You may be receiving some bulk peaches, and the color does not appear to be as uniform as the place packs from Chile or California. You may be wondering if the peaches can be rejected based on color.

As you can see from above, some of the peaches have full color, while others have the red color on 75% or less of the surface.  As you begin inspecting the peaches you can visibly separate the peaches into different color categories.  You also notice some of the peaches have a nice pinkish red to red color, while others only have a light pink, or blush color.

Can you reject the peaches for light color?  Well that depends on the grade marked on the container, or on what grade the peaches were bought, if no grade markings are found.  To begin, if the peaches are marked as “U.S. No.1″, there are no color requirements at all for peaches.  Meaning the peaches could have absolutely zero color, and still meet the requirements of the U.S. No. 1 Grade.

If the peach carton is marked “U.S. Extra No. 1″ as shown above, then you may have cause for rejection if the peaches are too light in color.  To meet the requirements of the U.S. Extra No. 1 Grade the peaches must meet all same requirements as the U.S. No. 1 Grade, but in addition, 50% of the peaches must have at least 25% of the surface showing blush, pink or red color.  As stated, the peaches don’t have to be red in color, but only must be at least a light pink color.  So, looking at our carton, from the top image, there is no doubt that at least 50% of the peaches have at least 25% of their surface with a light pink color.

If your carton has the U.S. Fancy Grade, then a different set of requirements apply.  In that case, 90% of the peaches must have at least 33% of their surface showing a blush, pink or red color.  As you can see, even the highest grade of peaches, U.S. Fancy has a fairly lenient color requirement.

To summarize:

U.S. No. 1 Grade - No color requirement

U.S. Extra No. 1 Grade – 50% of the peaches must have at least 25% of the surface with a blush, pink or red color.

U.S. Fancy – 90% of the peaches must have at least 33% of the surface with a blush, pink or red color.