Plums and Prunes Grading and
Packing Manual
This manual is a summary of the regulations which apply
to the grading, packing and marking of plums and prunes in the Province
of Ontario. It is supplied by the Food Inspection Branch to assist in
the marketing of plums and prunes 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 reference, 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 grade and grade name for plums and prunes is Canada
No. 1. All plums and prunes grown and sold in Ontario must be properly
packed to the grade standards and marked accordingly.
The following table identifies the requirements of the
Canada No. 1.
|
Grade Factors
|
Canada No. 1
|
|
Properly Packed
|
When packaged, the plums and prunes must not be slack, overpressed
or otherwise in a condition likely to result in permanent damage
during handling or in transit.
|
|
Variety
|
Fruit in any package must be of one variety except store packed
units or fancy gift baskets.
|
|
Hand Picked
|
Fruit must be hand picked.
|
|
Condition
|
Plums and prunes must be free from:
- decay or breakdown (any soft mushy condition).
- freezing injury (any watersoaked, glazed areas).
- soft or overripe.
- shrivelled or wrinkled specimens.
|
|
Maturity
|
Fruit must be mature but not overripe. Shiro plums must not exceed
a pressure test of 10 pounds using a 5/16 inch plunger. Blue plums
and prunes must have some sweetness and the flesh must be able
to breakaway from the pit.
|
|
Skin Tears
|
Fruit must be free from skin tears outside of the stem cavity.
|
|
Insects and Larvae
|
Must be free from any insects, insect larvae.
|
|
Disease
|
Must be free from disease, purple spot and plum rot.
|
|
Colour
|
Plums and prunes must be of good colour meaning:
- italian prunes (freestone) must have a minimum of 75% of the
surface of a colour characteristic of the variety when mature.
- plums and prunes (other than Italian) must have colour characteristic
of the variety when mature.
|
|
Size
|
Must have minimum diameter for varieties listed below:
- burbank, ozark, premier and vanier: 1 5/8 inch (41mm).
- shiro: 1½ inch (38mm).
- methley, president, washington: 13/8 inch (35mm).
- bradshaw, early golden and all varieties known as early blue:
1¼ inch (32mm)
- reine claude, stanley and italian prune types: 1 1/8 inch
(29mm).
- green gage, lombard and german prunes: 1 inch (25mm).
- shropshire damson: ¾ inch (19mm).
- all other varieties: characteristic of the variety when mature.
|
|
Cleanliness
|
Must be fairly clean.
|
|
Bruises
|
Must be free from bruises that have caused the flesh to discolour.
|
|
Growth Cracks
|
Must be free from growth cracks in all varieties except peach
plums. In the case of peach plums, growth cracks must not:
- be at the calyx end.
- expose the flesh.
- exceed ¼ inch (6mm) in length.
|
|
Russeting
|
Must be free from russeting that affects more than 10% of the
surface area.
|
|
Drought Spot
|
Must be free from drought spot.
|
|
Sunscald
|
Must be free from sunscald.
|
|
Limb Rub or Leaf Mark
|
Must be free from limb rub or leaf mark.
|
|
Hail Damage
|
Must be free from hail damage.
|
|
San Jose Scale
|
Spots must not exceed 2 per fruit which contrast sharply with
the background colour.
|
|
Insect Damage
|
Must be free from insect damage.
|
|
Combination of Defects
|
Must be free from a combination of 2 or more defects (other than
colour, cleanliness or size) that individually do not exceed their
respective tolerances but that in combination exceed the greatest
area tolerance for any of those defects.
|
|
Other Damage
|
Must be free of any other damage, injury or defect that materially
affects the appearance, edibility or shipping quality of the plums
or prunes.
|
Packing Level Tolerances
The following tolerances by count apply to any package or lot of plums
or prunes before the package or lot would fail to meet the grade requirements
at the packing level:
- a maximum of 5% by count of the plums or prunes in a lot may
be below the minimum diameter requirement.
- a maximum of 3% by count of the plums or prunes in a lot may
be affected by decay.
- a maximum of 5% by count of the plums or prune a lot may have
the same defect other than decay.
- a maximum of 10% by count of the plums or prunes in a lot may
have any defects other than size but including decay.
Additional Destination Tolerances
In addition to those tolerances permitted at packing level, another 5
% by count of the plums or prune 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 plums or prune must be marked with the following:
- Name and Address of Packer.
- Grade.
- Country or Canadian Province of origin in the form of "
Product of ".
- The word "Plums or Prune" where the product is not
visible.
- The net weight of the contents on bags or catchweight packages.
- The price per kilogram or pound on catchweight packages.
Note:
- The grade and origin markings must be immediately adjacent to
one another and of the same size print.
- 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.).
- All markings must be legible, of a permanent nature, and of
a reasonable size proportional to the package or label.
Packages
Plums or prune may be packed in the following containers:
- Half pint, pint and quart containers.
- Baskets of 2, 4, 6, 8, 11 quart capacity.
- Baskets of 2 and 4 litre capacity.
- 1,110 cubic inch half bushel box, carton or crate.
- 2,220 cubic inch bushel box, carton or crate.
- Consumer tray packs of any weight up to 3 pounds.
- Consumer packages of 1, 1 ½, 2, 2 ½ and 3 pounds.
- 2/3 bushel cartons with a minimum weight of 31 pounds.
- Master containers of 3 X 4L baskets with a minimum weight of
24 pounds.
Bilingual and Metric Requirements
All markings on packages of plums and prunes 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
