Apple transport and export: rigueur

Cold treatment: at the fruit centre or during transport

©Pascal Xicluna

http://photo.agriculture.gouv.fr

Conditioning fruit centres are subject to monitoring carried out by the regional fruit and vegetable protection departments under whose authority they fall. They must meet requirements to guarantee maximum elimination of any organisms living in the fruit and vegetables. Application of a cold treatment on apples, using the appropriate technical methods, aims to avoid any possibility of the presence of a harmful organism at all stages of its development.

This cold treatment phase can be carried out in the centre’s cold chamber which is designed so that the temperature can be maintained at a previously determined level. This phase is followed by loading the apples in containers for transport, something which is done without breaking the cold chain so as to guarantee the absence of any subsequent contamination.

This cold treatment operation can also take place during transport in a refrigerated container which has temperature recorders to ensure the conformity of the technical process applied until the apples reach their destination.

Official documents, depending on destinations:

Apple export is also accompanied by official documents from the fruit and vegetable protection departments. Depending on the destination, the product is accompanied by phytosanitary certificates and additional specific declarations; these documents aim to specify in particular that the fruits have been inspected and conform with the phytosanitary requirements required by the regulations of the destination country concerned.