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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES
NO. 538   09 JUNE 2017
538 Agricultur al Product Standards Act (119/1990): Regulations relating to the grading, packing and marking of pineapples intended for sale in the Republic of South Africa   40898DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES 
 
No. R.               2017 
 
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCT STANDARDS ACT, 1990  
(ACT No. 119 OF 1990)  
 
REGULATIONS RELATING TO THE GRADING, PACKING AND MARKING OF PINEAPPLES 
INTENDED FOR SALE IN THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH A FRICA 
 
The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries  has under section 15 of the Agricultural Product 
Standards Act, 1990 (Act No. 119 of 1990)  -- 
 
(a) made the regulations in th is Schedule;  and 
 
(b) determined that the said regulations shall come in to operat ion twelve (12) months after the 
date of publication . 
 
SCHEDULE  
 Definitions  
 1. In these regulations  any word or expression to which a meaning has been assigned in the Act  
shall have that meaning and, unless the context otherwise indicates  -- 
 
"Arthropod" means any stage in the life cycle of an invertebrate member of the Animal Kingdom that is 
bilaterally symmetrical with a segmented body, with jointed limbs that are paired and a chitinous 
external skeleton;  
 
"black heart " means small yellow or br own, opaque spots in the flesh of the pineapple, especially at the 
base of the fruit near the core, which enlarge and darken and in serious cases, especially during 
storage and ageing, give rise to the internal blackening of the fruit to within a few millimetres from the skin;  
 "black spot " means -- 
 
(a) the soft, watery, brown discoloration (wet type) of an infested fruitlet which spreads to neighbouring fruitlets;  or  
 
(b) dry spot of which the infested tissue has a brown and corky appearance;  
 
"blemish " means any external skin defect on the surface of the pineapple  that detrimentally affects the 
appearance of the pineapple ;  
 "bruise" means any indentation or discoloration directly under the skin;  
 "consignment " means -- 
 
(a) a quantity of pineapple s of the same cultivar, belonging to the same owner and delivered 
at the same time under cover of the same delivery note, consignment note or receipt note, or delivered by the same vehicle; or  
 
(b) in the case of a quantity of pineapple s that is divided into different cultivars, clas ses, 
diameter groups, pallet loads, trademarks or types of packaging, every quantity of each of the different cultivars, classes, diameter groups, pallet loads, trademarks or types of packaging;  
 "container " means the immediate package in which pineapple s are packed directly and outer packages 
in which prepacked units are packed ; 
 "decay " means a state of decomposition, fungus development, internal insect infestation or internal insect 
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 2 
damage, with signs of tissue collapse or insect excrement, which detrimentally affects the 
quality of the pineapple s; 
 
"diameter " means the largest section measured  at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the pineapple ; 
 “dry crack ” means any crack that exposes the flesh and which has dried ou t and is sealed off;  
 "foreign matter " means any material or substance not normally present in, on or between the 
pineapple s; 
 “glassiness” means – 
 
(a) in relation to major, means the occurrence of a glass y appearance i nto the core and/or up to 
a level just beneath the surface of the s hell and/or which results in fermentation; and 
 
(b) in relation to minor, means a glassy appearance of the flesh with yellowing and/or browning 
of the core;  
 
"injury " means any wound which has pierced the skin of the pineapple  and exposes the flesh, with the 
exception of such wounds which have become completely callused;   
 "inspector " means an officer under the control of the Executive Officer or an Assignee or a qualified 
employee of an Assignee; 
 “internal heat damage ” means a condition which causes sagging of the flesh directly under the skin,  
 desiccation and grey to yellow -brown discoloration of the flesh  and/or a crack in the core;  
 
“pineapples” means the fruit of the cultivar  which are grown from the species Ananas Comosus ; 
 
"prepacked unit " means any single packing unit for presentation as such to the consumer consisting of 
pineapples  and the packaging into which the pineapples  were put before being offered for sale;  
 
"the Act " means the Agricultural Product Standards Act, 1 990 (Act No. 119 of 1990);    
 
"well -formed"  means that the pineapple ha s a shape which is typical of the cultivar concerned;  
 “winter spot ” means a ring blemish on the ring eyes of the pineapple which covers the total fruit area  
 and which makes the appearance unattractive;  and 
 "yellow spot"  means elevated yellow spots on the crown leaves or, if occurring internally, a condition  
 where the individual fruitlets are caused to die off so that a dry cavity is formed ( it is also referred 
to a "dead eye").  
 
