GRADING OF FRUIT.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 61, Issue 41, 28 November 1940, Page 3

GRADING OF FRUIT.

WASTAGE BELOW AVERAGE.

(Per Press Association].

WELLINGTON, November 27

In a statement in reference to rejected fruit, the Minister for Marketing (the Hon. W. Nash) said that the wastage during the present year was below average and was approximately only 2 per cent. A small number of good apples may have been rejected by the inspectors, but evidence illustrated that care had been exercised to ensure that good fruit was on sale to the public. “The rejection of unsound lruit is essential to maintain the quality ol fruit sold to the public,” lie said, “and this is done by excluding all doubtful fruit at ordinary sales. Rejected or doubtful fruit has been disposed of to pig farmers with a view to eliminating all possibility of waste of good fruit. - “it has been arranged,” tho (Minister added, “to transfer all doubtful fruit suitable to public institutions, where it can be cut to enable good fruit to be reserved for human consumption and the balance to be used as 1 pig feed. “It may be taken for granted that it is in complete opposition to the policy of the Government to allow any apples fit for human consumption to be wasted,” Mr Nash concluded.