WSDA Blog

Date: Monday, July 14, 2025

Author: Amber Betts

Washington is famous for its sweet, juicy cherries, and for good reason. Every summer, millions of pounds of cherries are harvested, packed and shipped from our state to destinations around the world. But before those cherries make it on to trucks and into your grocery store, they go through two critical checkpoints: grading and condition inspection, as well as a phytosanitary inspection.

Grading and condition inspections look at the blemishes, size, color, and firmness of cherries to make sure they meet standards. A phytosanitary inspection ensures the cherries are free of pests and diseases, keeping both customers and crops in other countries safe.

A day in the life

Meet Eva Acevedo, WSDA Fruit & Vegetable Program Agriculture Commodity Inspector 3. She, along with her teammates, are the people working behind the scenes to ensure that what leaves the orchard and goes into the packing containers meet strict quality standards. We followed Acevedo for a day to learn more about how inspectors ensure our state’s commodities make the best possible impression on consumers around the world.

6 a.m. — Rise and shine

For Acevedo, days start early. Depending on the region and where the cherries are headed, some inspectors are on-site at packing houses before sunrise, while others work through the night.

“You have to arrive before the first bins of cherries are dumped into the packing line,” Acevedo said. “Once packing starts, it doesn’t stop.”

Inspectors start their shift before packing does, with a “sanitation walkthrough for cherries being exported to certain countries around the world,” where the inspector ensures that no cherry debris from the previous shift remain in the packing line.

“It’s important that no grower lots of cherries are cross contaminated,” she added.

7 a.m. — Inspecting in real time

Cherry inspectors set up near the end of the production lines, checking random samples from every grower lot being packed. They take a range of factors into account during inspection: color, size, firmness, sweetness, and overall appearance. They also scan for defects like pitting, bruising, or insect damage.  

“Even the weather can impact the grower lot,” Acevedo said. “Too much rain can lead to split cherries and rain cracks; high temperatures can soften them quickly.”

WSDA inspections are standardized and detailed, because even the stems of the cherries can tell you a lot about the quality of the fruit.

“A cherry without a stem deteriorates faster,” Acevedo said.

Other important features of the perfect cherry include a brown sugar solution test, where a selection of cherries are crushed and brown sugar water is added to help look for larva, which will appear if the grower lot is infested.
“Here we’re specifically looking for western cherry fruit fly larvae,” WSDA Eastern Regional Manager for Commodity Inspection Jimmy Sanchez said. “The State of California and some countries have a zero-tolerance policy for cherry fruit fly larvae, and just one infested cherry in a shipment could shut down the export market.”

10:00 a.m. — Collaboration and communication

Inspectors don’t work alone — they communicate constantly with packing house managers and WSDA supervisors. If a lot doesn’t meet grade, inspectors will explain the issue and provide guidance on what can be done next. It’s a team effort to keep quality high and shipments moving.

Sometimes the supervisors work with USDA counterparts at the department’s Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service to check on export requirements, or with USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service to find answers to grading questions.

By 11:00 a.m., the packing house shuts down for a half-hour lunch break.

1:00 p.m. — Export ready

As the day goes on, the fast pace of inspection continues. Each passing hour brings more bins, more samples, and more documentation. Cherries bound for export to other countries must meet even stricter criteria than those that will remain in the U.S., so inspectors often do extra testing for international shipments to ensure they meet the importing requirements specific to each country.

By the end of the day, a typical inspector might check dozens of lots, walking miles between production lines and logging detailed reports in the field.

4:30 p.m. — Wrapping up

Once the last bins are packed, inspectors close out their paperwork, submit quality certificates, and allow for the next team of WSDA inspectors to prepare for the next shift — which may start just a few hours later.
It’s intense, knowledge-building seasonal work. It’s also incredibly rewarding.

“Every box of cherries that passes through my hands represents Washington agriculture,” Acevedo said. “I want it to be the best it can be.”

Why it matters

Washington state produces on average over 400 million pounds of cherries each year. Thanks to WSDA cherry inspectors, those cherries consistently meet international standards and uphold the state’s reputation for excellence.

“It’s fast-paced, and schedules are strict, but there’s pride in it,” Acevedo said. “We know these cherries are headed all over the world. It matters.”

So, the next time you bite into a perfect Rainier or Bing cherry, you can thank the inspector who made sure it reached you safe to eat and free of damage, pests, or other imperfections.