Purpose of compulsory standard

The standard referred to in paragraph 2 above is intended primarily– (a) to protect the consumer or user against danger to health and safety; (b) to ensure quality in goods produced for home use or for export; (c) to require adequate information to be given to the consumer or user; and (d) to ensure quality in any case where there is restriction in choice of source of supply. 268 MADE by the Minister of Natural Resources, the Environment and Industry this 13th day of July, 2004. (JOHN BRICENO) Minister of Natural Resources, The Environment and Industry 269 SCHEDULE [Paragraph 2] BELIZE NATIONAL STANDARD BZS12: 2004 BELIZE NATIONAL STANDARD SPECIFICATION FOR POTATO BBS BELIZE BUREAU OF STANDARDS #53 Regent Street Belize City, Belize CENTRAL AMERICA April, 2004 270 Standards CONTENTS Section Page 0 FOREWORD 271 1 SCOPE 271 2 DEFINITION OF TERMS 271 3 QUALITY REQUIREMENTS 273 4 STORAGE REQUIREMENTS 276 TABLE 1 277 5 MARKING OR LABELLING 277 6 CONTAMINANTS 278 7 HYGIENE 279 Standards 271 0 FOREWORD 0.1 This standard is intended to assist traders and consumers of (English/Irish/Table) Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) in the quality assessment for making purchasing and sales decisions. 0.2 This standard was developed because of the importance of (English/Irish/Table) Potatoes in the trade of fresh produce. 0.3 This standard was adapted from the Grenada Specification for Agricultural Produce English Potato - (Solanum tuberosum), Grenada Bureau of Standards. 1 SCOPE 1.1 This standard applies to all potatoes to be supplied fresh to the consumer market. 1.2 It sets out specifications and describes minimum requirements for the grade, storage and labelling of potatoes. 2 DEFINITION OF TERMS For the purpose of this standard, the following terms shall apply2.1 Clean means that the individual and or lot of potatoes are reasonably free from dirt and do not exceed agrochemical residues beyond the approved acceptable level and any other foreign material and odours. 2.2 Damage means any defect listed in Table l or an equally objectionable variation of any one of these defects, any other defect, or any combination of defects, which cannot be removed without a loss of more than 5% of, the total weight of the potato. 272 Standards 2.3 Fairly Well Shaped means that the individual potato is not ridged, lumpy, dumb shaped, materially affected by second growth or otherwise misshapen. 2.4 Genetically Modified (GM) means the deliberate alteration of genes in a laboratory other than by means of true natural breeding. 2.5 Loose Sprouts means unattached sprouts or sprouts that become detached during the handling of the product. 2.6 Mature means that the potatoes have reached a state of development that will ensure that they arrive on the market in an acceptable condition, subject to requirements in terms of flavour and texture. At this stage the skins of the potatoes are generally firmly set. 2.7 Moderately Firm means that the potato shall not be seriously shrivelled or flabby. 2.8 Properly Labelled means each package meets the requirements of the importer and importing country legislation; each package to be traded shall have legibly and indelibly marked on at least two sides with the following– (a) Name and address of exporter/producer/ packer/distributor; (b) Name and address of consignee; (c) Name of variety of produce; (d) Country of origin; (e) Grade of produce; (f) Net weight of package in International System of units (SI) followed by Imperial Units in brackets; Standards 273 (g) Date of packaging; (h) Post harvest treatments; (i) If the planting material was genetically modified, each package must be labelled in accordance with the legal requirements of the Government of Belize; (j) A best before date if applicable; (k) Specific storage requirements if applicable. 2.9 Serious Damage means any defect listed in Table I, or an equally objectionable variation of any of these defects, any other defect, or any combination of defects, which cannot be removed without a loss of more than 10% of the total weight of the potato. 2.10 Seriously Misshapen means that the potato shall not be seriously deformed and causing more than 10% waste when determining the non-peelable area directly due to shape. 2.11 Similar Varietal Characteristics means that the potatoes in any lot shall have the same general shape, colour, and character of skin and colour of flesh. 2.12 Soft Rot or Wet Breakdown means any soft, mushy or leaky condition of the tissue of the potato. 2.13 Skinned Areas means that the potato has areas where the skin is missing or feathered. 2.14 Usable Piece means the portion of the potato remaining after trimming or as it occurs in the sample. 3 QUALITY REQUIREMENTS 3.1 Minimum Requirements 274 Standards 3.1.1 Potatoes shall be free from– (a) black heart; (b) late blight tuber rot; (c) southern bacteria wilt; (d) bacterial ring rot; (e) soft rot and wet breakdown; (f) insect bites, worms and larvae; (g) freezing injury; (h) musty or mouldy smell; (i) large cuts; (j) growth cracks; (k) skinned areas; (l) green colouring to the skin; and (m) large eyes. 3.1.2 Potatoes shall be– (a) clean; (b) mature; (c) moderately firm; (d) not seriously misshapen; (e) shallow eyes; Standards 275 (f) fairly well shaped; and (g) of similar varietal characteristics. 