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GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Agency: The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of the USDA.

Applicant: The entity responsible for establishing, documenting, implementing, and 

maintaining a DOV program. It is the facility being audited; synonymous with Auditee. 

Some companies may have several facilities audited but each is considered an applicant 

even though they may have a different address for billing.

Approved DOV Program Participant: Any entity that has applied for service and met 

the DOV Specific Requirements as established through the audit process described in the 

DOV General Policies and Procedures. 

Auditee: Facility audited; synonymous with Applicant.

Code: Unique and permanent finished product identification required for fruit and 

vegetable processed product lots.

Commodity Procurement Division (CPD): Division within USDA, Agricultural 

Marketing Service, Fruit and Vegetable Programs responsible for purchasing fruits, nuts, 

and vegetables for USDA feeding programs.

Component or Product: Any fresh or processed fruit, nut, or vegetable used as an 

ingredient in product destined for delivery to USDA. 

Contractor: A person, agency, corporation, or other legal entity obligated under a 

contract with the Agency. 

Corrective Action Request (CAR): The document the auditor uses to individually 

record the non-conformances reported on the summary page of the DOV Audit Report. 

The applicant (Auditee) is required to respond to each CAR with its resolution to the 

deficiency or non-conformance.

Documentation: Policy, procedures, instructions, and records prepared and maintained 

by the applicant that describe the facility's plans and processes for ensuring that products 

or components handled conform to DOV Specific Requirements. The documentation may 

be in the form of a well-defined manual or an accumulation of program documents and 

records.

Domestic Origin Products: Fresh or processed fruit, nut, or vegetables delivered under 

the USDA purchase programs originating from crops grown, processed, and packed in 

the United States, its territories or possessions, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or the 

Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands (hereinafter referred to as the United States). See 

CPD announcements and invitations. 

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Domestic Origin Verification (DOV) Program: An audit program to evaluate an 

applicant's procedures for ensuring that only domestic origin products are delivered under 

the USDA purchase program. The program is available to contractors, subcontractors, 

suppliers, processors, and any financially interested party.

DOV Auditor: An AMS employee who has received training and met all the 

requirements for performing audits on the DOV Audit Program. 

DOV Audit Report: The document the auditor uses to record information during the 

on-site audit. It has a summary page to report deficiencies and non-conformances found 

during the audit. 

DOV Audit Plan: The document the auditor uses to prepare for the on-site audit by 

documenting the activities planned during the audit. 

DOV Program Manager: The AMS employee who is trained in the DOV Audit 

Program and manages it. DOV Program Manager was previously referred to as the DOV 

Coordinator. 

DOV Quick Guide: The document that summarizes the DOV Specific Requirements and 

provides a quick reference to the requirements. 

DOV Specialist: An auditor trained in the DOV Audit Program and who is responsible 

for assisting the DOV Program Manager in performing Pre-validation Assessments, 

performing audits, and training auditors. 

Entity: Any company or individual supplying a fruit, nut, or vegetable component or 

product for a USDA contract. 

Finding: A conclusion of importance based on observations. 

Follow-up Audit: an audit conducted to verify effectiveness of corrective actions 

resulting from either a validation or verification audit.

Grower(s): an individual or entity that develops a fruit, nut, or vegetable through a 

process of natural growth to maturity (e.g., plants, cultivates, grows, and harvests). 

 

Handle: to engage in the buying, distributing, or selling of a fruit, nut, or vegetable 

component or product (e.g., purchase, receive, store, process, warehouse, or ship). 

Non-conformance: a departure from or non-fulfillment of the DOV Specific 

Requirements or applicant’s DOV program. 

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Non-conforming Component or Product: a quantity of product that is purchased, 

received, processed, packed, or shipped that is not controlled and specifically covered by 

the applicant’s DOV program and procedures, and does not fulfill the specified domestic 

origin requirement. 

Non-domestic Origin Component or Product: Fresh or processed fruit, nut, or 

vegetable that did not originate from crops grown, processed, and packed in the United 

States. Non-domestic is synonymous with imported. 

On-site Validation Audit: the initial on-site audit to review the supplier's facilities, 

procedures, and records to determine conformance with the DOV Specific Requirements. 

Opportunity for Improvement (OI): Areas with potential for strengthening. Although 

not identified as non-conformances, an OI has the potential to become a nonconformance if not improved or addressed. 

Pre-validation Assessment: A review performed off-site (not at the applicant’s facility) 

prior to the On-site Validation Audit that established whether or not the applicant has 

submitted complete documentation (i.e., verifiable written procedures) for its DOV 

processes in accordance with the DOV Specific Requirements. 

Processor: A facility that converts raw components or product into finished product. 

Such a facility may also be a contractor, subcontractor, or supplier. 

Segregation Procedure: A document that is prepared and maintained that describes the 

facility's process for preventing the commingling of domestic and non-domestic product 

or product “not established” as domestic. 

Similar: Component or product possessing the same or almost the same characteristics. 

Subcontractor: An individual or entity that performs part or all of the contract 

requirements for the contractor.

Supplier: An entity whose business is to supply a particular service or commodity 

including, but not limited to, raw materials, components, or finished products (i.e., 

individual, processor, subcontractor, broker, contractor). For the purposes of this 

document it does not include a grower. 

Surveillance Activity: A review of a process to determine continuing conformance 

during an approval period. It is usually limited in scope.

 

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Verification Audit: An audit that verifies the continued compliance of an applicant's 

DOV processes and procedures. 

Trace-Back: A method of tracking components or product beginning at the end of a 

process and working back through the process either to the beginning or to a designated 

point to verify that the end item came from growers of domestic origin and was processed 

and/or packed domestically.

Verifiable Written Procedure: A document that specifies how to perform an activity or 

process. It is a particular way of accomplishing something. The procedure should 

describe (1) what the activity is, (2) when the activity is performed, (3) who performs the 

activity, and (4) if applicable, how, where, and why the activity is performed. 

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