5576 NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE No. 194

(c) A full orange colour in the flesh.

"Sound" means free from any progressive decay, rots, (including small shallow rots even if dry and calloused), breakdown freezing or chilling injury, damage and similar defects which may cause rapid loss of condition or rapid decay.

"Storage Defects" means storage decay, fungal rots, wilt or other injury as a result of storage.

"Sunburn" means injury from exposure to the sun which results in sunken white areas of damaged flesh.

"Trimmed" means the stalk is cut cleanly and is less than 20 mm long or does not protrude more than 10 mm above the shoulders of the squash.

3. Application of notice—This notice determines the standard grade for the export of buttercup squash from New Zealand.

4. Title and grade—The grade mark assigned to this standard grade shall be Grade 1 (hereinafter referred to as ‘the grade’).

5. Definition of produce—This grade applies to buttercup squash, grown from varieties of cucurbita maxima to be supplied fresh to the customer.

Note: Buttercup squash for industrial processing is excluded from this grade providing the packages are marked accordingly.

6. Provisions concerning quality—The purpose of this standard is to define the quality requirements for buttercup squash at the dispatching stage, after preparation and packaging.

The buttercup squash must be:

Free from pests and diseases and meet any quarantine and other legal requirements of the importing country;

intact, whole;

sound—free from storage defects or any other defects which may impair their general appearance or keeping quality;

clean—free from soil, practically free of any other visible foreign matter;

free from abnormal external moisture;

free from foreign smell or taste;

mature;

trimmed;

cured;

of good quality, with similar varietal characteristics including shape and colour and without distortion due to abnormal development;

capable of withstanding handling, storage and transport, and arriving at the destination in a sound condition;

free from sunburn and scald;

buttercup squash should be shipped within 14 days of harvesting.

Skin defects which are not liable to impair the keeping qualities are permitted within the limits specified in the First Schedule to this notice.

7. Provisions concerning sizing—Sizing is determined by weight at the time of packing. The minimum size for export in bulk packs is 1.2 kg and above which should be marked Grade 1.

Note: Squash in the size range up to 1.2 kg only is permitted as a separate pack which must be marked accordingly and checked for maturity prior to export.

8. Provisions concerning tolerance—Any one package shall not contain more than 5 percent of buttercup squash by weight outside the branded size range.

9. Provisions concerning presentation—

(a) Uniformity—The contents of each package must be uniform; each package must contain only buttercup squash of the same origin, variety, quality, degree of ripeness and size. The visible part of each package must be representative of the entire contents.

(b) Packaging—The buttercup squash must be packed in clean new packages and in such a way as to ensure that they are suitably protected.

Packages must be free of all foreign matter.

(c) Export Bin Specifications—All export squash are to be exported in wooden bins that meet the specifications and dimensions, as set out in the Second Schedule to this notice.

First Schedule

Allowances for Defects:

(a) Soil bleaching (groundspot)—No more than 15 percent of the surface area on individual squash.

(b) Discolouration (bronzing)—The result of exposure to the sun, where the colour of the affected area is still dominantly green the squash is acceptable. Where a brown or bronzed colour is dominant in the affected area the squash is unacceptable.

(c) Vine marks—The vine must not have substantially distorted the outline or shape of the squash. A vine mark must be:

(i) No deeper than 20 mm from the normal surface of the squash at the deepest point.

(ii) No wider than 20 mm at the widest point.

(iii) No longer than 100 mm.

(d) Callousing—Surface callousing (i.e., non-raised areas) are not to exceed 4 square cm in aggregate area. Callousing with raised areas such as “pimples” or cedema (“warts”) is not to exceed 2 square centimetres in aggregate area and 5 mm in height at any point.

(e) Bruising-marks resulting from pressure must not:

(i) Have broken the skin.

(ii) Exceed 2 square centimetres in aggregate area.

(f) Cuts are not acceptable on squash. Cuts are broken skin which may be caused by cutting (knives, secateurs) or impact on a sharp edge (stalks, timber, metal).

(g) Dirty fruit—soil, grease, bird droppings or other foreign matter on the fruit is not acceptable.

(h) Shape—The squash must be wider than it is high, and typical of the variety.

(i) Shrinkage (weight loss)—Shrinkage allowance of 7 percent of net weight at the time of despatch is to be provided for.

(j) External moisture—All fruit are to be free of external moisture (water from washing procedures) prior to stowage for export shipment.

Second Schedule

(i) Reefer Vessel Bins

Timber lengths for front and back ... 1.02 m
Timber lengths for pallet base ... 1.22 m
Timber lengths for bin caps ... 1.22 m
Timber lengths for sides ... 1.18 m
Timber lengths for corners ... 0.920 m

To be manufactured in compliance with the following specifications:

(ii) Door Off Dry Container Bins

All bins to be of a size that allows twenty bins of the same dimensions per twenty foot dry sea container.

To be manufactured in compliance with the following specifications.

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