APHIS’ Plant Protection and Quarantine Expands Risk-Based Sampling for Lettuce varieties at U.S. Ports of Entry
APHIS’ Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) and the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will expand the Risk-Based Sampling at Ports of Entry (RBS POE) program to include new varieties of lettuce arriving at select U.S. ports of entry starting the week of March 31, 2025.
The goals of RBS POE are to reduce inspections on entities importing commodities compliant with current pest and disease regulations and provide incentives for producers to increase the quality of their goods.
The list of RBS POE eligible commodities will include the following:
| Conveyance | Commodity | Country of Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Southern Border, Truck | Head Lettuce (also known as Iceberg), Romaine, Butterhead, Red/Green Leaf, and Other Lettuce | Mexico |
Expansion of lettuce into specific varieties in RBS POE will allow for a more consistent application of the program’s inspection protocols.
Although this update does not change the entry process or requirements, PPQ and CBP recommend that trade entities file entry as early in the arrival process as possible and include APHIS Core Message Set data to ensure their shipments are processed according to RBS POE procedures.
For questions about this announcement please contact the RBS POE team at: E-mail: PPQ.RBS@USDA.GOV
For more information on Risk Based Sampling please visit the CBP RBS POE website: www.cbp.gov/rbs