Sec. 162.8. Topped carrot standards

(a) General.

New York State Seal of Quality carrots shall be carrots of similar varietal characteristics which are well trimmed, firm, clean, fairly well colored, fairly smooth, fairly well formed, provided 50 percent of the lot is well formed; which are free from secondary new top growth and soft rot, and free from damage caused by freezing, growth cracks, sunburn, pithiness, woodiness, internal discoloration, oil spray, dry rot, other disease, insects or other means.

(b) Definitions.

(1) Similar varietal characteristics means that the carrots in any lot are of the same general type. For example, carrots with a short, but blunt growth like the Oxheart variety, shall not be mixed with long or half-long carrots like the Imperator or Danvers varieties.

(2) Well trimmed means that the tops are cut back to not more than 3/4 inch in length, except that new leaves developing within the original central cluster of leaf stems, or occasional uncut leaves or leaf stems, exceeding this length which do not materially affect the appearance of the individual carrot shall be permitted. Carrots may have tips of roots cut or broken off: provided, that these cuts or breaks are small and fairly smooth and do not materially affect the appearance of the individual carrot.

(3) Fairly uniform means not more than 20 percent of the carrots in individual samples vary in length more than two inches, or in diameter more than 3/4 inches.

(4) Firm means that the carrot is not soft, flabby or shriveled.

(5) Clean means that the individual carrot is practically free from dirt and other foreign matter.

(6) Fairly well colored means that the carrot has an orange, orange red, or orange scarlet color, but not a pale orange or distinct yellow color.

(7) Fairly smooth means that the individual carrot is not rough, ridged, or covered with secondary rootlets to the extent that the appearance is materially affected.

(8) Well formed means that the individual carrot is not forked, or misshapen to the extent that the appearance is more than slightly affected.

(9) Secondary new top growth means the leaves or clusters of leaves which have developed outside the original central cluster of leaf stems.

(10) Damage means any specific defect described in this section; or an equally objectionable variation of any one of these defects, any other defect, or any combination of defects, which materially detracts from the appearance, or the edible or shipping quality of the individual carrot or the appearance of the sample as a whole, or which cannot be removed without a loss of more than five percent, by weight, in the ordinary preparation for use. The following specific defects shall be considered as damage:

(i) growth cracks which are not shallow or smooth, or which materially detract from the appearance of the individual carrot; and

(ii) sunburn which causes a loss of more than five percent, by weight, in the ordinary preparation for use, except that superficial light green color at the stem end which does not materially detract from the appearance of the carrot shall be permitted.

(11) Diameter means the greatest dimension of the carrot measure at right angles to the longitudinal axis.

(12) Fairly well formed means that the individual carrot is not forked, or misshapen to the extent that the appearance is materially affected.

(13) Excessively rough means that the individual carrot is rough or ridged to the extent that the appearance is seriously affected.

(14) Seriously misshapen means that the individual carrot is forked or misshapen to the extent that the appearance is seriously affected.

(15) Serious damage means any defect, or any combination of defects, which seriously detracts from the appearance, or the edible or shipping quality of the individual carrot or the appearance of the sample as a whole, or which cannot be removed without a loss of more than 20 percent, by weight, in the ordinary preparation for use.

(c) Size.

(1) The diameter of each carrot is not less that 3/4 inches or more than 1 ½inches.

(2) The length is not less than five inches, unless specified as “mini or baby”, whereas the maximum length will be five inches and the maximum diameter will be 3/4 inches.

(3) Individual samples shall be fairly uniform.

(d) Tolerances.

In order to allow for variations incident to proper grading and handling, the following tolerances, by count, are provided as specified:

(1) For defects. Ten percent for carrots in any lot which fail to meet the requirements: provided, that not more than one-half of this amount, or five percent, shall be allowed for defects causing serious damage, including therein not more than one percent for carrots affected by soft rot.

(2) For off-size. Five percent for carrots in any lot which are larger than the specified maximum diameter, 10 percent for carrots in any lot which are smaller than the specified minimum diameter or shorter than the specified minimum length and 10 percent of the samples may fail to meet fairly uniform requirement.

(e) Application of tolerances.

Individual samples shall not have more than double the tolerance specified: provided, that not more than one carrot which is frozen or affected by soft rot may be permitted in any package weighing approximately three pounds or less: and provided further, that the averages for the entire lot are within the tolerances specified for the grade. Individual samples may not contain less than 40 percent well formed.

(f) Sample for grade determination.

Each sample shall consist of 50 carrots. When individual packages contain at least 50 carrots, the sample is drawn from one package; when individual packages contain less than 50 carrots, a sufficient number of adjoining packages are opened to form a 50 carrot sample.

(g) Packing.

Carrots must be packed in new 50 or 25 pound film or mesh sacks, or master containers containing 48-one pound, 24-two pound or 10-five pound bags, or any other new standard packaging that is subject to approval by the Department of Agriculture and Markets. Package approval shall be based upon the ability of the package to maintain the quality standards and integrity of the product.

(h) Markings.

Each package of carrots packaged and offered for sale under the Seal of Quality shall have affixed the official seal designation.