Fresh Produce Quality Specifications - Tomato

A brief guide to the quality standards expected for the supply of fresh tomatoes.  We provide the basic food standards and the key fresh produce quality criteria for this product as part of a series of articles on fresh produce quality standards.

Please be aware that these specifications only reflect what we consider to be well established industry standards, commonly held knowledge and our own expertise in having conducted thousands of food quality inspections over the past 20 years.  If we have made any direct reference to another source it will be referenced clearly.

Size Requirements for Tomatoes

These are typically supplied in grades, with the following sizes being the most usual:

Size MMM:  40mm - 47mm

Size MM:  47mm - 57mm

Size M:  57mm - 67mm

Common Pack Sizes

Tomatoes are usually distributed in open topped corrugated cardboard boxes of 6kg

Common Quality Defects Found in Tomatoes

We break quality defects typically into major and minor categories, with no tolerance recommended for the former, and a small tolerance recommended in the latter.  This would typically be in the region of 5% - 10% of a pack by either weight or count.

Major Defects

Mould / Rot / Breakdown

Pests or Insects

Disease / Fungal Growth

Minor Defects

Sizes outside of the stated grade (see above)

Colour not meeting the specific ripeness requirements

Surface Scarring or Russetting

Minor cracks to the Surface

Minor signs of age such as wrinkling and softening fruit

Distribution Temperatures for Tomatoes

Distribution temperatures for this product are usually between 12C - 15C

It should be noted here, that in most mixed product distribution scenarios, Tomato along with most other fresh produce is grouped into the chilled storage and distribution network which would be expected to run below 6C.

Common Countries of Origin for Tomato

The Netherlands

Spain

The United Kingdom

Canary Islands

Please not these specifications are for informational use only, if you would like a detailed specification or comprehensive list of fresh produce specifications preparing, do not hesitate to contact us on 01208 895370