CHILI QUALITY STANDARDS

Introduction

These Quality standards are designed to ensure that the horticultural enterprises meet the minimum requirements to become an integral part of the market, whether export or local.

Quality isn’t just about profits and loss or beating out a competitor. It’s about safety, delivering on a promise and meeting the very basics of customer expectations. But, by meeting quality standards, enterprises often reap better profits and reduce losses. Those that exceed quality standards stand out above their competitors and further their potential for profit and consumer loyalty. Therein rests the benefit of quality standards.

Today, quality assurance measures the standards that go into a product or service before it goes out to the public. Quality assurance uses auditors, sometimes independent and sometimes in-house, to evaluate the methods that go into making products and providing services. In this set up, the Commercial Village Trade Facilitators will help train and audit the farmers horticultural produce before reaching the market.

This module will help   achieve the following:

  1. Improve enterprises’ ability to deliver chili that consistently keep up a high quality to the market hence customer satisfaction
  2. Enhance chili quality thereby helping the enterprises to reduce extra costs that rejection of produce comes with.

Figure 1  Chili in display at Nyabugogo Market Kigali Source FCI 2020

 

 

Common Standards

i.SCOPE OF THE STANDARD

This Standard applies to commercial varieties of chili peppers grown from Capsicum spp., of the Solanaceae family, to be supplied fresh to the consumer, after preparation and packaging. Chili peppers for industrial processing are excluded.

ii.APPLICATION OF THE STANDARD

The purpose of the standard is to define the quality requirements for chili peppers at the point of sale after preparation and packaging. However, if applied at stages following point of sale or following export, products may show in relation to the requirements of the standard: i)a slight lack of freshness and turgidity, ii) for products graded in classes other than the “Extra” Class, a slight deterioration due to their development and their tendency to perish. The holder/seller of products may not display such products or offer them for sale, or deliver or market them in any manner other than in conformity with this standard. The holder/seller shall be responsible for observing such conformity

Terms And Definitions

  1. Length - The greatest distance from the proximal to the distal end of the pod.
  2. Damage -  Any injury or defect caused by insects, disease or any mechanical means which affects the appearance or quality of chilies
  3. Deformed - Chilies which are misshapen and squashed out of regular shape

 

Quality Requirements

In all classes, subject to the special provisions for each class and the tolerances allowed, the chilli peppers must be:
  •   whole, the stalk (stem) may be missing, provided that the break is clean and the adjacent skin is not damaged; 
  •   sound, produce affected by rotting or deterioration such as to make it unfit for consumption is excluded; 
  •   firm; 
  •   clean, practically free of any visible foreign matter; 
  •   practically free of pests and damage caused by them affecting the general appearance of the produce; 
  •   free of abnormal external moisture excluding condensation following removal from cold storage; 
  •   free of any foreign smell and/or taste; 
  •   free of damage caused by low and/or high temperatures.
Chili peppers must be harvested at an appropriate degree of development in accordance with the criteria proper to the variety and the area in which they are grown. The development and condition of the chili peppers must be such as to enable them: 
  •   to withstand transport and handling; and 
  •   to arrive in satisfactory condition at the place of destination.

a) CLASSIFICATION 

Chili peppers are classified in three classes defined below:

  • EXTRA CLASS 
“Extra” Class: Chilli peppers in this class must be of superior quality. They must be characteristic of the variety. They must be free of defects, with the exception of very slight superficial defects affecting an area of up to 0.5% of the produce surface, provided these do not affect the general appearance of the produce, the quality, the keeping quality and presentation in the package.
 
  • CLASS I 
Chilli peppers in this class must be of good quality. They must be characteristic of the variety. Slight defects, however, may be allowed, affecting an area of up to 2.0% of the product surface, provided these do not affect the general appearance of the produce, the quality, the keeping quality and presentation in the package.
  • CLASS II 
This class includes chilli peppers which do not qualify for inclusion in the higher classes, but satisfy the minimum requirements specified in Section 2.1 above. Defects, however, may be allowed, affecting an area of up to 3.0% of the product surface, provided the chilli peppers retain their essential characteristics as regards the quality, the keeping quality and presentation.
 

b) PROVISIONS CONCERNING SIZING 

Size is determined by length of the chilli pepper in accordance with the following table:

Size code

Length (in Centimeters)

1

≤4

2

4 <8

3

8 <12

4

12<16

5

>16
 

c) PROVISIONS 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. 

A. Quality Tolerances 

  • EXTRA CLASS 
Five percent by number or weight of chilli peppers not satisfying the requirements of the class, but meeting those of Class I or, exceptionally, coming within the tolerances of that class. 
  • Class I 
Ten percent by number or weight of chilli peppers not satisfying the requirements of the class, but meeting those of Class II or, exceptionally, coming within the tolerances of that class.
  • Class II 
Ten percent by number or weight of chilli peppers 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.

B. Size Tolerances 

For all classes, 10% by number or weight of chilli peppers corresponding to the size immediately above and/or below that indicated on the package.

d) PROVISIONS CONCERNING PRESENTATION

I. UNIFORMITY
The contents of each package must be uniform and contain only chilli peppers of the same origin, quality, size and variety. The visible part of the contents of the package must be representative of the entire contents.
 
II. PACKAGING 
Chilli peppers must be packed in such a way as to protect the produce properly. The materials used inside the package must be new, 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. Chilli peppers shall be packed in each container in compliance with the Recommended International Code of Practice for Packaging and Transport of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables.
 

e) PROVISION CONCERNING MARKING

A. Consumer Packages  

In addition to the requirements of the Codex General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods (CODEX STAN 1-1985), the following specific provisions apply:

B. Nature Produce 

If the produce is not visible from the outside, each package shall be labelled as to the name of the produce and the variety and may be labelled as to the level of pungency. 

C. Origin of Produce 

Country of origin and, optionally, district where grown, or national, regional or local place name.

D. Commercial Specifications 

  •   Class
  •   Size 
  •   Variety 
  •   Pungency 
 
E. Official Control Mark (optional) 
 

Conclusion

Quality assurance helps a company meet its clients’ demands and expectations. High quality builds trust with customers, which, in turn, makes the enterprises competitive in the market. It saves costs and fixes issues before problems become larger, and it helps to set and maintain quality standards by preventing problems to begin with. Investing in quality assurance is indispensable in many enterprises today. It is most effective when it’s in place from the start. When quality assurance is done right, it provides confidence, tests the product and lets enterprises market their products with few worries.

This module will therefore help the farmers to have knowledge on quality and standards required in processing and packaging Chili to meet the market demand and improve income.