APL brings first shipment of 'cold-treated'grapes from Peru to Miami

APL has successfully brought in the first cargo of Peruvian grapes to Miami, clearing local pest control import requirements through cold treatment technology applied on the fruit during their transit from Paita to Miami.

Consigned by Complejo Agroindustrial Beta, a leading producer of table grapes in Peru, some 1,600 boxes of Thomson seedless grapes arrived at the Port of Miami as part of a six-month long cold treatment pilot program aimed at assessing the feasibility of importing 'cold-treated' Peruvian fresh produce into Florida.
Import protocols for fruit and vegetables vary across the US states. Since 2006, APL has been shipping cold-treated Peruvian grapes to California. 

By subjecting the fresh produce cargoes to a specified low temperature sustained throughout the transit, cold treatment eradicates pests carried in the cargoes prior to arrival at the export destination.
To mark the arrival of the first Peruvian grape shipment to Miami, Bill Johnson, Director of Port Miami, presented APL with a commemorative plaque.

"This inaugural shipment is an exciting milestone,"said Mr. Johnson. "We're hopeful that the cold treatment pilot program will pave the way for a steady supply of excellent Peruvian fruit produce into Miami and the rest of Florida for everyone here to enjoy." Besides its success with the Peruvian grapes, APL is also the first container carrier to effectively apply cold treatment in the shipping of lychees from China to USA; grapes from Australia to China; and grapefruit from Mexico to Japan. < Korea Shipping Gazette >