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DEFINITION
OF PRODUCE |
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THIS STANDARD
APPLIES TO COMMERCIAL VARIETIES OF CHILLI PEPPERS 1GROWN FROM CAPSICUM SPP.,
OF THE SOLANACEAE FAMILY, TO BE SUPPLIED FRESH TO THE CONSUMER, AFTER
PREPARATION AND PACKAGING. CHILLI PEPPERS FOR INDUSTRIAL PROCESSING ARE
EXCLUDED. |
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PROVISIONS
CONCERNING QUALITY |
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· MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS o
WHOLE, THE STALK (STEM)
MAY BE MISSING, PROVIDED THAT THE BREAK IS CLEAN AND THE ADJACENT SKIN IS NOT
DAMAGED; o
SOUND, PRODUCE AFFECTED
BY ROTTING OR DETERIORATION SUCH AS TO MAKE IT UNFIT FOR CONSUMPTION IS
EXCLUDED; FIRM; o
CLEAN, PRACTICALLY FREE
OF ANY VISIBLE FOREIGN MATTER; o
PRACTICALLY FREE OF
PESTS AND DAMAGE CAUSED BY THEM AFFECTING THE GENERAL APPEARANCE OF THE
PRODUCE; o
FREE OF ABNORMAL
EXTERNAL MOISTURE EXCLUDING CONDENSATION FOLLOWING REMOVAL FROM COLD STORAGE; o
FREE OF ANY FOREIGN
SMELL AND/OR TASTE; o
FREE OF DAMAGE CAUSED
BY LOW AND/OR HIGH TEMPERATURES. |
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· CHILLI PEPPERS MUST BE HARVESTED AT AN APPROPRIATE
DEGREE OF DEVELOPMENT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CRITERIA PROPER TO THE VARIETY
AND THE AREA IN WHICH THEY ARE GROWN. o
TO WITHSTAND TRANSPORT
AND HANDLING; o
TO ARRIVE IN
SATISFACTORY CONDITION AT THE PLACE OF DESTINATION. |
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· CLASSIFICATION CHILLI PEPPERS ARE CLASSIFIED IN
THREE CLASSES DEFINED BELOW: o
“EXTRA” CLASS CHILLI
PEPPERS IN THIS CLASS MUST BE OF SUPERIOR QUALITY. THEY MUST BE
CHARACTERISTIC OF THE VARIETY. THEY MUST BE FREE OF DEFECTS, WITH THE
EXCEPTION OF VERY SLIGHT SUPERFICIAL DEFECTS AFFECTING AN AREA OF UP TO 0.5%
OF THE PRODUCE SURFACE, PROVIDED THESE DO NOT AFFECT THE GENERAL APPEARANCE
OF THE PRODUCE, THE QUALITY, THE KEEPING QUALITY AND PRESENTATION IN THE
PACKAGE. o
CLASS I CHILLI PEPPERS
IN THIS CLASS MUST BE OF GOOD QUALITY. THEY MUST BE CHARACTERISTIC OF THE
VARIETY. SLIGHT DEFECTS, HOWEVER, MAY BE ALLOWED, AFFECTING AN AREA OF UP TO
2.0% OF THE PRODUCT SURFACE, PROVIDED THESE DO NOT AFFECT THE GENERAL
APPEARANCE OF THE PRODUCE, THE QUALITY, THE KEEPING QUALITY AND PRESENTATION
IN THE PACKAGE. o
CLASS II THIS CLASS
INCLUDES CHILLI PEPPERS WHICH DO NOT QUALIFY FOR INCLUSION IN THE HIGHER
CLASSES, BUT SATISFY THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS SPECIFIED IN DEFECTS,
HOWEVER, MAY BE ALLOWED, AFFECTING AN AREA OF UP TO 3.0% OF THE PRODUCT
SURFACE, PROVIDED THE CHILLI PEPPERS RETAIN THEIR ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS
AS REGARDS THE QUALITY, THE KEEPING QUALITY AND PRESENTATION. |
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PROVISIONS
CONCERNING SIZING |
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·
SIZE IS DETERMINED
BY LENGTH OF THE CHILLI PEPPER IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FOLLOWING TABLE: |
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SIZE CODE |
LENGTH (IN CENTIMETRES) |
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1 |
≤ 4 |
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2 |
4 < 8 |
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3 |
8 < 12 |
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4 |
12 < 16 |
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5 |
> 16 |
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PROVISIONS
CONCERNING TOLERANCES |
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·
TOLERANCES IN
RESPECT OF QUALITY AND SIZE SHALL BE ALLOWED IN EACH PACKAGE FOR PRODUCE NOT
SATISFYING THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE CLASS INDICATED. |
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· QUALITY TOLERANCES o
“EXTRA” CLASS FIVE
PERCENT BY NUMBER OR WEIGHT OF CHILLI PEPPERS NOT SATISFYING THE REQUIREMENTS
OF THE CLASS, BUT MEETING THOSE OF CLASS I OR, EXCEPTIONALLY, COMING WITHIN
THE TOLERANCES OF THAT CLASS. o
CLASS I TEN PERCENT BY
NUMBER OR WEIGHT OF CHILLI PEPPERS NOT SATISFYING THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE
CLASS, BUT MEETING THOSE OF CLASS II OR, EXCEPTIONALLY, COMING WITHIN THE
