Regional Standard for Culantro Coyote (Latin America and the Caribbean)

1DEFINITION OF PRODUCE

This standard applies to commercial varieties and/or commercial types of culantro coyote grown from Eryngyum foetidum L., of the Apiaceae family, to be supplied in bundlesii of fresh leaves or any other equivalent presentation to the consumer, after preparation and packaging. Culantro coyote for industrial processing are excluded.

2PROVISIONS CONCERNING QUALITY

2.1Minimum requirements

In all classes, subject to the special provisions for each class and the tolerances allowed, bundles of culantro coyote must:

•be sound, and free of leaves affected by rotting or deterioration such as to make them unfit for consumption;

•be clean, and practically free of any visible foreign matter;

•be practically free of pests, and damage caused by them, affecting the general appearance of the produce;

•be free of any foreign smell and/or taste; and

•be free of damage caused by low and/or high temperatures. In addition, they must have a fresh appearance and have their natural colouring.

2.2Classification

Culantro coyote is classified into the three classes defined below:

2.2.1Extra class

Bundles in this class must be of superior quality, and characteristic of the variety and/or commercial type. They must be free of defects, with the exception of very slight superficial defects, provided these do not affect the general appearance of the produce, the quality, the keeping quality and presentation in the package.

2.2.2Class Iiii

Bundles in this class must be of good quality, and characteristic of the variety and/or commercial type. The following slight defects, however, may be allowed, provided these do not affect the general appearance of the produce, the quality, the keeping quality and presentation in the package:

•presence of white, and/or brown and yellow blemishes, that do not exceed 5 percent of the total leaves in the bundle;

•presence of broken leaves that do not exceed 10 percent of the total leaves in the bundle; and

•presence of split leaves that do not exceed 10 percent of the total leaves in the bundle.

2.2.3Class II

This class includes bundles which do not qualify for inclusion in the higher classes, but satisfy the minimum requirements specified in Section 2.1 above. The following defects, however, may be allowed, provided the rambutans retain their essential characteristics as regards the quality, the keeping quality and presentation:

•presence of white, and/or brown and yellow blemishes, that do not exceed 15 percent of the total leaves in the bundle;

•presence of broken leaves that do not exceed 20 percent of the total leaves in the bundle; and

•presence of split leaves that do not exceed 20 percent of the total leaves in the bundle.

ii        Bundle: number of leaves that can be held in the hand.
iii       Broken leaves: leaves whose central vein has suffered breakage from physical damage without losing any parts
          adjacent to the point of breakage.
          Split leaves: leaves in which part of the blade area is missing.

3PROVISIONS CONCERNING SIZING

Size is determined by the number of bundles per kilogram. The size specifications are as follows:
                                    Size specifications for bundles of leaves
                           Size code              Weight per bundle          Number of bundles
                                                      (grams)                    per kg
                                1                         > 200                        <5
                                2                       150–200                        5–7
                                3                       100–149                       8–10
                                4                        50–99                       11–20
                                5                         < 50                        > 20

4PROVISIONS CONCERNING TOLERANCES

Tolerances in respect of quality and size shall be allowed in each package for produce not satisfying the requirements of the class indicated.

4.1Quality tolerances

4.1.1Extra class

Five percent, by number or weight of bundles, not satisfying the requirements of the class, but meeting those of class I or, exceptionally, coming within the tolerances of that class.

4.1.2Class I

Ten percent, by number or weight of bundles, not satisfying the requirements of the class, but meeting those of class II or, exceptionally, coming within the tolerances of that class.

4.1.3Class II

Ten percent, by number or weight of bundles, satisfying neither the requirements of the class nor the minimum requirements, with the exception of produce affected by rotting or any other deterioration rendering it unfit for consumption.

4.2Size tolerances

For all classes and forms of presentation, ten percent by number or weight of bundles corresponding to the size immediately above and/or below that indicated on the package.

5PROVISIONS CONCERNING PRESENTATION

5.1Uniformity

The contents of each package must be uniform and contain only bundles of the same origin, variety and/or commercial type, quality, size, and colour. The visible part of the contents of the package must be representative of the entire contents.

5.2Packaging

The bundles must be packed in such a way as to protect the produce properly. The materials used inside the package must be new,iv clean, and of a quality such as to avoid causing any external or internal damage to the produce. The use of materials, particularly of paper or stamps bearing trade specifications is allowed, provided the printing or labelling has been done with non-toxic ink or glue. The bundles shall be packed in each container in compliance with the recommended international Code of Practice for Packaging and Transport of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (CXC 44-1995).1

5.2.1Description of containers

The containers shall meet the quality, hygiene, ventilation and resistance characteristics to ensure suitable handling, shipping and preserving of culantro coyote. Packages must be free of all foreign matter and smell.

iv For the purposes of this standard, this includes recycled material of food-grade quality.

5.3Presentation

The bundles may be presented in one of the following forms:

5.3.1Individually

In this case, each bundle will be packed in a separate bag.

5.3.2In bunches

In this case, several bundles will be placed in each bag, according to their size.

6MARKING OR LABELLING

6.1Consumer packages

In addition to the requirements of the General Standard for the Labelling of Pre-packaged Foods (CXS 1- 1985),2 the following specific provisions apply:

6.1.1Nature of produce

If the produce is not visible from the outside, each package shall be labelled as to the name of the produce “culantro coyote”, or its name in the country of marketing, and may be labelled as to the name of the variety and/or commercial type, specifying the form of presentation (individual or in bunches).

6.2Labelling of non-retail containers

The labelling of non-retail containers should be in accordance with the General Standard for the Labelling of Non-Retail Containers of Foods (CXS 346-2021).3 In addition, the following specific requirement shall apply:

6.2.1Nature of produce

Name of the produce “culantro coyote”, or its name in the country of marketing, if the contents are not visible from the outside. Name of the variety and/or commercial type (optional).

7FOOD ADDITIVES

No food additives are permitted in foods conforming to this standard.

8CONTAMINANTS

9HYGIENE

NOTES

1FAO and WHO. 1995. Code of Practice for Packaging and Transport of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables. Codex Alimentarius

Code of Practice, No. CXC 44-1995. Codex Alimentarius Commission. Rome.

2FAO and WHO. 1985. General Standard for the Labelling of Pre-packaged Foods. Codex Alimentarius Standard,

No. CXS 1-1985. Codex Alimentarius Commission. Rome. 3 FAO and WHO. 2021. General Standard for the Labelling of Non-Retail Container of Foods. Standard, No. CXS 346- 2021. Codex Alimentarius Commission. Rome.

4FAO and WHO. 1995. General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Food and Feed. Codex Alimentarius Standard,

No. CXS 193-1995. Codex Alimentarius Commission. Rome.

5FAO and WHO. 1969. General Principles of Food Hygiene. Codex Alimentarius Code of Practice, No. CXC 1-1969.

Codex Alimentarius Commission. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cc6125en

6FAO and WHO. 2003. Code of Hygienic Practice for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables. Codex Alimentarius Code of Practice,

No. CXC 53-2003. Codex Alimentarius Commission. Rome.

7FAO and WHO. 1997. Principles for the Establishment and Application of Microbiological Criteria for Foods. Codex

Alimentarius Guideline, No. CXG 21-1997. Codex Alimentarius Commission. Rome.

Members of the Codex Alimentarius Commission in the Region of Latin America and the Caribbean are indicated on the Codex website at https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius