General Information
Inspection Services Division
Pursuant to the Governor's Executive Order S-13-09, all offices of the California Department of Food and Agriculture will be closed on the first, second, and third Friday of each month from August 2009 through June 2010.
All border protection stations will remain open and continue to operate on furlough days.
Inspection Services is a division within the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). California currently produces over 350 different crops which enter state, national, and international commerce. This site provides information about the Division and how it fulfills its mission to provide professional services that support and contribute to a safe, abundant, quality food supply; environmentally sound agricultural practices; and an equitable marketplace for California agriculture. We fulfill this mission by providing the following services:
- Inspect fruits, vegetables and nuts to ensure maturity, grade, size, weight, packaging and labeling meet the consumers' quality expectations.
- Conduct chemical analysis in support of food and environmental safety.
- Perform verification audits to ensure good handling and agricultural practices are utilized to contribute to a safe food supply.
- Ensure fertilizer, animal feed, and livestock drugs are safe and effective, and meet the quality and quantity guaranteed by the manufacturer. This helps prevent toxins and contaminants from entering the food chain.
- Monitor the market place to provide California consumers with eggs that are wholesome, properly labeled, refrigerated, and of established quality while maintaining fair and equitable marketing standards in the California egg industry.
- Consult with the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) on proposed new rules governing pesticide use.
The Division is comprised of four Branches:
- The Center for Analytical Chemistry
- Feed, Fertilizer, Livestock Drugs and Egg Regulatory Services
- Inspection and Compliance
- Office of Pesticide Consultation & Analysis