Minimum requirements

• In all classes, subject to the special provisions for each class and the tolerances allowed, the citrus fruit must be:
•  intact
  
  • Means not having any mutilation or injury spoiling the integrity of the fruit, such as cuts or punctures or other significant physical damage sustained during harvesting or post harvest handling.

• free of bruising and/or extensive healed over cuts
• The fruit must be practically free of oleocellosis, bruises and / or extensive healed over cuts.

• Oleocellosis: or rind-oil spotting. The result of impact or compression damages the skin and causes green or brown discolouration.

• sound; produce affected by rotting or deterioration such as to make it unfit for consumption is excluded
• The fruit must be free from disease or serious deterioration which appreciably affects it sappearance, edibility, or market value. In particular, this excludes produce affected by rotting, even if the signs are very slight but liable to make the produce unfit for consumption upon arrival at its destination.

• clean, practically free of any visible foreign matter Citrus fruit must be practically free of visible soil, dust, chemical residues or other visible foreign matter.

• practically free from pests
  
  • Citrus fruit must be practically free from insects, mites or any other pests. The present of pests can detract from the commercial presentation and acceptance of the fruit

• free from damage caused by pests affecting the flesh
  
• Citrus fruit must be free from damage caused by insects, mites or any other pests that affects the fruit flesh. Pest damage affecting the flesh makes the produce unfit for consumption.

• free of signs of shrivelling and dehydration
• Damage caused by evaporation of water from the fruit due to extreme temperature.
• free of damage caused by low temperature or frost
• Damage caused by frost prior to harvest, or by chilling due to low temperature during
  storage or transportation.

• free of abnormal external moisture
  
  • This provision applies to excessive moisture, for example free water lying inside the package, but does not apply to condensation on fruit following release from cold storage or
    refrigeration vehicle.
• free of any foreign smell and/or taste.
  
  • This refers particularly to citrus fruit which have been stored on badly kept premises or have travelled in a badly maintained vehicle, especially fruit which has acquired strong smell from other produce stored on the same premises or travelling in the same vehicle.
• It does not refer to any smell emanating from products used in conformity with the regulations for their use to improve keeping properties. For example, care should be taken to use only non-smelling materials as protection in packaging.
• The development and condition of the citrus fruit must be such as to enable them:
  
  •  to withstand transport and handling, and
  •  to arrive in satisfactory condition at the place of destination.
• The state of ripeness must allow the fruit to withstand transport and handling and to arrive in satisfactory condition at the place of destination.
• The fruit must have reached an appropriate degree of development and ripeness in accordance with criteria proper to the variety and the area in which they are grown.