WAC 16-439-240   Containers, pack, and size requirements.  The following lists the terms and describes the degrees of uniform sizing required of pears packed in containers. Packing shall conform to industry practices.

     (1) A ten percent tolerance for all defects from the standards for uniformity of size, wrapping, and tightness of pack is allowed. To compute the tolerance, the pears considered below standard must be counted, weighed, or measured.

     (2) Uniform: The container must not contain more than two sizes of pears, and the majority of the pears must be the size that is marked on the container.

     (3) Fairly uniform: The container contains a range of three sizes or less, and pears are one size larger and/or one size smaller than the size marked on the container.

     (4) Slightly irregular: No more than ten percent of the pears in the container can exceed the three-size range "fairly uniform" requirement in subsection (3) of this section.

     (5) Irregular:

     (a) More than ten percent of the pears in the container exceed the three-size range mentioned in the fairly uniform requirement.

     (b) Packages describing the content size as "irregular" do not comply with Washington state grading and packing regulations and cannot be legally shipped in Washington state.

     (6) Standard carton packs:

     (a) Except when jumbled, all packed pears must be arranged in clean cartons according to industry approved and recognized methods.

     (b) Pears in standard carton packs must be tightly packed and all packages must be well filled.

     (c) Each wrapped pear must be well wrapped.

     (7) Tray packs:

     (a) All pears packed in tray pack containers must be uniformly sized and arranged according to the approved method for the tray pack.

     (b) Pears packed in trays must be properly sized to minimize movement.

     (c) Tray packs must be packed with the same size and count of fruit as listed on the container.



[Statutory Authority: Chapter 15.17 RCW, RCW 15.17.030, and chapter 34.05 RCW. 09-01-095, § 16-439-240, filed 12/16/08, effective 1/16/09; Order 1033, Regulation 4, filed 10/10/66, effective 11/10/66; Order 930, Regulation 4, filed 8/6/63; Emergency Order 922, filed 6/7/63.]