TOLERANCES OF THAT CLASS. o
CLASS II TEN PERCENT BY
NUMBER OR WEIGHT OF CHILLI PEPPERS SATISFYING NEITHER THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE
CLASS NOR THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF PRODUCE AFFECTED BY
ROTTING OR ANY OTHER DETERIORATION RENDERING IT UNFIT FOR CONSUMPTION. o
SIZE
TOLERANCES FOR ALL CLASSES, 10% BY NUMBER OR WEIGHT OF CHILLI PEPPERS
CORRESPONDING TO THE SIZE IMMEDIATELY ABOVE AND/OR BELOW THAT INDICATED ON
THE PACKAGE. |
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PROVISIONS
CONCERNING PRESENTATION |
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·
UNIFORMITY THE
CONTENTS OF EACH PACKAGE MUST BE UNIFORM AND CONTAIN ONLY CHILLI PEPPERS OF
THE SAME ORIGIN, QUALITY, SIZE AND VARIETY. THE VISIBLE PART OF THE CONTENTS
OF THE PACKAGE MUST BE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ENTIRE CONTENTS. |
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·
PACKAGING 2 CHILLI
PEPPERS MUST BE PACKED IN SUCH A WAY AS TO PROTECT THE PRODUCE PROPERLY. THE
MATERIALS USED INSIDE THE PACKAGE MUST BE NEW , CLEAN, AND OF A QUALITY SUCH
AS TO AVOID CAUSING ANY EXTERNAL OR INTERNAL DAMAGE TO THE PRODUCE. THE USE
OF MATERIALS, PARTICULARLY OF PAPER OR STAMPS BEARING TRADE SPECIFICATIONS IS
ALLOWED, PROVIDED THE PRINTING OR LABELLING HAS BEEN DONE WITH NON-TOXIC INK
OR GLUE. CHILLI PEPPERS SHALL BE PACKED IN EACH CONTAINER IN COMPLIANCE WITH
THE CODE OF PRACTICE FOR PACKAGING AND TRANSPORT OF FRESH FRUITS AND
VEGETABLES (CXC 44-1995). |
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DESCRIPTION OF
CONTAINERS THE CONTAINERS SHALL MEET THE QUALITY, HYGIENE, VENTILATION AND
RESISTANCE CHARACTERISTICS TO ENSURE SUITABLE HANDLING, SHIPPING AND
PRESERVING OF THE CHILLI PEPPERS. PACKAGES MUST BE FREE OF ALL FOREIGN MATTER
AND SMELL. |
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MARKING OR
LABELLING |
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CONSUMER PACKAGES
IN ADDITION TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE GENERAL STANDARD FOR THE LABELLING OF
PREPACKAGED FOODS (CXS 1-1985), THE FOLLOWING SPECIFIC PROVISIONS APPLY: |
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NATURE OF PRODUCE
IF THE PRODUCE IS NOT VISIBLE FROM THE OUTSIDE, EACH PACKAGE SHALL BE
LABELLED AS TO THE NAME OF THE PRODUCE AND THE VARIETY AND MAY BE LABELLED AS
TO THE LEVEL OF PUNGENCY. |
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NON-RETAIL
CONTAINERS EACH PACKAGE MUST BEAR THE FOLLOWING PARTICULARS, IN LETTERS
GROUPED ON THE SAME SIDE, LEGIBLY AND INDELIBLY MARKED, AND VISIBLE FROM THE
OUTSIDE, OR IN THE DOCUMENTS ACCOMPANYING THE SHIPMENT. |
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IDENTIFICATION NAME
AND ADDRESS OF EXPORTER, PACKER AND/OR DISPATCHER. IDENTIFICATION CODE
(OPTIONAL) |
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NATURE OF
PRODUCE NAME OF THE PRODUCE IF THE CONTENTS ARE NOT VISIBLE FROM THE
OUTSIDE. NAME OF THE VARIETY, LEVEL OF PUNGENCY (OPTIONAL). |
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ORIGIN OF PRODUCE
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN AND, OPTIONALLY, DISTRICT WHERE GROWN OR NATIONAL, REGIONAL
OR LOCAL PLACE NAME. |
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· COMMERCIAL IDENTIFICATION o
CLASS; o
SIZE; o
VARIETY; o
PUNGENCY. |
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CONTAMINANTS |
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THE PRODUCE 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). |
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THE PRODUCE COVERED
BY THIS STANDARD SHALL COMPLY WITH THE MAXIMUM RESIDUE LIMITS FOR PESTICIDES ESTABLISHED
BY THE CODEX ALIMENTARIUS COMMISSION. |
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HYGIENE |
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IT IS RECOMMENDED
THAT THE PRODUCE 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 FRESH FRUITS AND
VEGETABLES (CXC 53-2003), AND OTHER RELEVANT CODEX TEXTS SUCH AS CODES OF
HYGIENIC PRACTICE AND CODES OF PRACTICE. |
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THE PRODUCE 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 21-1997). |
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