Field Tomato Grading and Packing Manual

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

| Grades | Packing Level Tolerances | Markings | Packages |
| Bilingual and Metric Requirements | OMAFRA Contact |

Grades

The grades and grade names for field tomatoes are Canada No. 1, Canada No. 2, Canada No. 1 Picklers, and Canada No. 2 Picklers. All field tomatoes sold in Ontario must be properly packed to the grade standards and marked accordingly.

Note: The "Picklers" grades provide for the sale of immature, green tomatoes in September and October provided that other than maturity, they conform to all the other grade requirements for Canada No. 1 and Canada No. 2

The following table identifies the requirements of the Canada No. 1 and Canada No.2 grades.

Grade Factors

Canada No. 1

Canada No. 2

Properly Packed

When packaged, the field tomatoes must not be slack, overpressed or otherwise in a condition likely to result in permanent damage during handling or in transit.

 When packaged, the field tomatoes must not be slack, overpressed or otherwise in a condition likely to result in permanent damage during handling or in transit.

Variety

Each package must contain tomatoes of similar varietal characteristics and type. Round types cannot be mixed with plum, or red tomatoes cannot be mixed with pink.

 Each package must contain tomatoes of similar varietal characteristics and type. Round types cannot be mixed with plum, or red tomatoes cannot be mixed with pink.

Condition

Tomatoes must sound and be free from:

  1. decay or breakdown (any soft mushy condition).
  2. freezing injury (any watersoaked, glazed areas).
  3. soft or overripe.
  4. shrivelled or wrinkled specimens.

Tomatoes must sound and be free from:

  1. decay or breakdown (any soft mushy condition).
  2. freezing injury (any watersoaked, glazed areas).
  3. soft or overripe.
  4. shrivelled or wrinkled specimens.

Maturity

Tomatoes must show an external colour of at least a definite break from a green to a straw ground colour.

 Tomatoes must show an external colour of at least a definite break from a green to a straw ground colour.

Stages of Maturity

Field tomatoes in each container must be within one of the following stages of maturity;

Firm Ripe:

  1. a minimum of 75% of a tomato's surface must have a pink or red colour.
  2. a minimum of 90% of the tomatoes in a container by count must be firm ripe and not more than 10% in a lot be semi ripe.

Mature:

  1. tomatoes are fully developed, well filled out, give a feeling of springiness and pliability when pressure is applied, are bright and waxy in appearance, have seeds that are well developed and seed cavities of a jelly-like consistency and have external colour that shows at least a definite break from a green to a straw ground colour.
  2. 90% of the tomatoes in a container by count must be mature and not more than 10% in a lot be turning.

Semi Ripe:

  1. a minimum of 25% and not more than 75% of a tomato's surface must have a pink or red colour.
  2. a minimum of 90% of the tomatoes in a container by count must be semi ripe and not more than 10% in a lot be firm ripe or turning.

Turning:

  1. a minimum of 25% a tomato's surface must have a pink or red colour.
  2. a minimum of 90% of the tomatoes in a container by count must have a pink or red colour and not more than 10% in a lot be mature or semi ripe.

Field tomatoes in each container must be within one of the following stages of maturity;

Firm Ripe:

  1. a minimum of 75% of a tomato's surface must have a pink or red colour.
  2. a minimum of 90% of the tomatoes in a container by count must be firm ripe and not more than 10% in a lot be semi ripe.

Mature:

  1. tomatoes are fully developed, well filled out, give a feeling of springiness and pliability when pressure is applied, are bright and waxy in appearance, have seeds that are well developed and seed cavities of a jelly-like consistency and have external colour that shows at least a definite break from a green to a straw ground colour.
  2. 90% of the tomatoes in a container by count must be mature and not more than 10% in a lot be turning.

Semi Ripe:

  1. a minimum of 25% and not more than 75% of a tomato's surface must have a pink or red colour.
  2. a minimum of 90% of the tomatoes in a container by count must be semi ripe and not more than 10% in a lot be firm ripe or turning.

Turning:

  1. a minimum of 25% a tomato's surface must have a pink or red colour.
  2. a minimum of 90% of the tomatoes in a container by count must have a pink or red colour and not more than 10% in a lot be mature or semi ripe.

Skin Breaks

Must be free from any water blisters, open wet cracks or skin punctures.

 Must be free from any water blisters, open wet cracks or skin punctures.

Disease

Must be free from disease which includes althernaria, anthracnose, blight and blossom-end rot.

 Must be free from disease which includes althernaria, anthracnose, blight and blossom-end rot.

Shape

Must be free from spurs and ridged, angular or indented tomatoes whose appearance is materially affected by more than 5% cut -off.

Must be free from spurs and misshapen or deformed tomatoes whose appearance is seriously affected by more than 10% cut -off.

Size

Field tomatoes must be:

Round Type:

  1. a minimum 2 inch (51mm).
  2. a diameter variation in a closed container of not more than 1inch (25mm).

    3.  

  3. 1½ to 2 inches (38 to 51mm) where undersized tomatoes are packed and must be marked "small" or "1½ to 2 inches (38 to 51mm)".

Plum or Pear Type:

A minimum diameter of 1¼ inches (32mm).

Field tomatoes must be:

Round Type:

A minimum diameter of 1¾ inches (44mm).

Plum or Pear Type:

A minimum diameter of 1¼ inches (32mm).

Appearance and Cleanliness

Tomatoes must be:

  1. free from thickly smeared dirt, spray residue or other foreign matter which exceeds an area of ¼ inch (6mm) in diameter.
  2. Free from lightly smeared dirt, spray residue or other foreign matter that exceeds an area of more than ¾ inch (19mm).

