Buyers new to Egyptian produce often ask for an SGS or Intertek inspection without specifying what the inspector should look at. The certificate then arrives saying the goods conformed to the commercial invoice, which is true and almost useless. A pre-shipment inspection is only worth the fee if the scope is written before the surveyor arrives at the packhouse.

When the inspection happens

The useful window is after grading and packing but before the container doors close. At that point the pallets are built, the carton marks are printed and the fruit is at or near its shipping temperature. Inspecting earlier means the surveyor sees fruit that may still be re-sorted. Inspecting after stuffing means the pallets have to be broken down again, which nobody wants at the gate-in deadline.

For a 20 ft or 40 ft reefer this normally means the surveyor attends for two to four hours on the day of loading, and issues a preliminary result the same day with the full report following within 24 to 48 hours.

Sample size and how units are drawn

Most agencies work to a square root or ISO 2859 style plan rather than a fixed percentage. On a 20 pallet load of citrus, a common arrangement is five to eight cartons drawn from different pallets and different layers, with additional cartons pulled if a defect is found. The point is spread. Cartons taken from the top layer of the pallet nearest the door tell you very little about the load.

Specify in the inspection order that samples must be drawn from a stated minimum number of pallets and from more than one layer. Also state whether sampled cartons are returned to the load or treated as destructive, since on soft fruit they usually cannot go back.

The checkpoints that matter

A workable scope for Egyptian fresh produce covers the following ground. Variety and grade against the contracted specification. Size or count per carton, verified against the size code printed on the label. Net weight per carton, checked on a calibrated scale, with the tolerance stated. Internal quality, meaning brix, firmness or dry matter depending on the crop. External defects, split into major and minor with an agreed tolerance percentage. Pulp temperature at the time of loading. Carton and pallet condition, including liner and corner board. Marking and labelling, meaning lot code, packhouse code, GGN where applicable and country of origin. Container condition, including cleanliness, seal number, set point and vent position.

Pulp temperature is the checkpoint most often skipped and the one that later decides claims. If fruit is loaded warm because pre-cooling was rushed, the reefer will not recover it in transit, and the arrival condition will not match the packing report. Our note on traceability and lot coding on Egyptian produce covers how the marks on the carton tie back to the farm block, which is what makes a defect finding actionable rather than anecdotal.

What the report should state

A report you can use in a commercial discussion states the sampling plan applied, the number of cartons and pallets sampled, the measured values rather than only a pass or fail, photographs of any defect with the carton lot code visible, the container number and seal number, and the time the doors were closed. Reports that give only a conclusion are difficult to rely on if a dispute follows. The mechanics of that stage are set out in our guide to how a quality claim on an Egyptian shipment is assessed and settled.

Who pays and how it is arranged

Market practice is that the buyer nominates and pays for a third party inspection, since it is a control on their behalf. Costs for a single container inspection at an Egyptian packhouse typically run in the low hundreds of US dollars depending on the agency and the scope. The exporter arranges site access and provides the packing list, specification sheet and lot records.

PEI Trade works to a fixed written specification on every shipment across 35 export crops, and arranges SGS or Intertek attendance on request. If you would like the inspection scope drafted alongside your specification before the season starts, contact our export team on WhatsApp at +20 10 9911 1918 with your crop, destination and intended shipping window.