DESCRIPTION

·       PREPARED FROM SUBSTANTIALLY SOUND FRUITS, FRESH, FROZEN, THERMALLY PROCESSED, OR PROCESSED BY OTHER PHYSICAL METHODS, AS DEFINED IN THE CORRESPONDING ANNEXES, HAVING REACHED APPROPRIATE MATURITY FOR PROCESSING. NONE OF THEIR ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTIC ELEMENTS ARE REMOVED FROM THEM. THEY UNDERGO OPERATIONS SUCH AS WASHING, PEELING, CORING, STEMMING, GRADING, CUTTING, ETC., DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF PRODUCT;

·       VACUUM PACKAGED WITH PACKING MEDIUM THAT DOES NOT EXCEED 20% OF THE PRODUCT’S NET WEIGHT AND WHEN THE CONTAINER IS SEALED IN SUCH CONDITIONS AS TO GENERATE AN INTERNAL PRESSURE IN ACCORDANCE WITH GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICES

·       PROCESSED IN AN APPROPRIATE MANNER, BEFORE OR AFTER BEING HERMETICALLY SEALED IN A CONTAINER, SO AS TO PREVENT SPOILAGE AND TO ENSURE PRODUCT STABILITY IN NORMAL STORAGE CONDITIONS AT AMBIENT TEMPERATURE.

·       OTHER STYLES

o   IS SUFFICIENTLY DISTINCTIVE FROM OTHER FORMS OF PRESENTATION LAID DOWN IN THE STANDARD;

o   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; A

o   IS ADEQUATELY DESCRIBED ON THE LABEL TO AVOID CONFUSING OR MISLEADING THE CONSUMER.

·       VARIETAL TYPE ANY COMMERCIALLY CULTIVATED VARIETY OR TYPE SUITABLE FOR CANNING MAY BE USED.

ESSENTIAL COMPOSITION AND QUALITY FACTORS

·       COMPOSITION

o   OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RELEVANT PROVISIONS IN THE CORRESPONDING ANNEXES.

o   PACKING MEDIA IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE GUIDELINES FOR PACKING MEDIA FOR CANNED FRUITS (CXG 51-2003). THE CUT-OUT STRENGTH FOR ANY SYRUP PACKING MEDIUM SHALL BE DETERMINED ON AVERAGE, BUT NO CONTAINER MAY HAVE A SOLUBLE SOLIDS (OBRIX) VALUE BEYOND THE NEXT CATEGORY OF THE MEDIUM OBRIX.

·       QUALITY CRITERIA

o   COLOUR, FLAVOUR, ODOUR AND TEXTURE CANNED FRUITS SHALL HAVE NORMAL COLOUR, FLAVOUR AND ODOUR OF CANNED FRUITS, CORRESPONDING TO THE TYPE OF FRUITS, PACKING MEDIUM, AND ADDED OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS USED AND SHALL POSSESS TEXTURE CHARACTERISTIC OF THE PRODUCT

o   UNIFORMITY OF SIZE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RELEVANT PROVISIONS IN THE CORRESPONDING ANNEXES.

o   DEFECTS AND ALLOWANCES CANNED FRUITS SHOULD BE SUBSTANTIALLY FREE FROM DEFECTS. CERTAIN COMMON DEFECTS SHOULD NOT BE PRESENT IN AMOUNTS GREATER THAN THE LIMITATIONS FIXED IN THE CORRESPONDING ANNEXES.

FOOD ADDITIVES

·       ONLY THOSE FOOD ADDITIVE CLASSES LISTED BELOW AND IN THE CORRESPONDING ANNEXES ARE TECHNOLOGICALLY JUSTIFIED AND MAY BE USED IN PRODUCTS COVERED BY THIS STANDARD. WITHIN EACH ADDITIVE CLASS ONLY THOSE FOOD ADDITIVES LISTED IN THE CORRESPONDING ANNEXES, OR REFERRED TO, MAY BE USED AND ONLY FOR THE FUNCTIONS, AND WITHIN LIMITS, SPECIFIED.

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 (CXS 193-1995).

·       THE PRODUCTS COVERED BY THIS STANDARD SHALL COMPLY WITH THE MAXIMUM RESIDUE LIMITS FOR PESTICIDES ESTABLISHED BY THE CODEX ALIMENTARIUS COMMISSION.

