Ontario Marking Requirements for Fresh Fruit and Vegetables at Retail

In This Section

Topics

Ontario Marking Requirements for Fresh Fruit and Vegetables at Retail

Author:	Food Safety and Environment Division/OMAFRA
Creation Date:	19 February 2003
Last Reviewed:	11 June 2008

Regulation 378, Grades - Fruit and Vegetables, under the Farm Products Grades and Sales Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chapter F.8

1. Requirements for packages at retail
2. Requirements for retail signs
3. Requirements for advertisements of produce
4. Mandatory Grade Marking Requirements for Fresh Fruit and Vegetables at Retail
5. Optional Grade Marking Requirements for Fresh Fruit and Vegetables at Retail

Packages at retail must indicate:

Name and address of packer (your store name and address, if you packed the product)
Name of produce (if kind of produce is not clearly visible)
Grade (see chart below) as required by Regulation 378
For produce imported from outside of Canada and repacked in Canada, the country of origin stated as "Product of"
For Canadian grown produce, "Product of" either "Canada" or the "Product of name of province" origin
Variety name for apples and pears
For peppers the word "Sweet" or "Hot"
Yukon Gold Potatoes shall be prominently marked "Yukon Gold"
Yellow fleshed potatoes shall be marked as "Yellow fleshed Potatoes"
Price per unit weight on catchweight packages (except where the weight is 1, 1½, 2, 2½, or 3 pounds)

| Top of Page |

Retail signs must indicate:

Grade (see chart below) as required by Regulation 378
For imported produce, the country of origin stated as "Product of"
For Canadian grown produce origin must be indicate as "Product of Canada" or "Product of name of province"
Variety name for apples and pears
For peppers the word "Sweet" or "Hot"
Price per unit of weight, if sold by weight

| Top of Page |

Advertisements of produce must indicate:

For imported produce, the country of origin stated as "Product of"
For Canadian grown produce origin must be indicate as "Product of Canada" or "Product of name of province"
Grade (see chart below) as required by Regulation 378
Measure, weight or size of the package

| Top of Page |

Mandatory Grade Marking Requirements for Fresh Fruit and Vegetables at Retail:

