Produce Inspections, Certification and Audits

Quality Control Tailored for the Produce Industry

Fresh produce is a sensitive product category that requires fast shipping and proper storage. Any delay in your supply chain or a disruption in storage conditions can seriously impair your product’s quality. For a fresh produce supplier, it is equally important to check the condition of their inventory at departure from the farm or packaging facility and upon its arrival at the destination.

QIMA offers product inspections for your produce, helping you receive an accurate picture of your merchandise every step of the way. We will check the quality of your produce before it’s shipped, and will be at your destination to inspect it again after transit.

QIMA provides specialized inspections for:

• Berries: blueberries, blackberries, cherries

• Tropical fruits: mangos, pineapples, asparagus, kiwi

• Traditional fruits: apples, pears, avocados, grapes, lemon, orange, clementines

• Other fruits and vegetables: lettuce, tomatoes, chilies

• Beans, corn, nuts, grains, cereals

Produce Inspection Expertise

Internationally Recognized Inspection Protocols

QIMA produce inspectors follow detailed inspection protocols, prepared by our experts based on international regulations, standards of your destination market, and your own requirements. To ensure that every sample we collect objectively represents your shipment, we follow the guidelines and sampling plans prescribed by the World Health Organization Food Code (the Codex Alimentarius).

Comprehensive Produce Inspections

Before your produce is loaded onto the truck, our specialized inspectors will conduct a check of its condition, including quality, quantity, packaging, and labelling. As soon as your shipment arrives at the destination, our team will be there to make a complete inspection of your produce, ensuring that it has not been damaged or otherwise compromised during transit.

Real-Time Supply Chain Intelligence

All of our findings are recorded in detailed inspection reports, which are delivered to you on the day of the inspection, enabling you to make timely and informed decisions for your supply chain. You also receive access to detailed supplier data via the QIMA dashboard, which provides you with real-time supply chain intelligence. Using this data, you can benchmark your suppliers, monitor trends, and gain deep insight into your supply chain.

Solutions for Produce Safety

Quality check

Weight and diameter check

Defects check

Produce Supplier Audits

QIMA supplier audits keep you up to date on the safety and compliance status of your produce suppliers, helping you identify areas in need of improvement and take corrective action.

Ethical Audits

Ethical audits investigate your suppliers for social compliance, including working conditions and worker rights, helping you eliminate any instances of labor abuse from your produce supply chain.

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Farm and greenhouse audits

Farm and greenhouse audits investigate areas of potential contamination during growing, including fertilizer usage, water usage and irrigation, pest control, harvest control, food security, the use of adjacent land, and employee safety & hygiene.

Harvest crew audits

Harvest crew audits address the working practices, safety and hygiene of employees directly involved in food harvesting, and food security issues.

Food safety audits

Food safety audits help ensure compliance throughout your food supply chain and improve your and your supplier’s quality management systems. QIMA offers hygiene audits (GHP), Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) audits for your fresh produce supply chain.

Certifications for the Fresh Produce Industry

QIMA, through our subsidiary QIMA/WQS, can audit your processes and systems against the requirements of applicable standards to achieve certification under the following schemes:

• HACCP (Hazard analysis and critical control points)

• UTZ and 4C certification (for coffee)

• GFSI approved certification schemes

  • PrimusGFS

  • SQF

  • GlobalG.A.P.

  • BRC Global Standards

  • IFS