Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Fruit and Vegetables

Printer Friendly Version

For assistance, call 863-578-1900 or visit https://www.fdacs.gov/Divisions-Offices/Fruit-and-Vegetables

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 (e.g., citrus and tomatoes). The bureau comprises two sections. The citrus section monitors the Department of Citrus and other state and federal rules pertaining to the quality of fresh or processed citrus products. The vegetable section performs mandatory inspections on fresh produce covered by marketing orders and other fresh produce on a request basis. The bureau is also responsible for the installation, calibration, repair, and accuracy of all measuring systems and instruments used in the inspection process, including an 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 2021-22, the division inspected 2,752,782 tons of fruit and vegetables at shipping point and terminal markets.

How are these activities funded?

Fiscal Year: 2023-24

	Fund	Salary Rate/ Position	General Revenue	Trust Funds
SALARY RATE		6,171,871
POSITIONS		113.00
SALARIES AND BENEFITS
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND			426,262
	FROM CITRUS INSPECTION TRUST FUND			3,714,080
	FROM FEDERAL GRANTS TRUST FUND			567,147
	FROM GENERAL INSPECTION TRUST FUND			2,784,706
OTHER PERSONAL SERVICES
	FROM CITRUS INSPECTION TRUST FUND			366,406
	FROM FEDERAL GRANTS TRUST FUND			15,900
	FROM GENERAL INSPECTION TRUST FUND			1,128,763
EXPENSES
	FROM CITRUS INSPECTION TRUST FUND			583,880
	FROM FEDERAL GRANTS TRUST FUND			274,982
	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
ACQUISITION OF MOTOR VEHICLES
	FROM GENERAL INSPECTION TRUST FUND			61,461
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			8,000,000
SPECIAL CATEGORIES
TRANSFER GENERAL REVENUE TO CITRUS INSPECTION TRUST FUND
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND			4,000,000
SPECIAL CATEGORIES
CITRUS RESEARCH
FROM GENERAL REVENUE FUND			30,000,000
	FROM AGRICULTURAL EMERGENCY ERADICATION TRUST FUND			8,000,000
SPECIAL CATEGORIES
CONTRACTED SERVICES
	FROM CITRUS INSPECTION TRUST FUND			38,428
	FROM FEDERAL GRANTS TRUST FUND			413,122
	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			42,719
	FROM GENERAL INSPECTION TRUST FUND			285,892
SPECIAL CATEGORIES
TRANSFER TO DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT SERVICES - HUMAN RESOURCES SERVICES PURCHASED PER STATEWIDE CONTRACT
	FROM CITRUS INSPECTION TRUST FUND			64,769
	FROM FEDERAL GRANTS TRUST FUND			2,118
	FROM GENERAL INSPECTION TRUST FUND			18,804
TOTAL			42,426,262	21,768,301

Source: www.transparencyflorida.gov

Updates

Pummelos Exempt From Handling and Reporting Requirements. On March 9, 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a change to Florida Citrus Marketing Order; Exemption for Pummelos (88 FR 14477). As recommended by the Citrus Administrative Committee, pummelos are now exempt from handling and reporting requirements under the marketing order. The change reverses an amendment to Marketing Order 905, in which the Florida citrus industry voted to incorporate pummelos into the order.

A marketing order establishes, by a vote of the producers, a self-imposed assessment or fee to be used for various industry activities. DACS inspects fresh citrus at packinghouses and provides shipment data to the committee. The committee then uses the data to bill for assessments and to issue industry reports. However, there are currently no quality requirements in effect for pummelos or pummelo hybrids under the order, nor are there any state requirements. As a result, there is no inspection and, therefore, no established data collection method for pummelos.

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
2022 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, 570.49, 573.118, and 601.28, Florida Statutes

Whom do I contact for help?

Division of Fruit and Vegetables, 863-578-1900
Website