Port of Virginia joins federal in-transit cold treatment pilot program

Cold treatment is a process where perishable fruits have their pulp brought to a certain temperature for a period in order to fulfill U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) quarantine requirements for fruits and vegetables entering the United States.    The Port of Virginia has become the newest participant of a four-year-old federal pilot program designed to import fresh fruit to U.S. East Coast ports from South America.
   The port’s membership means that importers of perishables from South American countries can now offload their cargo at the Port of Virginia, the port said in a statement Monday.
   The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Southeast In-Transit Cold Treatment Pilot program allows entry of in-transit, cold-treated containers of agricultural products from South America, including: blueberries, citrus, and grapes from Peru; blueberries and grapes from Uruguay; and apples, blueberries and pears from Argentina.
   The time-sensitive shipments would have previously come to the East Coast and moved across ports in the Northeast. Before the program was launched in 2013, the perishables were required to enter Northeastern ports for cold treatment and clearance and then were transported to Southern states for distribution into stores.
   Cold treatment is a process whereby perishable fruits have their pulp brought to a certain temperature for a period in order to fulfill USDA quarantine requirements for fruits and vegetables entering the U.S.
   The USDA Southeast In-transit Cold Treatment Pilot enables a limited number of containerized cargoes to enter the port directly after completing a two-week cold treatment process as a safeguard against fruit flies and other pests, as well as acquiring all the required unloading clearances prior to the shipment’s arrival in port.
   Virginia Port Authority CEO and Executive Director John F. Reinhart said that there will be many beneficiaries of the change. Shippers will see lower transportation costs and a longer shelf-life for their products, he said; consumers will see lower prices at the store; and there will be environmental benefits from reduced emissions related transportation.
   “This designation is important for logistics and supply chain managers importing agricultural products because it means shorter total transit times from origin to market,” Reinhart explained in a statement. “This helps to diversify our cargo mix. It opens the door for new cargo and provides an important service for owners and shippers of perishables. This helps to support our strategic growth plan and further establishes the Port of Virginia as a global gateway.”
   Containers that don’t pass cold treatment won’t be allowed to enter the port and can’t be offloaded from vessels. Instead, they’ll either be shipped to a Northeastern port for retreatment, or, will be re-exported to the country of origin, according to the POV.