APHIS ALLOWS ALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS FOR CERTAIN HAWAIIAN FRUITS
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has amended its regulations to allow alternative pest treatments for certain Hawaiian fruits shipped to the U.S. mainland.
Rambutan, longan and litchi will be allowed to move from Hawaii to the U.S. mainland if they are first inspected and then treated for pests. Rambutan may be treated by either high-temperature forced air or vapor heat. Longan may be treated with hot water and litchi with vapor heat. Prior to this rule, these fruits had to be treated with irradiation.
APHIS said it is also consolidating and updating its existing regulations governing the interstate movement of certain fruits from Hawaii “to make them easier to understand.”