Cherry Grading and Packing Manual

This manual is a summary of the regulations which apply to the grading, packing and marking of cherries in the Province of Ontario. It is supplied by the Food Inspection Branch to assist in the marketing of cherries in Ontario.

Regulation 378/90 under the Farm Products Grades and Sales Act is the source of this information.

This edition, while accurate, is prepared for convenience only. For complete information, please refer to the official volumes of the Farm Products Grades and Sales Act.

Contents:

Packing Level Tolerances

The following tolerances by count or weight apply to any package or lot of cherries before the package or lot would fail to meet the grade requirements at the packing level:

1. 1% of the cherries by count or weight may be affected by brown rot or decay.
2. 5% of the cherries by count or weight in a lot may have the same defect other than brown rot or decay.
3. 10% of the cherries by count or weight in a lot may have defects of any kind including brown rot or decay provided that individual tolerances are not exceeded.
   
   

Additional Destination Tolerances

In addition to those tolerances permitted at packing level, another 5 % of the cherries by count or weight in the lot may have condition defects (of which not more than 2 % is decay) at any other subsequent level of trade. Condition defects are those which can develop or worsen after packing (i.e. bruising, crushing, decay, freezing, overheating etc.).

Markings

All packages of cherries must be marked with the following:

1. Name and Address of Packer.
2. Grade.
3. Country or Canadian Province of origin in the form of " Product of ".
4. The word "Cherries" where the product is not visible.
5. The net weight of the contents on catchweight (random weight) packages.
   
   

Note:

1. The grade and origin markings must be immediately adjacent to one another and of the same size print.
2. All required markings must be of a print at least 1/8 inch in height on tags and ¼ inch in height on all other packages (baskets, cartons, etc).
3. Capacity markings must be at least ½ inch in height for baskets 2 to 11 quart, 2 and 4 litre capacity and for cartons of ½ and 1 bushel capacity.
4. All markings must be legible, of a permanent nature, and of a size reasonable in proportion to the size proportional to the size of the package or label.

Packages

Cherries may be packed in the following containers:

1. Half pint, pint and quart containers.
2. Baskets of 2 and 4 litre capacity.
3. Baskets of 2, 4, 6, and 8, quart capacity.
4. Cartons or crates which measure 15 ¾ x 15 ¾ x 4 3/8 inches.
5. Cartons or crates which measure 16 ¼ x 12 x 5 ¼ inches.
6. A consumer tray pack (catchweight package) of any weight up to 3 pounds.

Bilingual and Metric Requirements

All markings on packages of cherries should be printed in equal prominence in both English and French as there is a possibility of export from Ontario. Names and Addresses are required only once.

Federal law requires that all net quantity markings be printed in Imperial measure (pounds, quarts. etc.) with the equivalent Metric measure of the same size.

For further information on bilingual or metric marking requirements or for shipments out of Ontario, contact your local Inspector with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).

Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs Contact

Foods of Plant Origin
1 Stone Road West, 5th Floor North West
Guelph, ON N1G 4Y2