STANDARDIZATION AND INSPECTION FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES 27 
sanitary conditions in the packing plant, and obligations of the inspector in 
performing the services. 
The applicant is also required to furnish any special equipment which may be 
required, such as scales, containers for holding samples and similar equipment. 
The inspector in carrying out his assignment under a continuous inspection 
agreement takes samples of the product at regular intervals as they come off 
the packing line. After analyzing a sample he records his findings on a quality 
control sheet. The record shows the time of making the inspection of the 
sample, the percentage of defects including separate columns for the percentage 
of decay or other serious defects, the percentage of offsize, grit content if clean- 
liness is a factor of grade, and other information pertinent to the determination 
of the quality of the product. If a sample fails to meet the requirements of the 
grade being packed the inspector immediately notifies the foreman of the plant. 
He in turn can take such steps as necessary to correct the situation. Often 
slowing up the sorting belt or increasing the pressure of water in washing 
tanks, if grit content is involved, will do the trick. In other words, the chief 
duty of a continuous inspector in a packing plant is to keep the management of 
the firm informed as to whether the quality of the pack is being maintained. 
Applicants operating under a continuous inspection agreement may or may 
not grade-label their products. However, an applicant using the service is 
privileged to place the U. S. consumer grade designation of the product within 
the outline of the official United States Department of Agriculture shield. It 
is also permissible to state within the outline of the shield that the product is 
packed under continuous inspection of the United States Department of Agri- 
culture. Some prepackagers have used the services of a continuous inspector 
without grade labeling or use of the official shield because they believe the services 
of the inspector in maintaining their quality control is well worth the cost of 
the service. 
The cost to an applicant operating under a continuous inspection agreement 
was about $100 per week early in 1956. This figure covers the inspector’s salary, 
the cost of his training and supervision, and cost of quality control sheets and 
inspection certificates. 
Federal Inspection at Receiving Markets 
Inspection of fresh fruits and vegetables at receiving markets is conducted 
under Federal supervision only, whereas, inspection at shipping points is done 
under Federal-State supervision. As will be recalled, this service, inaugurated 
in 1918, was established 4 years before Congress provided for inspection at 
shipping points, for the purpose of enabling shippers to ascertain the condition 
of produce upon arrival in the markets. The service was later extended to re- 
ceivers and other financially interested parties. 
Inspectors are employed under Civil Service regulations. They must have a 
certain amount of training or experience in related work to qualify for the posi- 
tion, and pass a competitive examination successfully before entrance into the 
service. New inspectors are usually given several weeks of intensive training in 
Chicago or New York, or in one of the other large market centers. During this 
period market pathologists of the Agricultural Marketing Service assist in the 
training by giving a course of instruction in the symptoms, significance, and 
identification of the principal market diseases. To aid trainees in learning this 
phase of the work, specimens of fresh fruits and vegetables affected by various 
types of decays and defects are brought in from time to time from the cars where 
they were inspected, so that by the end of the training period the men have 
become proficient in the identification of the most important diseases and defects. 