Tomatoes must be:

  1. free from thickly smeared dirt, spray residue or other foreign matter which exceeds an area of ½ inch (13mm) in diameter.
  2. Free from lightly smeared dirt, spray residue or other foreign matter that exceeds an area of more than 1½ inch (32mm).

Sun Scald

Must be free from any whitish, shiny blistered areas.

Must be free from sunken, discoloured and wrinkled areas that seriously affect thew appearance, edibility of shipping quality of the tomato.

Blotchy Ripening or Grey Wall

Must be free from any:

  1. Browning of the vascular bundles of the cell wall.
  2. Hard greenish-yellow waxy or glossy areas.

Must be free from blotchy ripening that exceeds an aggregate areas of 15% of the surface.

Bacterial Speck

Must:

  1. be free from cinder-like scabs which affect the flesh.
  2. not exceed 5 black specks providing each is only slightly raised and is not greater than 1/32 inch (1mm) in diameter.

Must not exceed 25 black specks providing each is only slightly raised and is not greater than 1/6 inch (2mm) in diameter.

Growth Cracks

Must be free from:

  1. any growth cracks that are not well healed.
  2. any growth cracks that extend over the shoulder of the tomato.
  3. Cracks that show black discolouration caused by breakdown.
  4. Radial cracks whose aggregate length exceeds ¾ inch (19mm).
  5. Any concentric crack outside a circle 1 ¼ inches (32mm) in diameter.
  6. Concentric cracks whose aggregate length exceeds 4 inches (102mm).

Must be free from:

  1. any growth cracks that are not well healed.
  2. any growth cracks that extend over the shoulder of the tomato.
  3. cracks that show black discolouration caused by breakdown.

Bruising

Must be free from bruises that are soft and discoloured.

Must be free from bruises that are soft and discoloured which cover an area exceeding 5% of the surface.

Plant or Stem Rub

Must be free from injury that exceeds an area greater than ½ inch (13mm) in diameter.

Must be free from injury that exceeds an area greater than 1inch (25mm) in diameter.

Cell Separation

Must be free from puffiness and internal cell separation where:

  1. the open cell in the seed cavity exceeds ½ the thickness of the outer wall.
  2. More than ½ the cells are affected.

Must be free from puffiness and internal cell separation where the open space in the seed cavity exceeds the thickness of the outer wall.

Sand Blasting

Must be free from:

  1. Netting that is rough.
  2. Smooth netting that exceeds ½ inch (13mm) in diameter.

Must be free from:

  1. netting that is rough.
  2. netting that exceeds 1 inch (25mm) in diameter.

Insect Injury

Must be free from injury that:

  1. exceeds two well healed sting per tomato.
  2. is not well healed.

Must be free from:

  1. stings which are not well healed.
  2. Injury that in aggregate exceeds an area greater than ¼ the diameter of the tomato.

Blossom End Scars

Must be free from scars that:

  1. are not reasonably smooth.
  2. Have deep holes.
  3. are greater in diameter than ¼ the diameter of the tomato.

Must be free from scars that:

  1. are rough or indented.
  2. exceeds 5% of the surface of the tomato.

Stitching

Must be free from stitching that is:

  1. rough.
  2. Accompanied by holes.
  3. fine and exceeds the length of 1line from stem to blossom end in aggregate.

Must be free from stitching that:

  1. exceeds the length of 2 lines from stem to blossom end in the aggregate.
  2. has holes penetrating into the tomato.

Hail Injury

Must be free from any visible hail marks.

Must be free from:

  1. any marks that have broken the skin.
  2. marks exceeding an aggregate area ¼ the diameter of the tomato.

Ground Spots

Must be free from:

  1. any soft or dark discoloured areas.
  2. Firm, light tan coloured areas that exceed in aggregate ¼ the diameter of the tomato.

Must be free from:

  1. any soft or dark discoloured areas.
  2. firm, light tan coloured areas that exceed in aggregate ½ the diameter of the tomato.

Other Damage

Must be free of any other damage or defect not described which materially affects the appearance, edibility or shipping quality of the tomato.

Must be free of any other damage or defect not described which seriously affects the appearance, edibility or shipping quality of the tomato.

 

Packing Level Tolerances

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

    1. 5% of the field tomatoes by count may be below the minimum size.
    2. 5% of the field tomatoes by count may be above the maximum size.
    3. 10% of the packages of field tomatoes may exceed the permitted size variation.
    4. 3% of the field tomatoes by count may be affected by decay.
    5. 5% of the field tomatoes by count may be affected by the same grade defect.
    6. 10% of the field tomatoes by count may have any defects including decay but not size.


    Additional Destination Tolerances

In addition to those tolerances permitted at packing level, another 5 % of the field tomatoes by count 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 field tomatoes 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 "Field Tomatoes" where the product is not visible.

    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 at least 1/8 inch in height on tags, 3/16 inch in height on bags and capacity ¼ inch in height on all other packages (cartons, bushels, baskets etc.).
    3. All markings must be legible, of a permanent nature, and of a reasonable size proportional to the package or label.

Packages

Field tomatoes may be packed in the following containers:

    1. Baskets of 1, 2, 4, 6, 11 quart or 4 litre capacity.
    2. Trays, cartons, boxes or crates of 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, and 10 pounds and multiples of 5 pounds.
    3. Tomato tubes with a minimum net weight of 14 oz.
    4. Crates or lugs which measure 16 1/8 x 13 ½ x 6 ½ inches.
    5. Any carton or crate that is properly packed and filled which is authorized for experimental use.

Bilingual and Metric Requirements

All markings on packages of field tomatoes 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



For more information:
Toll Free: 1-877-424-1300
Local: (519) 826-4047
E-mail: ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca
Author: OMAFRA Staff
Creation Date: 19 February 2003
Last Reviewed: 16 January 2004