STANDARDS FOR FRUITS AND VEGETABLES 101 
‘ Sunburn ”’ means discoloration due to exposure to 
the sun when there is no injury to the tissue. 
“ Sunscald”’ means softening of the tissue of the 
onion due to exposure to the sun. 
“ Diameter ’”’ means the greatest diameter at right 
angles to a straight line running from the stem to the 
root end. 
UNITED STATES STANDARDS FOR NORTH- 
ERN-GROWN ONIONS 
(Effective June 1, 1951) 
GRADES 
U.S. No. 1 shall consist of onions of similar varietal 
characteristics which are mature, fairly firm, fairly 
well shaped, free from sunscald, doubles, splits, 
bottle necks, scallions, and from damage caused by 
seed stems, tops, roots, sunburn, sprouting, freezing, 
peeling, dirt, foreign matter, disease, insects, or 
mechanical or other means. Unless otherwise speci- 
fied, the minimum size shall be 1% inches in diameter 
and 40 percent or more. by weight, of the onions in 
any lot shall be over 2 inches in diameter.* 
In order to allow for variations other than size, 
incident to proper grading and handling, not more 
than 10 percent, by weight, of the onions in any 
container “ may be damaged by peeling and not more 
than 5 percent, may be below the remaining require- 
ments of this grade but not more than two fifths of 
this tolerance or 2 percent, may be affected by decay. 
In addition, not more than 5 percent, by weight, may 
be below the minimum size specified. No part of any 
tolerance shall be allowed to reduce the specified 
percentage of onions which Shall be over 2 inches in 
diameter. 
48 Any lot of onions quoted as being of size smaller than 
1% inches minimum such as ‘“‘ U.S. No. 1, 1%-inch mini- 
mum ’’, is not required to meet the requirement that 40 per- 
cent shall be over 2 inches which is specified in the U.S. 
No. 1 grade. 
44 Application of tolerances: The tolerances specified_for 
the various grades are placed on a container basis. How- 
ever, any lot of onions shail be considered as meeting the 
requirements of a specified grade if, upon inspection, no 
sample from the containers in any lot is found to exceed 
the tolerances specified by more than double the amount 
allowed, provided that the entire lot shall average within 
the tolerances specified. 
