It's 5 a.m. Cathy Hance and Jeffrey Honey are on their way to work.
It's a hot summer day, but where they're going it could be 50 F.
Hance and Honey are fresh fruit and vegetable graders. It's their
job to determine and impartially report on the condition of a shipment of
produce, based on strict standards and regulations.
Hance works at the Hunt's Point terminal market in New York. She has
worked as a grader and is now the officer in charge.
"The job is very important. I feel I really benefit the USDA [U.S. Department
of Agriculture] by the job I do," says Hance. "I work in different places,
hot, cold, rail cars, trucks. I enjoy the variety and it's a different
experience all the time. I like everything about the job. It's very rewarding."
Honey is an inspector with a produce marketing association. He performs
inspections for condition, grade, weight, size or count.
"[In the last month,] I have seen Spanish clementines, mangoes from Brazil,
green peppers from Florida, romaine and cauliflower from California. I inspected
these commodities in five different locations. Next month I'll be looking
at grapes and stone fruit from Chile. And by spring, I'll be looking
at grapes and citrus fruit from South Africa," says Honey.
Fruit and vegetables can arrive in a variety of conditions. Inspecting
random samples gives a grader the information necessary to calculate whether
a load of produce meets grade. The assigned grade determines price.
"Samples are judged either by a specific number of pieces or, as in grapes,
by weight. One pound of decayed grapes in a 10-pound sample means there's
10 percent decay," says Honey.
"We inspect based on appearance relative to grade standards and are not
interested in people with food science degrees who tend to spend time on why
the defect is there," he says.
"All we're doing is looking at products. It's a service we provide."
Honey has a background in agriculture. He grew up in an orchard region.
He chose to be the first in four generations in his family not to grow apples.
"I like working with product. I understand that if the farmer doesn't
get paid, a lot of other people don't either."
At the same time, he's providing a service to the people receiving
the fresh fruit and vegetables, who have requested an impartial inspection.
"It's nice to be able to help someone who is on the hook for $60,000
worth of cherries on a Friday morning when they may only be worth $20,000
because they are too ripe, split, soft, etc.," he says.
"This is kind of a rough and tumble business, but there are a lot of nice
people, more than there are unscrupulous ones."
While there are many standards and regulations to follow, Honey says not
everything is "in the book."
"[You need] a good command of the English language so that you can describe
what you see on paper," he says.
"I might not know what is wrong with the product in front of me, but a
good description could make the light come on for a grower, who can then change
some practices for next season, or go to a different box design, or ship product
at a different temperature next time," he says.
Rob Huttenlocker is the assistant chief of the fresh products branch of
the USDA. He says being a grader is a rewarding job for individuals who are
energetic and motivated.
"Inspections require a lot of knowledge, and there is great satisfaction
in performing a complicated job well," he says.
Huttenlocker says fresh produce inspectors often say the most rewarding
part of their job is solving contract disputes between buyers and sellers.
"We are a small industry segment, but can be invaluable in helping to settle
disputes between people continents away," says Honey. "Credibility and respect
-- both are hard to earn but easy to lose, and usually impossible to regain."
Hance agrees. "You have to have honesty, integrity, be proud and enjoy
what you do. But honesty is probably at the top of the list," she says.
Huttenlocker says many graders enjoy learning about the new varieties of
fruit and vegetables that appear each year.
"And becoming an expert in identifying and evaluating them is a skill in
which graders take tremendous pride. Many graders feel especially happy when
they know that, having done an inspection to the best of their ability, they
have provided a buyer and a seller honest, credible information to settle
a dispute," he says.
"There isn't a day that goes by that I don't look forward to
going to work," says Hance. "I love what I do."