Vegetables and fruits, frozen

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Definition

Frozen vegetables and fruits and frozen preparations made of vegetables, fruits and similar products.

For vegetables and fruits, non-frozen see Vegetables and fruits, non-frozen.

For products in individual packages see specific card for Retail packages and finished articles.

Recommended minimum quantity for each final sample

1 kg

Applicable standards (ISO and EU Norms) and relevant legislation

ISO 7002 Agricultural food products — Layout for a standard method of sampling from a lot.
ISO 874 Fresh fruits and vegetables — Sampling.

You should also refer to your national legislation and national guidelines regarding sampling.

Equipment needed

Suggested sampling tool depending on the method used

Zone sampler (S02-01)
Sampling trowel (S03-01)
Sampler for frozen foods (E01-01)

Containers to be used for the sampling

Plastic bags, different designs and sizes (P00)
Plastic bottles, wide mouth opening, size 500 ml - 1 000 ml (P03, P04), freeze-resistant


P00	P03	P04

The containers must be made of a material suitable for food.

Safety precautions and risk assessment

You should be aware of and follow any health and safety instructions in the local risk assessment and/or safe working practices for the location where the sampling is to take place.
See Health and Safety for the Sampling of Food Products for detailed advice on hygiene and risks for frozen foods.
The hygiene of food products must be maintained.
Ensure you have clean and appropriate PPE for the circumstances.

Sampling plan

Type of consignment	Procedure
Consignments for customs clearance
	The aggregate sample consists of an appropriate number of incremental samples. When you are satisfied the consignment is homogeneous, one incremental sample is usually taken as representing the goods covered by the same customs declaration.
Sampling of different types of packages
	Take one or more aggregate samples by random selection or systematically from different parts of the consignment, at not less than five conventional points (one in the middle, one at the top and one at the bottom). More aggregate samples may be created from containers containing different products or lots.

Handling of samples

General comments
	If possible take entire packages as samples. When sampling bulk products avoid small pieces (drillings or chippings) as samples. Cut off one sufficiently large piece and take measures to prevent condensation of humidity on the surface of the sample. Do not attempt to form aggregate samples. See Sampling Procedures of Frozen Products in the General Part. Different lots must be sampled separately. Labels on the packing may indicate whether the consignment contains different production batches or dates and whether the products in different lots vary in quality. Sampling should be carried out in such a way that the samples represent all the characteristics of the lot (e.g. temperature conditions). The sample should be taken randomly or systematically, i.e. from various locations (top, middle and bottom). Open, broken or damaged containers or products about to expire or beyond the expiry date would not usually be sampled unless there are particular reasons for doing so. Using the sampling equipment and/or latex gloves, take the incremental samples of the product and bring them together in a plastic container for food use to form a single aggregate sample. Samples must be hermetically sealed to prevent ‘freezer burn’ (dessication). To prevent any change in moisture content, the sample container should be completely filled or the air should be removed by vacuum and then sealed.
Sampling form
	Fill in the sampling form. One copy should be attached to the samples and one copy should be kept for the record.
Transport
	Deliver samples to the laboratory promptly. If samples are not shipped immediately, they should be stored in a freezer at - 18 °C or lower temperature. For transport, surround frozen samples with freezer packs or dry ice wrapped in brown paper to avoid contact between samples and the dry ice. Sufficient dry ice must be used to keep the product frozen. Place the frozen samples in an insulated cardboard box, a ventilated polystyrene cooler or other insulating material. Variation in temperature may increase the deterioration or breakdown of the product. During summer months, place shipping containers, if possible, in a freezer long enough to freeze them thoroughly. The cooling chain must be monitored and should be recorded.
Storage
	Samples should be stored in a freezer. The cooling chain must be monitored and should be recorded.

List of HS Codes

*HS Number ^)**	Description
0710	Vegetables (uncooked or cooked by steaming or boiling in water), frozen
0811	Fruits and nuts, uncooked or cooked by steaming or boiling in water, frozen, whether or not containing added sugar or other sweetening matter.
0814	Peel of citrus fruit or melons (including watermelons), fresh, frozen, dried or provisionally preserved in brine, in sulphur water or in other preservative solutions.
1212	Locust beans, seaweeds and other algae, sugar beet and sugar cane, fresh, chilled, frozen or dried, whether or not ground; fruit stones and kernels and other vegetable products (including unroasted chicory roots of the variety Cichorium intybus sativum ) of a kind used primarily for human consumption, not elsewhere specified or included.
1214	Swedes, mangolds, fodder roots, hay, lucerne (alfalfa), clover, sainfoin, forage kale, lupines, vetches and similar forage products, whether or not in the form of pellets.
2003	Mushrooms and truffles, prepared or preserved otherwise than by vinegar or acetic acid.
2004	Other vegetables, prepared or preserved otherwise than by vinegar or acetic acid, frozen, other than products of heading 2006.
2008	Fruit, nuts and other edible parts of plants, otherwise prepared or preserved, whether or not containing, added sugar or other sweetening matter or spirit, not elsewhere specified or included.

^*) The commodities mentioned may also be covered by other specific sampling cards depending on their precise nature.

Vegetables and fruits, frozen | SAM-117