Inspection Procedures OKd for Remaining Chilean Fruit

The federal Food and Drug Administration approved inspection procedures late Friday for all remaining varieties of Chilean fruit in cold storage since two cyanide-tainted grapes were found March 12 in cargo unloaded in Philadelphia.

The FDA previously cleared the way for inspection of grapes, berries, nectarines and pears, requiring 5% of each boatload to be scrutinized before allowing it to move into stores.

The three biggest Southland retailers--Vons, Ralphs and Lucky--have said they planned to await fresh shipments, not due in Los Angeles until Monday. But Judy Decker, a spokeswoman for Lucky Stores, said Friday that Lucky now expects to be selling fruit Easter weekend.

The two new freighters, the Americus Rex and Columbian, are carrying about 5,000 tons of fruits, said Richard Eastes, general manager of the importing firm of David Oppenheimer-California. Inspectors already working overtime are likely to be swamped by the new arrivals as they work their way through stored grapes and berries, then nectarines and pears and now the remaining species--including the season’s first Granny Smith apples.

The inspection regime will lighten April 6 with arrival of the Reefer Tiger, however. With FDA inspectors now checking fruit in Chile, the agency said domestic inspection can drop to 1% samples on ships that left port after March 17.

“We’re not out of it,” Eastes said, “but we’re working through it.”