AMS Creating Opportunities for 

American Farms & Businesses
Specialty Crops Inspection 

Division

Modernizing Specialty Crops Inspection Services
Specialty Crops Inspection Division

• Part of the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service’s (AMS) Specialty Crops Program (SCP), which helps 

provide for the competitive, efficient, and transparent marketing of all specialty crops. 

• SCI’s mission is to support the global specialty crops market by collaborating with the agricultural 

community to provide trusted, impartial, prompt, and accurate quality assurance and food safety 

verification services. 

• For more than 100 years, SCI and its predecessor organizations have provided services that help the 

specialty crops farming and distribution sectors effectively market products. 
What We Do

• We facilitate the efficient, fair marketing of America’s fresh, frozen, and processed fruits, vegetables, and 

other specialty crops by providing:

• Grading, inspection, and certification services

• Voluntary, audit-based services to verify good agricultural and manufacturing practices, HACCP, 

traceability, food defense, and export certification

• 300+ U.S. grade standards and related guidance, and 180+ Commercial Item Descriptions for all 

commodities
What We Do

• Services are voluntary except when mandated by Federal marketing orders, or school lunch and other 

feeding programs

• Services provided on a user-fee basis to anyone with a financial interest in product load
Delivering Service

• 600 Federal employees

• 14 Area Offices

• Los Angeles, Fresno, Stockton, Yakima, San Antonio, Oshkosh, South Bend, Winter Haven, College Park, Hunt 

Valley, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Bronx, Boston

• 6 Sub-Offices

• Houston, Ft. Worth, Chicago, Puerto Rico, Miami, Richmond

• 17 Inspection Points

• Rochester, Jessup, Wilkes-Barre, San Juan, Hartford, Ellsworth, Mankato, Kansas City, Houston, Allen Park, 

Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Prunedale, Indio, Portland, Denver, Burley

• 3,400 Federal-State Cooperators in 36 States
Current Inspection Services

• Inspect fresh and processed fruits, vegetables, nuts, and specialty crops products 

• Certify class, quality, quantity, and condition of product upon shipping or receipt in interstate commerce

• Customers choose inspection type:

U.S. grade standards or contract terms Full inspection (quality and condition)

Condition only Weight or count only

Temperature only Custom certifications
Challenges

• Keep pace with continuously and rapidly evolving marketing needs to ensure voluntary USDA quality 

inspection services for specialty crops remain relevant and of value to the industry

• Meet nationwide inspection needs even as we close small offices across the country because they cannot 

generate sufficient revenue to cover their own costs. 

• Ensure we meet our regulatory mandate to achieve cost recovery through user fees, which account for 

96% of SCI’s budget. 

 To meet both needs, we are exploring new ways to provide inspections.
For Your Consideration

How can SCI use technology to provide faster, more-cost effective inspection 

services that meet both your needs and our fiduciary responsibilities?
The Charge

1. What technologies could we use to optimize inspection and grading 

services?

2. Would a “virtual inspection service” that leverages modern 

technology to provide unofficial inspection results using a virtual 

sampling and inspection protocol...

a. Meet your inspection needs? 

b. Help provide cost-effective, timely service in remote areas? 

3. What concerns would industry have with using a virtual inspection 

protocol?
Ryan Wilson

Director

Specialty Crops Inspection Division

AMS Specialty Crops Program 

202-720-0298

Ryan.Wilson@usda.gov

Contact Info