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Inspection of strawberries and other berries is a process of quality control of goods at different stages of logistic chain, which minimizes major trade risks related to the likelihood of cargo delivered or received not according to agreed specification, not being supplied in agreed quantity or incomplete set of accompanying documents agreed between parties for berries export/import operations is issued and received. Berry, as a rule, is called any small fleshy fruit (regardless of its botanical classification of fruit type and truth), for example currants, strawberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries.

CISS GROUP provides berries inspection services to large agribusinesses and international trading companies in intermediate storage warehouses, elevators, factories or ports around the world.

The peculiarity of the inspection of strawberries and other berries is that this category of goods has a limited shelf life and requires careful handling. That is why the inspection must be organized in such a way as to pass all stages in a short time. For the inspection of this cargo, it is important to comply with the following conditions:

REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLING

The importance of obtaining representative samples cannot be over emphasized.

Accurate certification is only possible if the samples that are examined are truly representative of the entire lot or accessible portion of the lot. All portions of the lot or accessible portion should receive the same attention in sampling. Shipments or lots of berries may be made up of berries from a number of fields, growers or days picking.

This may result in berries that may vary in quality and/or condition from one location to another.

DEFECTS (QUALITY AND CONDITION)

• Brightness of strawberries is not a grade requirement and cannot be scored as a defect, although it is an important marketing factor
• Bruises may appear as flattened, sunken, mushy and/or discolored areas. Berries, which are soft from being overripe, should be scored for serious damage as “overripe” and should not be combined with bruising
• Calyxes/Cores
• Color
• Dirt or Foreign Matter
• Discoloration - may result from any one of a number of causes, such as disease or sunburn
• Freezing or Frozen Berries
• Hail, Insect, Bird, Rodent Injury - When injury is slight, it should be overlooked, otherwise it should be scored as damage or serious damage based on the appearance of the individual berry. Presence of live insects, fruit flies or larvae is always considered serious damage
• Mold - the berries should be free from mold. That means that any amount of mold on a berry should be scored as serious damage
• Moisture
• Overripe/Soft Berries

Highly professional inspectors and laboratory assistants of CISS GROUP carry out inspection of strawberries and other berries at any point of the supply chain.

The main stages of checking strawberries and other berries:

Incoming/outgoing check of strawberries and other berries.

It is carried out during the delivery of strawberries and other berries to fruit and vegetable bases, to cold storage rooms of warehouses or to refrigerated containers. The CISS GROUP inspector will visually assess the condition of the premises for the suitability of cargo storage; check the cargo itself so that it is whole, dry, not mixed with other cargo, not damaged, wet, frozen or wet, without pests, impurities, mold or foreign odors.

Acceptance of containers for cleanliness before loading strawberries and other berries.

It is a visual inspection of refrigerated containers for cleanliness and suitability for transportation of strawberries and other berries. The inspector carefully inspects their internal surfaces, checks the integrity and operability of coolers, temperature sensors, locks, hinges and other fasteners on container doors, rubber seals of container doors.

Visual control of the loading process and sampling of strawberries and other berries.

During the loading of strawberries and other berries, the inspector controls the packaging, labeling of fruits, the number of containers with berries in each box, fixes the gross/net weight when overweight. Carefully conducts a visual assessment of the quality of the cargo, the color of the fruits, fixes the temperature regime. When sampling and forming representative samples, he pays equal attention to all parts of the batch or the available part. At the end of loading, the inspector seals the loaded containers. He enters all the data into reports, to which the client gets direct access.

Note that CISS GROUP inspection during loading and sampling can be carried out around the clock!

Laboratory tests of the quality of strawberries and other berries.

We check the quality of strawberries and other berries exclusively in accredited laboratories in accordance with the requirements of existing international standards. The standard indicators of the quality of strawberries and other berries determined include: appearance (freshness), size, weight, color, the presence of moldy and damaged berries, smell, taste, sugar content.

In addition to basic analyses, laboratory tests are carried out for the content of radionuclides, pesticides, toxic components, mycotoxins.

At the request of the client, during the loading process, we also carry out an organoleptic analysis for each lot.

Photo and video report.

The inspector records each stage of the inspection with photos and videos. All such data contain the date and time of recorded stage of inspection. At the end of the strawberries and other berries inspection, CISS GROUP provides a detailed photo report of all stages of control and inspection.

Certificates.

Based on the results of the inspection of strawberries and other berries the final certificate or reports are issued. The client can check the authenticity of the documents using a unique QR code, which is the "key" to the CISS GROUP website, where pdf versions of certificates are stored. Our certificates are protected with a digital cryptographic signature, which also guarantees their reliability and security.

Digitally signed certificates are often required by banks to verify the integrity of trading process when financing trade operations in the form of a letter of credit.

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