PART I  
 Restrictions over the sale of  pineappl es 
 2. (1) No person shall sell pineapple s in the Republic of South Africa -- 
 
(a) unless such pineapple s are sold according to the classes set out in regulation 3;  
 
(b) unless such pineapple s comply with the standards for the class concerned as set out 
in regulation 4; 
 (c) unless such pineapples are packed in a container and in accordance with the packing 
requirements as set out in regulations 5, 6, 7, 8 , and 9;  and  
 (d) unless such pineapple s are marked with the p articulars and in the manner prescribed 
in regulation 10. 
 
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 3 
 (2) Imported pineapple s may be exempted from the provisions of sub -regulation (1): provided 
that the pineapples  -- 
 
(a) comply with either the Codex, UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for 
Europe) or OECD (Organisation for Economic Co -operation and Development) 
standards;  and 
 (b) are according to bilateral agreement accompanied by certificate issued by a relevant 
government authority responsible for quality control of fresh fruit and vegetables and in which it is certified that the quality of the pineapple s as verified through inspection 
conforms to the relevant standard.  
 
 (3) The Executive Officer may grant written exemption, entirely or partially, to any person on 
such conditions as he or she deems necessary, from the provisions of sub-regulation (1). 
 
QUALITY STANDARDS  
 Classes of pineapples  
 3. There are  three  classes of pineapple s, namely Class 1, Class 2  and Lowest Class . 
 Standards for classes  4. (1) Pineapples shall comply with the specifications as set out in Tables 1, 2  and 3.  
 
(2) No consignment of  pineapples classified as "Class 1", "Class 2", and "Lowest Class" shall 
contain:  
 (a) any organisms which may be a source of dange r to human being s; and 
 
(b) Arthropod infestation including the organisms which according to paragraph (a)  do not  
form part of plant injurious organisms, excluding organisms which may be  a source of 
danger to the human being s, on more than 3% of the pineapples or three free running 
Arthropod per pallet load or part thereof in the consignment: Provided that it does not exceed a maximum of one Arthropod per  container.  
 
PART II  
 
                       PACKING REQUIREMENTS 
Containers  
 5. (1) Containers in which pineapple s are packed shall -- 
 
(a) be clean, dry, undamaged  and suitable;  
 
(b) not impart a foreign taste or odour to the pineapple s; 
 
(c) be free from any visible sign s of fungus growth;  
 
(d) be free from Arthropod infestation; and  
 
(e) be strong and rigid enough to ensure that the original shape be retained and not bulge out, dent in, break or tear, to the extent that pineapple s are damaged or are at risk of 
being damaged, during normal storage, handling or transport.  
 (2) Containers (excluding cartons) that are re -used, shall be of a suitable material that can b e 
cleaned and disinfected prior to re -use. 
   
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Packing requirements 
 
6. (1) Only pineapple s of the same quality , size and cultivar shall be packed together in  
the same  container . 
  (2) P ineapple s in the same container shall be uniform in size.  
 
(3) If pineapples are packed in prepacked units, such units shall be packed in a suitable manner 
in an outer package: Provided that the prepacked units are clean, dry, undamaged and 
suitable.  
 Packing material  
 7. If packing material is used inside containers, such pa cking material shall be clean, dry, odourless 
and of a quality such as to avoid causing any external or internal damage to the pineapples.  
 Stacking of containers on pallets  8. If containers containing pineapple s are palletised -- 
 
(1) the pallet shall be  clean, undamaged and suitable;  
 (2) the containers shall be stacked firmly and square with each other and the pallet;  
 
(3) only containers of the same dimensions shall be stacked in the same layer on the pallet; and 
 
(4) the containers shall not be stack ed upside- down on the pallet.  
 
Strapping of pallet loads  
 
9. (1) A pallet load of containers shall be strapped in a suitable manner.  
 
(2) If containers without lids are being used, a suitable covering may be placed on top of the pallet load of containers before the pallet load is strapped. 
 
