Which phase of peanut inspection can help avoid economic losses?

Pre-shipment inspection plays a crucial role in preventing economic losses in the peanut supply chain. This phase involves a thorough examination of peanuts before they are shipped to customers or markets. By inspecting the quality, safety, and compliance of peanuts at this stage, inspectors can identify any defects, contamination, or discrepancies that could lead to product rejection or recalls once the product reaches its destination.

Ensuring that peanuts meet specific standards during the pre-shipment inspection helps maintain product integrity, enhances customer satisfaction, and protects the brand's reputation. It acts as a final quality checkpoint, helping to ensure that only the highest quality product is delivered to consumers, thereby mitigating the risk of economic losses associated with unsatisfactory products.

The other phases, while important, serve different purposes. Post-harvest examination primarily focuses on assessing quality after harvesting, which does not prevent losses that might occur during the shipping phase. Quality control testing is about maintaining quality during the production process rather than addressing the final quality before shipment. Retail inspection ensures that products available to consumers meet quality standards, but by that point, any economic losses due to earlier failures in the supply chain may already have occurred.