A physical check is a direct examination of a consignment by a competent authority, which may include inspection of the product, packaging and labelling, temperature measurement and sampling for laboratory analysis.
In trade practice
At EU border inspection posts, physical checks on food and feed of non-animal origin from Ukraine are carried out at frequencies set by the relevant EU implementing regulation for the commodity concerned. Inspectors may open packaging, verify labelling against accompanying documents and take samples for pesticide residue, mycotoxin or microbiological testing. A consignment may be detained until satisfactory laboratory results are received, causing significant delays if the cold chain is not maintained during that period.
In a specification
Contracts for high-risk commodities should acknowledge that physical checks may occur and allocate responsibility for storage costs and temperature maintenance during any detention period.