CFR > Title 7 - Agriculture > SUBTITLE B—Regulations of the Department of Agriculture > CHAPTER I—AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards, Inspections, Marketing Practices), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (parts 27 to 206) > SUBCHAPTER C—REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS UNDER THE AGRICULTURAL MARKETING ACT OF 1946 (parts 51 to 75) > PART 51—FRESH FRUITS, VEGETABLES AND OTHER PRODUCTS 1,2 (INSPECTION, CERTIFICATION, AND STANDARDS) > SUBPART —United States Standards for Grades of Nectarines (§51.3145 to §51.3160) > 51.3152—Standard pack.

51.3152—Standard pack.

(a) Nectarines shall be fairly uniform in size and shall be packed in boxes, lugs, crates, or cartons and arranged according to the approved and recognized methods. All such containers shall be tightly packed and well filled but the contents shall not show excessive or unnecessary bruising resulting from overfilling. The nectarines in the shown face shall be reasonably representative in size, color and quality of the contents of the container.
(b) When packed in closed containers, the size shall be indicated by marking the container with the numerical count, the pack arrangement, or the minimum diameter or minimum and maximum diameters in terms of inches and not less than one-eighth fractions of inches, or a count-size based on equivalent tray pack size designations.
(c) Boxes, lugs or cartons: (1) Nectarines packed in containers equipped with cell compartments, cardboard fillers or molded trays shall be of the proper size for the cells, fillers, or molds in which they are packed, and the number of nectarines in the container shall correspond to the count marked on the container.
(2) In order to allow for variations incident to proper packing, when packed in other types of packs in lugs, cartons, or boxes, the number of nectarines in the container may vary not more than two from the number marked on the container.
(d) “Well filled” means that the nectarines packed in loose or volume filled containers are packed within 1 inch of the top of the container.
(e) “Fairly uniform in size” means that when the average diameter of nectarines in any container is 2 inches or smaller not more than 5 percent, by count, of the nectarines in the container shall be outside a diameter range of one-fourth inch; when the average diameter of nectarines in any container is over 2 inches not more than 5 percent, by count, of the nectarines in the container shall be outside a diameter range of three-eighths inch.
(f) Minimum size: When size is indicated in terms of minimum diameter not more than 5 percent, by count, of the fruit in any container may be smaller than the size marked.
(g) “Diameter” means the greatest dimension measured at right angles to a line from stem to blossom end of the fruit.
(h) Tolerances. In order to allow for variations incident to proper sizing and packing, not more than 10 percent, by count, of the containers in any lot may fail to meet the requirements for standard pack.