| A | B | C | G | H | O | P | R | T |

Product	Canadian Grown Produce	Imported From Outside of Canada
Apples	Canada Extra Fancy Grade Canada Fancy Grade Canada Commercial Grade Canada Cee Grade Canade "C" Grade Canada Hailed Grade Canada Commercial Cookers Grade	Extra Fancy Grade Fancy Grade Commercial Grade Cee Grade "C" Grade Hailed Grade Commercial Cookers Grade
Asparagus	Canada No. 1 Grade Canada No. 1 Slender Grade Canada No. 2 Grade Note: where asparagus is sold according to diameter of asparagus stalks, the appropriate designation of "Medium", "Large" or "Jumbo" shall be used in addition to the grade name	No. 1 Grade No. 1 Slender Grade No. 2 Grade
Beets *(Topped)	Canada No. 1 Grade Canada No. 2 Grade	No. 1 Grade No. 2 Grade
Cabbage	Canada No. 1 Grade Canada No. 2 Grade	No. 1 Grade No. 2 Grade
Cantaloupe	Canada No. 1 Grade Ontario No. 2 Grade	No. 1 Grade No. 2 Grade
Carrots*(Topped)	Canada No. 1 Grade Canada No. 1 - Cut Crowns Grade Canada No. 2 Grade Note: where carrots have been washed prior to be packed, the designation "Washed" may be used in addition to the grade name	No. 1 Grade No. 1 Cut Crowns Grade No. 2 Grade
Cauliflower	Canada No. 1 Grade Canada No. 2 Grade	No. 1 Grade No. 2 Grade
Celery	Canada No. 1 Grade Canada No. 1 Heart Grade Canada No. 2 Grade	No. 1 Grade No. 1 Heart Grade No. 2 Grade
Cherries	Canada No. 1 Grade Canada Domestic Grade Canada Orchard Run Grade	No. 1 Grade Domestic Grade Orchard Run Grade
Sweet Corn	Canada No. 1 Grade	No. 1 Grade
Cucumbers (Field)	Canada No. 1 Grade Canada No. 2 Grade	No. 1 Grade No. 2 Grade
Cucumbers (Greenhouse)	Canada No. 1 Grade Canada No. 2 Grade Ontario Utility Grade	No. 1 Grade No. 2 Grade Utility Grade
Grapes	Canada No. 1 Grade Canada Domestic Grade	No. 1 Grade Domestic Grade
Head Lettuce (Iceberg Type)	Canada No. 1 Grade Canada No. 2 Grade	No. 1 Grade No. 2 Grade
Onions (Dry)	Canada No. 1 Grade Canada No. 1 Pickling Grade Canada No. 2 Grade Note: For Canada No. 1 Grade, based on diameter size, the appropriate designation of "Small" or "Jumbo" may be used in addition to the grade name	No. 1 Grade No. 1 Pickling Grade No. 2 Grade
Parsnips* (Topped)	Canada No. 1 Grade Canada No. 2 Grade	No. 1 Grade No. 2 Grade
Peaches	Canada No. 1 Grade Ontario Domestic Split-pit Grade	No. 1 Grade Domestic Split-pit Grade
Pears	Canada Extra Fancy Grade Canada Fancy Grade Canada Commercial Grade Canada No. 1 Grade Canada Cee Grade Canada "C" Grade Canada Domestic Grade Ontario No. 3 Grade	Extra Fancy Grade Fancy Grade Commercial Grade No. 1 Grade Cee Grade "C" Grade Domestic Grade No. 3 Grade
Peppers	Ontario No. 1 Grade	No. 1 Grade
Plums & Prunes	Canada No. 1 Grade	No. 1 Grade
Potatoes	Canada No. 1 Grade Canada No. 1 Large Grade Canada No. 2 Grade Ontario No. 1 Grade Ontario No. 1 Large Grade Ontario No. 1 Small Grade Ontario No. 2 Grade Ontario Mini Grade	No. 1 Grade No. 1 Large Grade No. 1 Small Grade No. 2 Grade Mini Grade
Rhubarb (Field)	Canada No. 1 Grade Canada Domestic Grade	No. 1 Grade Domestic Grade
Rhubarb (Forced)	Ontario No. 1 Grade Ontario No. 2 Grade	No. 1 Grade No. 2 Grade
Rutabagas	Canada No. 1 Grade Note: where rutabagas have been completely immersed in a wax solution, the designation "Waxed" may be used in addition to the grade name	No. 1 Grade
Tomato (Field)	Canada No. 1 Grade Canada No. 1 Picklers Grade Canada No. 2 Grade Canada No. 2 Picklers Grade	No. 1 Grade No. 1 Picklers Grade No. 2 Grade No. 2 Picklers Grade
Tomato (Greenhouse)	Canada No. 1 Grade Canada No. 1 Extra Large Grade Canada No. 2 Grade Canada Commercial Grade Ontario Jumbo Grade	No. 1 Grade No. 1 Extra Large Grade No. 2 Grade Commercial Grade Jumbo Grade

* These grades do not apply to beets, carrots or parsnips if their tops have not been removed.

| Top of Page |

Optional Grade Marking Requirements for Fresh Fruit and Vegetables at Retail:

Commodities for which the sale by grade is optional in Ontario

Product	Canadian Grown Produce	Imported From Outside of Canada
Raspberries	Ontario No. 1 Grade	No. 1 Grade
Strawberries	Canada No. 1 Grade	No. 1 Grade

Food Inspection Branch Contact
Foods of Plant Origin
1 Stone Road West, 5th Floor North West
Guelph, ON N1G 4Y2
Tel: 519-826-4180 or 1-888-466-2372, Ext. 64180
Fax: 519-826-4375

| Top of Page |

For more information:
E-mail: foodinspection@ontario.ca

In This Section

Topics