3.2 Grade Requirements 3.2.1 Grade 1 In addition to meeting the minimum requirements potatoes falling in that grade shall meet the following requirements: (a) Individual potatoes shall be. not less than 2 inches in diameter or 4 ounces in weight; (b) A 10% variation from the desired shapes is permitted; and (c) Free from damage by any cause. 3.2.2 Grade 2 In addition to meeting the minimum requirements, potatoes falling in that grade shall meet the following requirements– (a) Individual potatoes shall be not less than 1½ inches in diameter, or usable pieces shall be not less than 4 ounces in weight; (b) The usable piece of the potato should be no less than 70% of the whole; (c) A 20% variation from the desired shape is permitted; and (d) Free from serious damage by any cause. The development and condition of the potato must be such as to enable them, to withstand transport and handling and to arrive in a satisfactory condition at the place of destination. 276 Standards 4 STORAGE REQUIREMENTS Special storage requirements for potatoes are necessary to control and retard natural biological processes of the crop that may lead to decay of the same. Quality of the potato is maintained by controlling storage temperatures and relative humidity. 4.1 Minimum Storage Requirements 4.1.1 Potatoes shall be stored at a temperature of40°F (4°C) to 55°F (13°C) 4.1.2 The storage room shall be properly ventilated. 4.1.3 Potatoes shall be stored in a dark room free from natural or artificial light to avoid greening. 4.1.4 Storage package shall be placed on good quality wooden pallets of 48”x 40” (122cm x 102cm). 4.1.5 The pallets shall be placed at least 12 inches (31 cm) away from the wall and stacked in rows at least 12 inches (31cm) from each other. 4.1.6 The roof and upper wall of the storage room shall be insulated and weatherproof. 4.1.7 The floor of the storage room shall be damp proof to prevent moisture ingress. Standards 277 TABLE 1: CLASSIFICATION OF DEFECTS Defects Maximum allowed Maximum allowed for Grade 1 for Grade 2 Air Cracks 5% waste 10% waste Bruises 5% waste 10% waste Cuts Smooth, not more than 10% of surface Smooth not more than 1/3 of the surface Enlarged lenticels, discoloured or sunken 5% waste 10% waste Greening, light 5% waste 10% waste Sprouts 5% waste 10% waste Nematodes 5% waste 10% waste Rodent, bird damage 5% waste 10% waste Scab Surface 25% of surface or 5% waste 50% of surface or 10% waste 5 MARKING OR LABELLING 5.1 Containers Destined for the Final Consumer In addition to the requirements of the BZS1: Part 3: 1998 - Belize National Standard Specification for the Labelling of Pre- packaged Foods, the following specific provisions apply: 5.1.1 Nature of the Produce 278 Standards If the produce is not visible, each package shall be labelled as to the name of the produce and optionally, that of the variety. If the planting material was genetically modified, each package must be labelled in accordance with the legal requirements of the Government of Belize. 5.2 Non-retail containers For products transported in bulk these particulars must appear on the package or on a document accompanying the goods. 5.2.1 Identification Exporter, packer and/or dispatcher. 5.2.2 Nature of the Produce Name of produce if the contents are not visible from the out- side, name of variety or commercial type (if applicable). 5.2.3 Origin of Produce Country of origin and optionally, district where grown or national, regional or local place's name. 5.2.4 Commercial Identification (a) Class (b) Net weight (c) Size (reference letter optional) 6 CONTAMINANTS 6.1 Heavy Metals Standards 279 6.1.1 Potatoes shall be free from heavy metals in amounts, which may represent a hazard to human health. Potatoes covered by this standard shall comply with those Maximum Residue Limits (MRL) for heavy metals established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. 6.2 Pesticide Residues 6.2.1 Potatoes shall comply with those Maximum Residue Limits (MRL) established by the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues for this commodity. 7 HYGIENE 7.1 It is recommended that the product covered by the provisions of this standard be prepared and handled in accordance with the appropriate sections of the Belize Agricultural Health Authority (Food Safety) Regulations 2001- General Principles of Food Hygiene. 7.2 It is recommended that the growing and harvesting of potatoes adhere to Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and all subsequent processing adhere to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs). 7.3 When tested by appropriate methods of sampling and examination, the product shall– (a) Be free from microorganism in amounts, which may represent a hazard to human health. (b) Be free from parasites, which may represent a hazard to human health. (c) Be free of any substance originating from microorganisms in amounts, which may represent a hazard to human health.