The quality standard

The quality standard for the fresh Banana product is referring to The Philippine National Standard for Banana, PNS/BAFPS 64:2008 by the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Product Standards (BAFPS) of the Philippines and  

According to the standard, the fresh Bananas are classified in 3 classes:

Extra class – Banana in this class must be of superior quality. It must have all the typical characteristics and color of the variety and/or commercial type. It must be mature, clean, well-formed, well-trimmed and free of decay, split fingers, loose fingers, bruises, blemishes and discoloration caused by diseases, insects, molds, latex burn, and mechanical damage. Very slight superficial defects are allowed, provided these do not affect the general appearance of the produce, the quality, the keeping quality and presentation in the package.

Class I – Banana in this class must be of good quality. It must have all the typical characteristics and color of the variety and/or commercial type. It must be mature, clean, well-formed, well-trimmed and free of decay, split fingers, loose fingers, bruises, blemishes and discoloration caused by diseases, insects, molds, latex burn, and mechanical damage. Slight defects of the fingers, however, may be allowed, provided these do not affect the general appearance of the produce, the quality, the keeping quality and presentation in the package:

- slight defects in shape and color

- slight defects on the skin due to rubbing and other defects such sunburns and

- blemishes not exceeding 5 % of the total surface area.

The defects must not, in any case, affect the flesh of the fruit.

Class II – This class includes banana which do not qualify for inclusion in higher classes but satisfy the minimum requirements specified in Section 5 of the standard document. The following defects, however, may be allowed, provided the banana retain their essential characteristics as regards the quality, the keeping quality and presentation in the package:

- defects in shape and color;

- defects on the skin due to rubbing and other defects such as sunburn and

- blemishes not exceeding 10 % of the total surface area.

The defects must not, in any case, affect the flesh of the fruit. 

There are 3 groups of the sizing; Large-sized fruits, Medium size and Small sizes. The size classification is determined either by length or diameter. The length is measured based on the middle finger in the outer row from the blossom end to the base of the pedicel where the edible flesh ends and maximum diameter of the equatorial section of the fruit. The size tolerance, for all classes, is 10%  by number or weight of banana corresponding to the size immediately above or below that indicated on the package. 

The Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Standards (BAFS) also published the Philippine National Standards (PNS) Fresh Fruit - Saba & Cardaba Bananas - Specification (PNS/BAFPS 08:2004). These variety is mainly for cooking. 

In the Philippines, the certifications for MNC, corporate growers and cooperative growers include PhilGAP, JAS, GlobalGap, ISO, ECOCERT, and Rainforest Alliance.