 
MARKING REQUIREMENTS 
 
10. (1) Each container containing pineapple s shall be marked clearly, indelibly, legibly and neatly on 
any visible short or long side of the lid or container, where lids are not used, by printing, stamping or by 
means of specially designed labels with the following particulars: Provided that all particulars shall be grouped on the same side:  
 
(a) t he expression " Pineapple s" in case of containers where the contents are not visible 
from the outside;  
(b) t he appropriate cultivar/variety;  
 (c) t he appropriate Class in accordance with r egulation 3;  
 
(e) t he name and physical or postal address of the producer or owner of the contents of 
container;  
 
(f) t he country of origin (e.g. “Product of South Africa”, Produced in South Africa” or any 
other similar expression);  
 
(g) t he expre ssion: “Intended for decorations ” or any other similar wording; and 
 
(h) the applicable date of packing/date code (optional). 
 
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(2) Subject to the provisions of sub -regulation (1), each outer package containing prepacked 
units shall be marked with an indication of the total number of prepacked units per outer package:  Provi -
ded that if the total number of prepacked units is  visible from the outside, it does not have to be indicated 
on the outer package.  
 
 
Prohibition of false or misleading description of products  
 
11. No person shall use any name, word, expression, reference, particulars or indication in any 
manner, either by itself or in conjunction with any other verbal, written, printed , illustrated or visual 
material, in connection with the sale of a product in a manner that conveys or creates or is likely to convey or create a false or misleading impression as to the nature, substance, quality or other properties, or the class or grade , origin, identity or manner or place of production, of that product.   
 Display  
 12.  If pineapples are displayed for sale in loose quantities  – 
 
(1) any quantity of a particular class or cultivar, as the case may be, shall not be  
displayed mixed with pineapples of any other class or cultivar; and  
 
(2) the class and cultivar of such quantity of pineapples shall be indicated in clear legible letters on a notice board prominently placed at the quantity of pineapples. 
  
 
PART III  
 
SAMPLING PROCEDURES 
 Obtaini ng a sample of the consignment  
 13. At least two percent in a consignment shall be drawn at random for inspection purposes and an 
inspector shall be satisfied that the containers so drawn are representative of the consignment concerned.  
 Obtaining an inspe ction sample 
 14. An inspection sample shall be drawn from each container obtained in accordance with regulation 
13 and consist of the entire contents  of the container.  
 Deviating sample  
 15. If an inspector should notice during the process of drawing the random sample or during the 
inspection, that some of the containers derived from any part of the pallet load, truck load or consignment, contain pineapple s which are noticeably inferior to or differ from the contents of the containers which 
represent the r emainder of the pallet load, truck load or consignment, the inspection results shall be 
based only on the containers derived from the deviating portion of the pallet load, truck load or consignment, and further samples required for inspection shall be drawn from this deviating portion.  
 
 
 
METHODS OF INSPECTION  
 
Determination of internal deviations  
 16. Internal deviations in pineapples shall be determined as follows:  
 
(1) Take as working sample the pineapples which, in the opinion of the inspec tor, are the  most 
likely to have been affected by internal deviations from the inspection sample obtained in 
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accordance with regulation 14. 
 
(2) Peel the pineapples.  
 
(3) Cut each of the pineapples in the leng th in disks of about 6 mm thick.  
 (4) Calculate the number of pineapples thus found to be affected by internal deviations, as a percentage of the total number of pineapples in the inspection sample.  
 (5) Determine the average percentage of all the inspection samples taken in accordance with regulation 14. 
 
Determi nation of brix  
 17. (1) The brix of the pineapples in a consignment shall be determined with a calibrated 
refractometer.  
  (2) At least ten fruit shall be taken from the containers drawn for inspection in regulation 14, for 
the obtaining of a representativ e juice sample (t he fruit must preferably be taken from different 
containers) . Both halves of each fruit should be tested . 
  (3) A representative juice sample shall be obtained as follows: 
 
(a) Use a knife to cut each of the ten fruit obtained in sub regulation  17 (2) in half at right 
angles to its longitudinal axis.  
 
(b) Use a knife to repeatedly prick the f lesh of the cut fruits as thoroughly as possible.  
 
