NEW YORK: As of October 1, Port Tampa and Port Manatee in Florida have been authorized by the United States Department of Agriculture to handle cold-treated imports of grapes, blueberries, apples, pears and citrus from Peru, Uruguay and Argentina.
Those imports were historically restricted to entry through northeastern U.S. ports and then trucked to markets in the southeast. A pilot program allowing cold-treated produce to enter via ports in Florida began in 2013.
Perishables brought to Florida ports offer consumers in the southeastern U.S. access to fresh produce quicker. Thanks to new technologies for shipboard and landside cold treatment, it is no longer necessary for ships to take South American fruit to northern climates to alleviate pest concerns.
A growing number of ports, airports, carriers, and logistics and technology providers in the southeastern United States are joining the USDA program that allows the import of South American produce through southern ports.
Of concern is the possible presence in produce imported into the United States of Mediterranean fruit flies, Asian longhorned beetles, and other pests. Under standards set by the USDA, all imported produce must be quarantined and properly processed. The cold treatment process, one of several treatments approved and monitored by the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, involves the holding of produce at a set temperature range for a specified time window.
The USDA pilot initiated in the fall of 2013 allowed imports of cold-treated grapes and blueberries from Peru and Uruguay into ports in Miami Dade and Broward counties in southern Florida. The expanded program now also encompasses citrus from Peru, as well as blueberries, apples and pears from Argentina and includes the additional ports added on October 1.
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