may be “official” or unofficial. Official grades are determined by licensed graders that have been trained and examined by the appropriate federal agency and whose grades are randomly evaluated by a federal examiner.

Unofficial grades are determined by licensed graders who inspect samples that may not have been collected by licensed personnel and the grades of which are not randomly checked. All inspectors and graders are required to notify the FDA if and when a commodity is considered unsafe or adulterated. The commodity is normally quarantined until inspected by a licensed FDA inspector.

— Kim Anderson and Phil Kenkel

See also Agri/Food System; Corn Industry; Dairy Products; Food Safety; Temperate Fruit Industry; Livestock Industry; Organic Foods Industry; Policy, Food; Poultry Industry; Rice Industry;Sugar Industry; Swine Industry; Vegetable Industry; Wool Industry

References

Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS). “7 CFR Part 51 U.S. Standards for Grades of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables.” Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Marketing Service, Fruit and Vegetable Programs, Marketing Order Administration Branch. Available online at: http://www.ams.usda.gov/lsg/mgc/grade.htm.
Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS). “AMS at USDA, Fruit and Vegetable Programs, History and Scope.” Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Marketing Service, Fruit and Vegetable Programs. Available online at: http://www.ams.usda.gov/fv/fvhist.htm.
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). “USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and DHS’ Customs and Border Protection: Working Together to Protect Agriculture.” APHIS/USDA Factsheet, January 2008. Available online at: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/aphis_general/content/printable_version/fs_cbp_08.pdf
Dacey, Robert F. and Randolph C. Hite. “Information Sharing Responsibilities, Challenges, and Key Management Issues.” Testimony Before the Committee on Government Reform, House of Representatives (GAO-03-715T). Washington, DC: U.S. General Accounting Office, May 8, 2003.
Davis, Lynn E. “Organizing for Homeland Security.” Rand issue paper IP-220-OEA. Arlington, VA: Rand Corporation, 2002. Available online at: http://rand.org/pubs/issue_papers/IP220.
Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA). “Grain Inspection Handbook; Book 1: Sampling.” Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration, Federal Grain Inspection Service, July 7, 1995.
Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA). “Grain Inspection Handbook; Book 2: Grain Grading Procedures.” Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration, Federal Grain Inspection Service, July 7, 1995.
Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA). “Grain Inspection Handbook; Book 3: Inspection Procedures.” Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration, Federal Grain Inspection Service, July 7, 1995.
Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA). “GIPSA Strategic Plan 2005-2009.” Washington DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration. July 11, 2005. Available online at: http://archive.gipsa.usda.gov/pubs/Strategic_Plan_2005-2009.pdf.
Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA). “GIPSA: Mission and Goals.” Washington DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration. Available online at: http://archive.gipsa.usda.gov/lawsandregs/reauthorization/fact_sheet.pdf.
Livestock and Seed Division (AMS/USDA). “United States Standards for Grades of Carcass Beef.” January 31, 1997. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Marketing Service, Livestock and Seed Division.
Livestock and Seed Division (AMS/USDA). “United States Standards for Grades of Carcass Beef.” January 31, 1997. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Marketing Service, Livestock and Seed Division.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). “Title 21—Food and Drugs; Chapter 15—Egg Products Inspection.” Washington DC: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, September 22, 1995. Available online at: http://www.fda.gov/opacom/laws/eggact.htm.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). “Grade ‘A’ Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (2003 Revision).” March 2, 2004. Washington, DC: Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.