Fruit, nut, and vegetable standards: out-of-state processing.

(1) Existing law authorizes the Secretary of Food and Agriculture to adopt regulations regarding fruit, nut, and vegetable standards. Existing law exempts from these standards fruits, nuts, and vegetables that are being transported or delivered under specified conditions, including from the orchard or field where they were produced to a packing plant within the state for first processing, grading, or packing. This bill would expand the above exemption to all packing plants, regardless of the state in which the packing plant operates. (2) Existing law exempts from the fruit, nut, and vegetable standards the shipment, transportation, or movement of melons and vegetables in field bins or bulk out of the state, up to 25 miles beyond the border, under specified conditions. This bill would repeal the above provision.