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 GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF FOOD HYGIENE (CXC 1-1969), CODE OF HYGIENIC PRACTICE FOR CANNED FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PRODUCTS (CXC 2-1969), 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 (CXG 211997).

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

·       MINIMUM FILL THE CONTAINER SHOULD BE WELL FILLED WITH THE PRODUCT (INCLUDING PACKING MEDIUM) 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. THIS PROVISIONS DOES NOT APPLY TO VACUUM PACKAGED FRUITS.

·       MINIMUM DRAINED WEIGHT THE DRAINED WEIGHT OF THE PRODUCT SHOULD BE NOT LESS THAN THE PERCENTAGES INDICATED IN THE CORRESPONDING ANNEXES, CALCULATED ON THE BASIS OF THE WEIGHT OF DISTILLED WATER AT 20OC WHICH THE SEALED CONTAINER WILL HOLD 2 WHEN COMPLETELY FILLED

·       LOT ACCEPTANCE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR MINIMUM DRAINED WEIGHT SHOULD BE DEEMED TO BE COMPLIED WITH WHEN THE AVERAGE DRAINED WEIGHT OF ALL CONTAINERS EXAMINED IS NOT LESS THAN THE MINIMUM REQUIRED, PROVIDED THAT THERE IS NO UNREASONABLE SHORTAGE IN INDIVIDUAL CONTAINERS.

LABELLING

·       THE PRODUCTS COVERED BY THE PROVISIONS OF THIS STANDARD SHALL BE LABELLED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE GENERAL STANDARD FOR THE LABELLING OF PREPACKAGED FOODS (CXS 1-1985). IN ADDITION, THE FOLLOWING SPECIFIC PROVISIONS APPLY:

·       NAME OF THE PRODUCT

o   THE NAMES OF THE CANNED FRUITS SHALL BE THOSE DEFINED IN THE CORRESPONDING ANNEXES.

o   WHEN THE FRUITS ARE SIZED, THE SIZE (OR SIZES WHEN SIZES ARE MIXED), AS DEFINED IN THE CORRESPONDING ANNEXES, MAY BE DECLARED AS PART OF THE NAME OR IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE NAME OF THE PRODUCT.

o   THE NAME OF THE PRODUCT MAY INCLUDE THE VARIETAL TYPE.

·       LABELLING OF NON-RETAIL CONTAINERS

o   INFORMATION FOR NON-RETAIL CONTAINERS SHALL BE GIVEN EITHER ON THE CONTAINER OR IN ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTS, EXCEPT THAT THE NAME OF THE PRODUCT, LOT IDENTIFICATION, AND THE NAME AND ADDRESS OF THE MANUFACTURER, PACKER, DISTRIBUTOR OR IMPORTER, AS WELL AS STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS, SHALL APPEAR ON THE CONTAINER. HOWEVER, LOT IDENTIFICATION, AND THE NAME AND ADDRESS OF THE MANUFACTURER, PACKER, DISTRIBUTOR OR IMPORTER MAY BE REPLACED BY AN IDENTIFICATION MARK, PROVIDED THAT SUCH A MARK IS CLEARLY IDENTIFIABLE WITH THE ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTS.

METHODS OF ANALYSIS AND SAMPLING

PROVISION

METHOD

PRINCIPLE

TYPE

DRAINED WEIGHT

AOAC 968.30

(CODEX GENERAL METHOD FOR PROCESSED FRUITS AND VEGETABLES)

SIEVING GRAVIMETRY

 

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FILL OF CONTAINERS

CAC/RM 46-1972 (FOR GLASS CONTAINERS)

(CODEX GENERAL METHOD FOR PROCESSED FRUIT AND VEGETABLES) AND

ISO 90.1:1999 (FOR METAL CONTAINERS)

(CODEX GENERAL METHOD FOR PROCESSED FRUIT AND VEGETABLES)

 

 

WEIGHING

 

 

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SOLUBLE SOLIDS

ISO 2173:2003

(CODEX GENERAL METHOD FOR PROCESSED FRUIT AND VEGETABLES) AOAC 932.14C

 

REFRACTOMETRY

 

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