Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Fruit and Vegetables

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What is the purpose of the division?

The Division of Fruit and Vegetables inspects and certifies all fresh shipments of vegetables, fruit, and nuts covered by state and federal marketing orders. The division inspects all fresh tomato packinghouses and farms to ensure compliance with food safety regulations, and also inspects fresh produce not covered by regulation on a request basis in support of outside entities, export laws, and commercial requirements. The division licenses all citrus dealers, registrants and agents of licensed fruit dealers, packinghouses, and processing plants. The division oversees the Florida Agricultural Statistical Service (FASS), the main agricultural data-gathering entity in Florida, which collects, compiles, and provides current agricultural statistics.

How is the division organized?

Headquartered in Bartow, the Division of Fruit and Vegetables is part of the department's Agriculture Economic Development Program. The division has two bureaus.

Bureau of Inspection inspects and certifies produce that is covered by state and federal marketing orders related to quality and/or condition of product. The Bureau comprises two sections. The Citrus Section monitors the Department of Citrus and other state and federal agencies' rules and regulations pertaining to the quality of fresh or processed citrus products. The Vegetable Section performs mandatory inspections on fresh produce covered by marketing orders and inspects fresh produce not covered by regulation on a request basis in support of outside entities, export laws, and commercial requirements. The Bureau is also responsible for the installation, calibration, repair, and accuracy of all measuring systems and instruments used in the inspection process, including automated citrus juice testing systems as well as other commodity automation needs.
Bureau of Operation and Compliance oversees all support functions of the division. This includes data entry, fiscal, license and bond, and building maintenance, as well as the Food and Drug Administration Food Safety Modernization Act, Produce Safety Rule. The Bureau oversees the Florida Agriculture Statistic Service (FASS). The bureau is also responsible for compiling and publishing reports generated from inspection data on a timely basis for industry leaders, growers, processors, and other involved parties. FASS has the primary goal of providing farmers, ranchers, and other producers of Florida agricultural commodities with unbiased and reliable information to assist them in making production and marketing decisions.

How many tons of fruits and vegetables does the division inspect?

In Fiscal Year 2019-20, the division inspected 3,885,513 million tons of fruit and vegetables at shipping point and terminal markets.

How are these activities funded?

Fiscal Year: 2021-22

	Fund	Salary Rate/ Position	General Revenue	Trust Funds
SALARY RATE		5,189,418
POSITIONS		117.00
SALARIES AND BENEFITS
	FROM CITRUS INSPECTION TRUST FUND			3,463,251
	FROM FEDERAL GRANTS TRUST FUND			532,358
	FROM GENERAL INSPECTION TRUST FUND			2,550,882
OTHER PERSONAL SERVICES
	FROM CITRUS INSPECTION TRUST FUND			224,491
	FROM FEDERAL GRANTS TRUST FUND			18,000
	FROM GENERAL INSPECTION TRUST FUND			951,170
EXPENSES
	FROM CITRUS INSPECTION TRUST FUND			583,880
	FROM FEDERAL GRANTS TRUST FUND			229,982
	FROM GENERAL INSPECTION TRUST FUND			567,529
OPERATING CAPITAL OUTLAY
	FROM CITRUS INSPECTION TRUST FUND			10,000
	FROM GENERAL INSPECTION TRUST FUND			23,710
SPECIAL CATEGORIES
AUTOMATED TESTING EQUIPMENT
	FROM CITRUS INSPECTION TRUST FUND			101,041
SPECIAL CATEGORIES
TRANSFER TO AGRICULTURAL EMERGENCY ERADICATION TRUST FUND
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND			5,000,000
SPECIAL CATEGORIES
CITRUS RESEARCH
	FROM CITRUS INSPECTION TRUST FUND			3,000,000
	FROM AGRICULTURAL EMERGENCY ERADICATION TRUST FUND			5,000,000
SPECIAL CATEGORIES
CONTRACTED SERVICES
	FROM CITRUS INSPECTION TRUST FUND			38,428
	FROM FEDERAL GRANTS TRUST FUND			408,898
	FROM GENERAL INSPECTION TRUST FUND			53,762
SPECIAL CATEGORIES
GRANTS AND AIDS - MARKETING ORDERS
	FROM CITRUS INSPECTION TRUST FUND			1,980,000
	FROM GENERAL INSPECTION TRUST FUND			669,082
SPECIAL CATEGORIES
RISK MANAGEMENT INSURANCE
	FROM CITRUS INSPECTION TRUST FUND			95,257
	FROM GENERAL INSPECTION TRUST FUND			176,905
SPECIAL CATEGORIES
TRANSFER TO DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT SERVICES - HUMAN RESOURCES SERVICES PURCHASED PER STATEWIDE CONTRACT
	FROM CITRUS INSPECTION TRUST FUND			55,985
	FROM FEDERAL GRANTS TRUST FUND			1,811
	FROM GENERAL INSPECTION TRUST FUND			16,690
TOTAL			5,000,000	20,753,112

Source: www.transparencyflorida.gov

Updates

Keep Florida Growing. With restaurants and foodservice businesses closed due to COVID-19, agricultural producers across the country have struggled to sell perishable products like fruits and vegetables. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) is working to support farmers, ranchers and producers, as well as consumers. A list of programs and resources is available at Keep Florida Growing.

In response to the interruptions in food distribution during COVID-19, FDACS created the Florida Farm to You Commodities List to directly connect potential buyers to farmers and producers of Florida-grown commodities like fresh fruits and vegetables.

Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Coronavirus Food Assistance Program provides vital financial assistance to producers of agricultural commodities who have suffered a five percent or greater price decline or who had losses due to market supply chain disruptions due to COVID-19, and face additional significant market costs. In 2021, the USDA expanded CFAP to provide additional payments.

Where can I find related OPPAGA reports?

A complete list of related OPPAGA reports is available on our website.

Where can I get more information?

Reports
Florida Agriculture Overview and Statistics, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
2020 State Agriculture Overview Florida, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Websites of Interest
U.S. Department of Agriculture

Performance Information

Performance measures and standards for the department may be found in its Long Range Program Plan.

What are the applicable statutes?

Chapter 603 and ss. 20.14, 570.48, and 570.49, Florida Statutes.

Whom do I contact for help?

Division of Fruit and Vegetables, 863-578-1900

Website