Manual of Naval Preventive Medicine
Chapter 1: Food Service Sanitation
Section IV: Inspection of Food Items

1-27. Inspection of Fruits and Vegetables.

Department of the Navy
Bureau of Medicine and Surgery

1. Inspections of fresh fruits and vegetables are based upon standards of the USDA. Due allowances, however are made for differences in these grades of standards but minimum requirements are defined for the various grades.

a. Fruits. Generally speaking, the choice of any fruit is influenced by appearance and quality. The following factors should be considered when inspecting fruit: appearance (absence of blemishes), size and taste. Appearance is an indication of quality but must not be used as the sole standard when inspecting. Blemishes indicate poor quality or the beginning of decay. Larger fruit usually is more woody and course. Taste, however, is the best indicator of quality. Occasionally, fruits may have surface blemishes and the quality still may be high. Only by testing can this quality be determined. See NAVSUP PUB 421, Food Service Operations, for acceptable and unacceptable standards for inspecting the various types of fruit;

b. Vegetables. Standard grades for vegetables have been developed by the USDA; military inspections are based on those standards. Because of their perishability, fresh vegetables must be handled with care. Do not pinch, squeeze, or handle them unnecessarily because bruising leads to decay and results in early spoilage. See NAVSUP PUB 421 for standards to use when inspecting vegetables.

Figure 1-3. Examples of severely dented cans that should be discarded