It is obvious that such service to the fruit and vegetable industry could not 
be given under the act without grades and standards and inspection. Contracts 
between shippers and receivers ordinarily specify a certain grade of a product 
and the information given on shipping-point and receiving-market inspection 
certificates usually furnish the evidence necessary for final settlement of disputes. 
The importance of the inspection service as an aid in enforcing the PAC Act is 
further emphasized by the fact that section 14 of the act includes authority for 
making inspections. 
HAS THE CONSUMER BENEFITED? 
From the foregoing brief description of the services available to the industry 
under the fresh fruit and vegetable grading and inspection programs, one might 
gain the impression that they have benefited only growers, shippers, and dealers in 
the markets. The question, therefore, might properly be asked: Has the con- 
sumer benefited under such programs? The answer is Yes. Because of the 
programs, the consumer is able to buy a better quality of fruits and vegetables. 
There is no doubt that the general quality of fresh fruits and vegetables offered 
for sale in retail stores is superior to the quality offered before products were 
packed in accordance with requirements of official grades. And so it can be 
said that even though most products lose their wholesale grade designation before 
they reach the consumer, he has definitely benefited by being able to buy better 
quality produce. 
One reason why consumer or retail grades have not been developed for perish- 
able produce is because it has been thought that under past methods of distribution 
the sale of such produce by grades was not practicable, since the condition of some 
products changes so rapidly. For example, such products as tomatoes, peaches, 
and all kinds of berries might meet the requirements of a certain grade when 
put on display for sale in a store in the morning, but they often would be far off- 
grade by late afternoon owing to the development of decay during the day. Such 
however, would not be so true of apples, citrus fruits, onions, cabbage, potatoes, 
and other such less perishable products. 
Recently, numerous requests from consumer groups, retail organizations, and 
even some shippers have been received by the Department of Agriculture for 
U. S. consumer or retail standards for fresh fruits and vegetables. Postwar de- 
velopments point to many changes and improvements in the merchandising of 
fresh fruits and vegetables. Railroad companies promise better refrigeration and 
quicker transportation. Airplane transportation of certain products is already 
being tried. Some retail organizations contemplate the construction of refrig- 
‘ erated storage and sales display cabinets. Package manufacturers and retailers 
are cooperating in experimenting with many different types of consumer packages 
for many products to replace the familiar brown paper bag container. Already 
some products are available in retail stores in specially packed consumer packages. 
Tomatoes, for instance, are being packed by carlot receivers in small paper 
cartons holding from 3 to 6 tomatoes and so packed are receiving widespread 
acceptance by consumers. Fresh spinach, washed, trimmed and “ready for the 
pot,” is being packaged in small cellophane bags in some of the larger cities for 
quick distribution through retail outlets. Consumers are already familiar with 
the small cloth and paper bags of potatoes, onions, and citrus fruits which have 
been available in the stores for several years. 
With such changes in our methods of distribution, merchandising, packaging, 
refrigeration, and transportation in the offing, it appears that the sale of produce 
packed to meet requirements of official consumer or retail standards may become 
feasible for some products at least. To carry out such a program on a large scale 
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