Federal-state shipping point certificates, issued by licensed federal-state inspection services, available to shippers at point or origin, contain various types of statements indicating the quality or condition of the products inspected. Such certificates are sometimes the result of condition inspection only. Also, the grade or quality statement given may be based upon inspection at some prior date, and deterioration may have taken place. In some instances such certificates indicate compliance with federal or state marketing orders.

For these reasons federal-state certificates, properly identified to the load as described in Section 1370.1 are informative to inspectors at stations in making inspections in connection with quality, condition or other stated facts.