More than 30 Peruvian companies that export non-traditional produce are being inspected by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to assure quality, according to agricultural news website Agraria.pe.

FDA inspections of Peruvian exporters are intended to control food risks.

The inspections of fresh and processed produce aim to identify and control food risks in companies that export crops such as asparagus, grapes and mangoes to the U.S., Laura Ángulo Aranda of Peruvian exporters association ADEX, is quoted as saying. The inspections began in October, the website reported.

“The FDA is taking a sample of the companies that export most to the U.S.; to date, ADEX has reports of three companies that have already been inspected. If the processing plant of one company doesn’t pass inspection, it’s gone,” she is quoted as saying.

According to the FDA, the inspections are intended to assure the quality of the products, improve confidence in buyers and promote international commerce.

Among the companies that will be inspected are: Camposol SA, Complejo Agroindustrial Beta, El Pedregal SA, Inca Frut SA and Sunshine Export.

“The FDA does these inspections every year, and there are companies that have been inspected two or three years in a row,” she is quoted as saying.

According to the FDA, the inspections could last one to three days for each company, and will span producers and processors as well as distributors and exporters of food to the U.S. The inspections could end in September 2011,  Ángulo Aranda said, according to the website.

Photo: Agraria.pe

Source: www.freshfruitportal.com