ISO 7558 INTERNATIONAL STANDARD First edition 1988-12-01 INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR STANDARDIZATION ORGANISATION INTERNATIONALE DE NORMALISATION MEKAYHAPOAHAA OPIAHW3ALMA NO CTAHAAPTM3ALMM Guide to the prepacking of fruits and vegetables Guide pour le préemballage des fruits et legumes Reference number ISO 7558 : 1988 (E) Not for Resale ted without license from IHS ISO 7558 : 1988 (E) Foreword Iso (the international Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, govern- mental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISo, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization. Draft International Standards adopted by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for approval before their acceptance as International Standards by the isO Council. They are approved in accordance with ISO procedures requiring at International Standard ISO 7558 was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 34, Agriculturalfoodproducts International Organization for Standardization, 1988 ? Printed in Switzerland Not for Resale d without license from IHS INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 7558 : 1988 (E) Guide to the prepacking of fruits and vegetables Scope 3.1 Direct application of shrink or stretch film 1 System A This International Standard gives general guidance on the con- ditions and the methods of prepacking and packing for trans- This is mainly used to pack one fruit or vegetable item of large port of the main types of fruits and vegetables sold fresh. volume (for example citrus fruits, greenhouse cucumbers, lettuces, head lettuces, round-headed cabbages). Prepacking is intended to protect goods against possible damage which may result in deterioration in their freshness and to facilitate in their marketing in as much as the products are well presented and suitable for self-service marketing. 3.2 Application of a band of film to a tray or box - System B This is used particularly for fruits and vegetables of small Materials for prepacking 2 volume. The package formed contains several items. Materials used for prepacking should conform to health and It consists of a tray or box around which a band of film (usually hygiene standards and should be capable of protecting the pro- shrink film) is wrapped. duct. The following materials may be used: The band of film is fed over the longer side of the tray or box in portable plastic film and paper bags, and plastic film order to leave slits, after the formation of the package, on the and paper bags, as well as plastic plates; shorter sides for air circulation. This type of prepacking is thus particularly suitable for fruits and vegetables with a high rate of moisture loss by evaporation (since a high relative air humidity plastic, viscose, textile fibre or a combination of these might speed up the development of microbial contamination). materials; It should not be possible to remove one item without damage trays or boxes (boxes of height greater than 25 mm) to the film. The packing film is joined by heat, parallel to the made of cardboard, papier maché, plastic or wood pulp longer side of the container (tray or box). The mass of the con- with a flat or profiled bottom. Packing materials may have a tents should not normally exceed 1 kg. functional surface and colour (e.g. the foil should be transparent; cucumbers may be packed in green packing materials) provided that any visual defect in the product is not masked by the design, colour, mesh size, etc. 3.3 Application of film to a tray or box to form a However, the packing materials used may vary accordi