Freight News, Sea

JAXPORT Joins USDA Cold-Treated Produce Pilot Program

[ November 2, 2015   //   Gary G Burrows ]

The Port of Jacksonville, Florida, or JAXPORT, has received approval from the federal government to import select cold-treated produce from certain South American markets for the first time.

Starting Oct. 1, 2015, Jacksonville began participating in this pilot program run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. This means JAXPORT tenants and customers now have the ability to import apples, grapes, blueberries, pears and citrus from Peru, Uruguay and Argentina. These perishables have traditionally been imported through northern U.S. ports and trucked to the southeast.

The expanding pilot program in Florida will mean fresher produce on the store shelves for consumers and will help reduce transportation costs throughout the supply chain.

“We look forward to offering customers and shippers even more options and opportunities in cold storage importation and thank the administrators of this program for moving toward a more efficient and economical system for everyone,” said JAXPORT CEO Brian Taylor.

Tags: JaxPort