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2. Inspection Services
3. Inspection & Compliance Branch

Inspection & Compliance Branch

• Shipping Point Inspection Program

  Provides optional third party grading and certification service, and third party food safety verification audits to the fruit, nut, and vegetable industries throughout California. A Federal-State Cooperative Agreement with USDA authorizes CDFA inspectors to use federal grade standards for fresh produce, and issue federal-state inspection certificates recognized nationally and internationally.

• Standardization Program

  Responsible for the enforcement and maintenance of minimum standards for quality, maturity, container, marking size, and packing requirements.

• California Citrus Program

  Ensures the established minimum maturity and quality standards are met, also provides the industry with current and accurate data regarding the state’s citrus acreage and citrus crop information.

• Avocado Inspection Program

  CDFA provides oversight on inspections of avocados at the point of packing to ensure compliance with maturity, quality, size, and weight standards.

• Direct Marketing Program

  This program is responsible for enforcing provisions of the laws relative to Certified Farmers Markets and Community Supported Agriculture producers.

• California Organic Program

  This program is responsible for enforcing provisions of the law which govern the sale of foods labeled as organic.

• Produce Safety Program

  This program is responsible for implementing the Produce Safety Rule under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA).

• Technical Assistance Program

  This program provides educational resources designed to ensure small-scale produce farms become compliant with the federal Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule for growing fruits, nuts and vegetables.

• OCal Cannabis Certification Program

  The OCal Program establishes and enforces comparable-to-organic cannabis standards, assuring consumers that cannabis products bearing the OCal seal have been certified to consistent, uniform standards.