Description

·       Prepared From Fresh, Washed, Ripened Tomatoes, Conforming To The Characteristics Of The Fruit Of Lycopersicon/Lycopersicon Esculent P. Mill, Of Red Or Reddish Varieties Which Are Clean And Which Are Sound. The Tomatoes Shall Have Had The Stems And Calices Removed And Where Necessary, The Core;

·       Packed With Or Without A Suitable Packing Medium And Seasoning Ingredients Appropriate To The Product; And

·       Processed By Heat, In An Appropriate Manner, Before Or After Being Hermetically Sealed In A Container, So As To Prevent Spoilage.

·       Diced: Tomatoes Cut Into Cubes;

·       Sliced: Tomatoes Cut Perpendicularly To The Longitudinal Axis In Rounds With A Regular Thickness;

·       Wedges: Tomatoes Cut Into Four Roughly Equal Parts;

·       Pulp Or Crushed Or Chopped: Tomatoes Crushed, Ground Or Pulped When Appropriate

·       Is Sufficiently Distinctive From Other Forms Of Presentation Laid Down In The Standard;

·       Meets All Relevant Requirements Of The Standard, Including Requirements Relating To Limitations On Defects, Drained Weight, And Any Other Requirements Which Are Applicable To That Style Which Most Closely Resembles The Style Or Styles Intended To Be Provided For Under This Provision; And

·       Is Adequately Described On The Label To Avoid Confusing Or Misleading The Consumer.

ESSENTIAL COMPOSITION AND QUALITY FACTORS

Ø Juice 1 : The Liquid Obtained From Ripened Tomatoes, From The Residue Resulting From Preparing Tomatoes For Canning Or By Diluting Tomato Concentrates;

Ø Tomato Puree Or Tomato Concentrate: As Described In The Standard For Processed Tomato Concentrates;

Ø Pulp: Skinless Ground Tomatoes;

Ø Water: Only In Unpeeled Preserved Tomatoes.

Ø Other Permitted Ingredients

·       Spices, Aromatic Herbs (Such As Basil Leaves) And Natural Extracts Of These And Seasonings Excluding Tomato Flavouring;

·       Salt (Sodium Chloride) In Accordance With The Standard For Food Grade Salt (CODEX STAN 1501985);

·       When Acidifying Agents Are Used, Sugars, As Listed In The Standard For Sugars (CODEX STAN 2121999) With Specific Labelling.

Ø Quality Criteria :- Preserved Tomatoes Shall Have Normal Colour Characteristic For Ripened Tomatoes, Properly Processed, A Normal Flavour And Odour Free From Flavours Or Odours Foreign To The Product. Preserved Tomatoes With Special Ingredients Shall Have A Flavour Characteristic Of That Imparted By The Tomatoes And The Other Substances Used.

Ø Size Or Wholeness :- Size Or Wholeness, As Such, Is Only A Factor In The Style Designated As “Whole” Style. Preserved Tomatoes Of “Whole” Style Shall Consist Of Not Less Than 65% M/M Of Drained Tomatoes In Whole Or Almost Whole Units, Except That In Any Container There May Be One Unit That Is Not Whole. For Small Cans (Less Than 500 G Net Weight) This Value Shall Be 70%.

Ø Defects And Allowances :- The Finished Product Shall Be Prepared From Such Materials And Under Such Practices That It Shall Be Substantially Free From Objectionable Core Material And Extraneous Plant Material And Shall Not Contain Excessive Defects Whether Specifically Mentioned In This Standard Or Not. Certain Common Defects Should Not Be Present In Amounts Greater Than The Following Limitations:

FOOD ADDITIVES

·       Firming Agents Listed In Table 3 Of The General Standard For Food Additives (CODEX STAN 192-1995) Are Acceptable For Use In Foods Conforming To This Standard. Only Certain Acidity Regulators As Indicated In Table 3 Of The General Standard For Food Additives (CODEX STAN 192-1995) Are Acceptable For Use In Foods Conforming To This Standard.

CONTAMINANTS

·       The Products Covered By This Standard Shall Comply With The Maximum Levels Of The General Standard For Contaminants And Toxins In Food And Feed (CODEX STAN 193-1995).

·       In Order To Consider The Concentration Of The Product, The Determination Of The Maximum Levels For Contaminants Shall Take Into Account The Natural Total Soluble Solids, The Reference Value Being 4.5 For Fresh Fruit.

·       The Products Covered By This Standard Shall Comply With The Maximum Residue Limits For Pesticides Established By The Codex Alimentarius Commission.

·       In Order To Consider The Concentration Of The Product, The Determination Of The Maximum Pesticide Residue Limits Shall Take Into Account The Natural Total Soluble Solids, The Reference Value Being 4.5 For Fresh Fruit.

HYGIENE

·       It Is Recommended That The Products Covered By The Provisions Of This Standard Be Prepared And Handled In Accordance With The Appropriate Sections Of The Code Of Practice – General Principles Of Food Hygiene (CAC/RCP 1-1969), Code Of Hygienic Practice For Low And Acidified Low-Acid Canned Foods (CAC/RCP 23-1979) And Other Relevant Codex Texts Such As Codes Of Hygienic Practice And Codes Of Practice.

·       The Products Should Comply With Any Microbiological Criteria Established In Accordance With The Principles And Guidelines For The Establishment And Application Of Microbiological Criteria Related To Foods (CAC/GL 21-1997).

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

Ø Minimum Fill :-

·       The Container Should Be Well Filled With The Product (Including Packing Medium When Appropriate) Which Should Occupy Not Less Than 90% (Minus Any Necessary Head Space According To Good Manufacturing Practices) Of The Water Capacity Of The Container. The Water Capacity Of The Container Is The Volume Of Distilled Water At 20oc Which The Sealed Container Will Hold When Completely Filled.

·       The Drained Weight Of The Product Should Be Not Less Than 50%, Calculated On The Basis Of The Weight Of Distilled Water At 20oc Which The Sealed Container Will Hold When Completely Filled 7.1.4.2 Lot Acceptance 4.