(c) Squeeze the cut half in order to obtain juice. 
 
 (4) To determine brix, the following procedure s hall be followed:  
 
(a) C lean the prism plate with distilled water and wipe off with a clean, dry tissue. 
 
(b) Place an equal number of two or more juice  drops on the prism plate of the 
refractometer.  
 (c) Note the reading on the prism scale to one decimal place.  
 (d) Determine the average reading of the ten fruits.  
 (e) Such average reading represents the brix of the consignment concerned.  
 
(5) If the test does not comply , another sample shall be drawn and tested. The consignment 
shall be approved if the average of  all the ten fruits thus tested complies with the aforesaid 
prescribed requirement. If the second test of the average of all ten fruits thus tested doesn't comply with the aforesaid prescribed requirement the consignment shall be rejected.  
 
Offence and penalties  
 
18. Any person who contravenes or fails to comply with the provisions of these regulations, shall be 
guilty of an offence and may upon conviction be liable to a fine or to imprisonment in terms of section 11 
of the Act. 
 
                 
  
 
 
 
 
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 TABLE 1:  PERMISSIBLE CULTIVARS 
 
CULTIVARS/VARIETIES 
Cayenne  
MD2  
Queen 
 
Any other suitable cultivar  
 
TABLE 2 : QUALITY STANDARDS   
 
   Quality Factor                 Class 1                 Class 2  Lowest Class  
 
1. A ppearance 
  
Attractive, clean, fresh a nd 
intact  
  
Attractive, clean, fresh and 
intact  
  
               * 
2. Shape  
 
 Typical of the cultivar 
concerned  
 Typical of the cultivar 
concerned  
                * 
3. Crowns  
  (a) Fresh, firm, clean, well -
formed and free from dead or dry leaves (a) Fresh, firm, clean, well - 
          formed and free from  
          dead or dry leaves;  and  
  
               * 
 (b) shall be single;  and  
 (b) double crowns are 
allowable  
 * 
 
 
 (c) no sprouts are  
          allowable    
4. Stems  
 Shall be attached:  Provided 
that it -- 
 Shall be attached:  Provided 
that it -- 
 * 
 (a) shall be clean and well -
formed;  
 (a) shall be clean and well -
formed;  
 * 
 (b) shall not be more than 
30 mm in length, mea -
sured from a line across the base;  and  
 (b) shall not be more than 
30 mm in length, mea -
sured from a line across the base;  and  
 * 
 (c) shall be cut off evenly 
and cleanly 
 (c) shall be cut off evenly 
and cleanly 
 * 
5. Callused 
cracks (dry)  
    
(a) Single cal lused 
crack  
 Two dry crack which does not 
exceed the dimensi ons 
below, is allowable  
 Two dry crack which does not 
exceed the dimensions below, is allowable  
 * 
   
 
 Maximum 
length  Maxi mum 
depth  Maximum 
length  Maxi mum depth  
                    
(i) 5 mm 3 mm (i) 10 mm 3 mm  
/or /or  
(ii) 10 mm 2 mm (ii) 20 mm 3 mm  
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(b) Multiple 
callused cracks  Two dry cracks not exceeding 
5 mm in length and 2 mm in 
depth is allowable  Two dry cracks not exceeding  
10 mm in length and 3 mm in 
depth is allowable  
 * 
6. Blemishes 
(maxi mum 
combined 
surface area)  
    
(a) Queen 
    
(i) 250 - 500 g 
 200 mm² 250 mm² * 
(ii) 501 - 1 000 g 
 250 mm² 300 mm² * 
(iii) 1 001 - 1 500 g 
 350 mm² 400 mm² * 
(b) Cayenne , MD2 
and other cultivars/varieties  
    
(i) 700 - 1 000 g 
 250 mm² 350 mm² * 
(ii) 1 001 - 1 500 g 
 350 mm² 450 mm² * 
(iii) 1 501 - 2 000 g 
 400 mm² 500 mm² * 
(iv) 2 001 - 3 000 g 
 500 mm² 600 mm² * 
7. Minimum mass 
in the case of:  
    
