CLASSIFICATION

·       THE ONIONS ARE CLASSIFIED IN TWO CLASSES, AS DEFINED BELOW:

·       CLASS I

o   ONIONS IN THIS CLASS MUST BE OF GOOD QUALITY. THEY MUST BE CHARACTERISTIC OF THE VARIETY AND/OR COMMERCIAL TYPE.

o   THE BULBS MUST BE:

o   FIRM AND COMPACT;

§  ONIONS MAY YIELD SLIGHTLY UNDER NORMAL PRESSURE BY THE FINGERS BUT MUST NOT BE SOFT OR SPONGY.

o   FREE FROM EXTERNALLY VISIBLE SHOOTS;

§  ONIONS BEGINNING TO SPROUT ARE NOT ALLOWED.

o   FREE FROM SWELLING CAUSED BY ABNORMAL VEGETATIVE DEVELOPMENT;

§  ONIONS WITH ABNORMAL SWELLINGS HAVE A THICK NECK AND A SMALL POORLY OR A ABNORMALLY DEVELOPED BULB.

o   PRACTICALLY FREE OF ROOT TUFTS; HOWEVER, FOR ONIONS HARVESTED BEFORE COMPLETE MATURITY, ROOT TUFTS ARE ALLOWED.

o   THE FOLLOWING SLIGHT DEFECTS, HOWEVER, MAY BE ALLOWED PROVIDED THESE DO NOT AFFECT THE GENERAL APPEARANCE OF THE PRODUCE, THE QUALITY, THE KEEPING QUALITY AND PRESENTATION IN THE PACKAGE:

§  A SLIGHT DEFECT IN SHAPE;

§  THE BULBS MAY BE SLIGHTLY MIS-SHAPEN, HOWEVER, PROVIDED THE GENERAL APPEARANCE OF THE BULB OR THE PACKAGE AS A WHOLE IS NOT THUS IMPAIRED.

§  ‘DOUBLE’ OR ‘MULTIPLE’ ONIONS, I.E. THOSE WITH TWO BULBS JOINED AT THE BASE OR SEVERAL BULBS PARTLY COVERED BY OUTER SKIN. THESE ONIONS ARE, NEVERTHELESS, ALLOWED IN THIS CLASS IF ENTIRELY COVERED BY A SINGLE OUTER SKIN AND PROPERLY SHAPED.

·       SLIGHT DEFECTS IN COLOURING;

o   THE COLOURING MUST BE CHARACTERISTIC OF SOUND BULBS IN THE VARIETY CONCERNED. SLIGHT GREENISH DISCOLORATION OF THE TOP OR SLIGHT DISCOLOURING DUE TO ‘THRIPS’ MAY BE ALLOWED, HOWEVER, PROVIDED THE GENERAL APPEARANCE OF THE BULB OR THE PACKAGE AS THE WHOLE IS NOT AFFECTED.

·       LIGHT STAINING THAT DOES NOT AFFECT THE OUTER SKIN, PROVIDED IT DOES NOT COVER MORE THAN ONE FIFTH OF THE BULB’S SURFACE;

·       SUPERFICIAL CRACKS IN AND PARTIAL ABSENCE OF THE OUTER SKINS, PROVIDED THE FLESH IS PROTECTED.

·       WHEN ONIONS ARE STORED AND /OR HANDLED IN A DRY ATMOSPHERE, THE DRY OUTER SKIN MAY SPLIT AND DISAPPEAR. THUS, SMALL CRACKS IN THE DRY OUTER SKIN, DUE TO LOW AIR-HUMIDITY, ARE ALLOWED. AS FAR AS THE FLESH IS NOT VISIBLE SMALL CRACKS IN THE OUTER SKIN ARE NOT CONSIDERED AS DEFECTS.

·       CLASS II

·       THIS CLASS INCLUDES ONIONS THAT DO NOT QUALIFY FOR INCLUSION IN CLASS I BUT SATISFY

·       THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS SPECIFIED ABOVE. ONIONS IN THIS CLASS MUST BE OF REASONABLE QUALITY, AND ARE SUITABLE FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION.

·       THE BULBS MUST BE REASONABLY FIRM.

·       THE FOLLOWING DEFECTS MAY BE ALLOWED PROVIDED THE ONIONS RETAIN THEIR ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS AS REGARDS THE QUALITY, THE KEEPING QUALITY AND PRESENTATION:

·       DEFECTS IN SHAPE;

o   SHAPE NOT TYPICAL OF THE VARIETY MAY BE ALLOWED. THE VARIATIONS MUST, HOWEVER, NOT BE SUCH, AS TO RESULT IN GENERAL DEPRECIATION OF THE PACKAGE WHERE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS OF THE PRODUCE ARE CONCERNED. THUS IN THE SAME WAY AS FOR CLASS I. THE FOLLOWING ONIONS ARE NOT ALLOWED: DISTINCTLY MIS-SHAPEN, WITH BULL-NECKS, MULTIPLE. DOUBLE ONIONS ARE ALLOWED IF ENTIRELY COVERED BY A SINGLE OUTER SKIN.

·       DEFECT IN COLOURING

o   ONIONS WHICH HAVE GREENISH DISCOLOURATION OR LOST THEIR NATURAL COLOUR AND ONIONS OF WHICH THE OUTER SKIN HAS DARKENED DUE TO HEATING ARE ALLOWED IN THIS CLASS.

·       TRACES DUE TO RUBBING;

o   SLIGHT MARKING CAUSED BY PARASITES OR DISEASE;

o   SMALL HEALED CRACKS;

o   SLIGHT HEALED BRUISING;

o   ROOT TUFTS;

o   STAINS THAT DO NOT AFFECT THE OUTER SKIN, PROVIDED THEY DO NOT COVER MORE THAN HALF THE BULB’S SURFACE;

·       A WET PERIOD DURING HARVESTING CAN CAUSE STAINS ON THE OUTER SKIN. STAINING WHICH AFFECT THE OUTER SKIN IS ALLOWED, PROVIDED THAT THE STAINED PART OF THE SKIN IS LIMITED TO 50 PER CENT OF THE SURFACE. EXCESSIVE STAINS COVERING MORE THAN 50 PER CENT OF THE SURFACE ARE, IN ANY CASE, EXCLUDED.

·       GENERALLY, THE STAINS ON THE OUTER SKIN DO NOT AFFECT THE FLESH; BUT IF THE FLESH IS AFFECTED, THIS CANNOT BE ALLOWED. 

·       CRACKS IN THE OUTER SKINS AND PARTIAL ABSENCE OF THE SKINS OVER A MAXIMUM OF ONE THIRD OF THE BULB’S SURFACE, PROVIDED THE FLESH IS NOT DAMAGED.

·       NAME OF ILLUSTRATION ONIONS

o   UNSPROUTED

o   ROOT TUFTS

o   DEFECTS IN SHAPE (ROUND TYPE)

o   DEFECTS IN SHAPE (ELONGATED TYPE)

o   GREENISH DISCOLOURATION (YELLOW ONIONS)

o   GREENISH DISCOLOURATION (WHITE ONIONS)

o   CRACKS OF THE SKIN

o   STAINING (YELLOW ONIONS)

o   STAINING DUE TO SUNBURN (RED ONIONS)

o   STAINING DUE TO WET WEATHER DURING HARVEST (RED ONIONS)

o   BRUISING

o   TYPICAL CLASS I.

o   TYPICAL CLASS II