Cold treating of produce means they don’t have to be routed through northeastern ports
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. Customized Brokers, a subsidiary of Crowley Maritime Corporation, was part of the original pilot program with the Florida Perishables Trade Coalition to handle imports into Florida of Peruvian citrus, apples and pears from Uruguay, and Argentinian blueberries through a temperature-controlled facility in Miami.  “We were awaiting USDA approval to move forward with an expansion of the program,” said Nelly Yunta, vice president of Customized Brokers. In 2013, Flagler Global Logistics’ South Florida Logistics Center received USDA approval for the cold-treatment of fruits and vegetables. The treatment’s filtration system also makes the process more environmentally friendly. “With this cold-chain infrastructure in place at the South Florida Logistics Center, our partners have a new gateway to the southeast that allows them to get their product to market more quickly,” said Chris Scott, CEO of Flagler Global Logistics. “This adds at least a week or more to the product’s shelf life.” The South Florida Logistics Center opened for business in October 2013 and is located adjacent to the Miami International Airport. In September 2014, the port of Savannah, Georgia, was authorized by USDA to accept cold-treated citrus fruit, grapes, and blueberries from Peru; citrus and blueberries from Chile; and grapes from Brazil. Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta has also been approved by the USDA to apply cold treatment to shipments of imported South American fruit, the only airport in the southeast to achieve that distinction. In 2014 the USDA approved the Comark RF500 wireless system for use in cold treatment. The technology was approved by the USDA’s Treatment Quality Assurance Unit for use in data collection for cold treatment of imported produce. The USDA specifies instrument accuracy and data collection qualifications for equipment used to document that the cold treatment procedure has been completed accurately. USDA also tests, approves, and publishes a listing of procedures and equipment which meets standards for this application. The Comark RF500 offers immediate notification of unexpected temperature changes. The system settings can be managed through computers and smartphones. Alarm notifications can be received via email, cell phones or pagers so prompt action can be taken to protect costly stock. Up to 64 transmitters can collect temperature data and report wirelessly to a single data base. Container carrier APL has implemented the SMARTcool cold treatment technique. The company says SMARTcool is the most sophisticated cold treatment available to help shippers meet quarantine requirements. SMARTcool is carried out in transit with USDA cold-treatment-certified containers. All APL reefer unit air ventilation systems are installed with med fly protective screens to prevent potential infestation of fruit flies during transit. By maintaining a consistent, sufficiently low temperature throughout the entire voyage, SMARTcool is a special post-harvest process that eradicates pests without the need for fumigation. APL’s reefer professionals are trained to ensure protocols for specific cargoes are maintained from origin to destination. Port Manatee, one the USDA program’s new entrants, is enthusiastic about its participation in the pilot program. “Port Manatee looks to advance as Florida’s leading on-dock cold storage port,” said Carlos Buqueras, the port’s executive director. Port Manatee’s USDA approval came following a July meeting at Port Manatee with federal officials and stakeholders. During the meeting, officials of USDA were joined by counterparts from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in explaining the pilot program’s procedures and benefits. Thanks to new technologies for shipboard cold treatment, “it is no longer necessary for ships to take South American fruit to northern climates to alleviate pest concerns,” Buqueras added. “The new program can offer U.S. consumers fresher, more economical products than those that follow the traditional routes to Philadelphia and other ports north of the 39th parallel.” In August, the Port Tampa Bay Board of Commissioners approved a new lease with Port Logistics Tampa Bay to develop a new 130,000 square foot on-dock cold storage facility to handle refrigerated imports and exports.  “Our participation in this program dovetails nicely with our plans to develop new on-dock cold storage capacity and the new post-Panamax container cranes to be delivered early next year”, noted Raul Alfonso, executive vice president and chief commercial officer of Port Tampa Bay. “We look forward to providing our customers, both here in Florida and beyond, with new, more efficient supply chain solutions for their perishable products.”