(a) Queen 
 250 g:  Provided that if the 
pineapples are intended for decorative purposes, it shall weigh at least 150  g 
 250 g:  Pro vided that if the 
pineapples are intended for decorative purposes, it shall weigh at least 150  g 
 * 
(b) Cayenne , MD2 
and other cultivars/varieties  
    700 g:  Provided that if the 
pineapples are intended for decorative purposes, it shall weigh at least 250 g  
   700 g:  Provided that if the 
pineapples are intended for decorative purposes, it shall weigh at least 250 g  
   * 
8. Skin colour 
(light yellow to orange) in the 
case of:  
 Minimum  Maximum  Minimum  Maximum                * 
 
(i) Queen 
 
 (ii) Cayenne,
 MD2 
and other cultivars/varieties  
  
Colour break  
  
Colour break   
100%  
  
100%   
Colour 
break 
 
Colour 
break  
100%  
  
100%   
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9. Minimum 
maturity  
  
12° Brix 
  
12° Brix 
                   
                 *  
10. Black heart  
    
(a) Individually  
 Not mo re than 3 spots of 
2 mm in diameter is allowable  
 Not more than 3 spots of 
3 mm in diameter is allowable  
 * 
(b) Combined  
 Not more than 5 mm in dia -
meter  Not more than 6 mm in dia -
meter  * 
11. Black spot  
    
(a) Dry 
 One spot of 10 mm in 
diameter is allo wable: Pro-
vided that not more than 3 
spots which collectively do not exceed 10 mm in 
diameter is allowable  
 One spot of 10 mm in 
diameter is allowable: Pro-
vided that not more than 3 
spots which collectively do not 
exceed 10 mm in diameter is 
allowable  * 
(b) Wet (pro   
gressive)  
 May deviate to the extent set 
out in Table 3  
 May deviate to the extent set 
out in Table 3  
 * 
12. Glassiness 
    
(a) Minor  
 
 May deviate to the extent set 
out in Table 3  May deviate to the extent set 
out in Table 3  * 
(b) Major 
 May deviate to the extent set 
out in Table 3  
 May deviate to the extent set 
out in Table 3  
 * 
13. Yellow spot  
 May deviate to the extent set 
out in Table 3  
 May deviate to the extent set 
out in Table 3  
 * 
14. Foreign matter 
 May deviate to the exten t 
set out in Table 3  May deviate to the extent  
set out in Table 3  * 
15. Uniformity of 
size in the 
same con tainer  
 Uniform:  Provi ded that the 
mass of the largest fruit shall not exceed the mass of t he 
smallest fruit by more than 
33% Uniform:  Prov ided that the 
mass of the largest fruit shall not exceed the mass of the smallest fruit by more than 
33% 
 * 
16. Unspecified 
internal or 
external quality defects not mentioned 
above  May deviate to the extent set 
out in Table 3 
  May deviate to the extent set 
out in Table 3  
  * 
 * Denotes no specificatios  
    
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TABLE 3 : MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE DEVIATIONS BY NUMBER  
 
       Quality Factor           Class 1            Class 2     Lowest Class  
1. Decay 
 6% 12% 20% 
2. Injuries, cracks, internal 
heat damage, yellow 
spot, winter spot,  
bruises, glassi ness, as 
well as unspecified inter -
nal quality defects, 
individually 
 10% 15% * 
3. S unburn, blemishes, 
dust deposits and defects with regard to crown or stem, as well as any unspecified external defects, 
individual ly 
 10% 15% * 
4. Black spot  
      
      (a)   Dry Spot  
       (b)    Wet Spot  
  
 
10% 
 
10%  
 
20% 
 
15%  
 
* 
               * 
5. Black heart  
 10% 15% * 
 
6. Minimum and maximum 
colour  
 15% 20% * 
7. Visible chemical 
residues 
 3% 6% * 
8. Minimum mass  
 10% 15% * 
9. Lack of uniformity in size 
in the same container  
 10% 15% * 
10. Deviation from  packing 
and marking re -
quirements   10% 15%        * 
11.     Foreign matter 
 
                 10%                  15%                 * 
12. Deviations in items  2 , 3, 
4, 5, and 8 of this table, 
inclu ding unspecified 
internal and external de -
viations, collectively:  
Provided that such deviations are indivi -
dually within the speci -
fied limits   15% 20% * 
 
* Denotes no specification  
 
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