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Most specification sheets look alike: a logo, a table, some tolerances. But the numbers inside are not standardised across suppliers, and “Grade A” means whatever the supplier decided it means. When I compare offers for our own purchases, these are the lines I read first.

1. Brix — and how it was measured

A minimum Brix is meaningful only if you know when it was taken. Field Brix at harvest is honest; Brix measured after thawing a sugared sample is not. Ask.

2. Piece size and the tolerance

“Chunks 20 × 20 mm” is a target, not a guarantee. The useful line is the tolerance: what percentage may be under 10 mm (fines) and what may be over 30 mm. For dice used in yoghurt, fines matter far more than oversize. For smoothie packs, nobody cares.

3. Defects, defined

A defect table should define each defect in words a stranger could apply: “green shoulder over 5 mm”, “bruise over 10 mm”, “stem or calyx attached”. If the sheet only says “minor defects ≤ 5 %”, you cannot audit it.

A good spec sheet is one that two people could use to reject the same carton.

4. Clumping and free-flow

IQF fruit should pour. A clumping tolerance (for instance, “no clump heavier than 50 g”) tells you whether the supplier controls glazing and cold-store temperature. Missing entirely? Expect blocks.

5. Microbiology, with methods

Total plate count, yeasts and moulds, E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria — with the method reference and the sample size. A number without a method is decoration.

6. Pesticide residues

Look for the phrase “compliant with EU MRLs (Reg. 396/2005)” or the equivalent for your market, plus how often the supplier tests. We screen every field before harvest and every lot before shipment.

Our own specification sheets are available on request for each product. If a line is unclear, that is our fault, not yours — write to the lab and we will rewrite it.