,"The Gulf Standardization Organization (GSO) has issued the Final Draft Standard GSO FDS 1314:2025 for Canned Pears, setting out harmonized requirements for product quality, safety, composition, and labeling across all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states. Developed by the GSO Technical Committee TC05, the draft is now open for comments from national standardization bodies.
The standard applies to canned pears produced from Pyrus communis and Pyrus sinensis, packed in syrup, juice, water, or other permitted media, and offered in various presentations including whole, halves, quarters, slices, and cubes. It provides precise technical criteria to ensure product consistency and consumer safety.
Clear Numerical Quality Requirements Set for GCC Market
The draft introduces explicit numerical thresholds governing drained weight, defects, foreign materials, and physical properties:
Minimum Drained Weight Requirements
Whole pears: at least 50% of the net content
Halves, quarters, slices, pieces: at least 53% of the net content
Cubes: at least 56% of the net content
Fill Requirements
Containers must be filled to not less than 90% of the container’s water capacity.
Defect Limits
The standard establishes strict thresholds for visual and structural defects:
Total defective units: not more than 30% of units in a sample, or maximum 3 units per can when the can contains fewer than 10 units
Units with surface defects: not more than 20% of units, or maximum 2 units per can
Broken units (for whole/halves/quarters): not more than 2% of units, or maximum 2 units per can, with an overall average limit of 10%
Foreign Matter & Natural Plant Residue Limits
The draft sets quantitative limits to ensure cleanliness and product integrity:
Core remnants: maximum 3 units per kg
Harmless plant materials (e.g., stems): maximum 1 piece per 3 kg
Stalk/stem area: up to 2 cm² per kg
Peel remnants: up to 10 cm² per kg
Seeds: up to 8 seeds per kg
These limits aim to standardize acceptable levels of natural components that may remain after processing, ensuring uniform quality across the region.
Safety and Compliance Requirements
The draft mandates alignment with several existing GSO standards on contaminants, pesticide residues, additives, microbiological criteria, packaging materials, and sampling. This includes compliance with:
GSO 193 (contaminants and toxins)
GSO 244 (pesticide residues)
GSO 4041 (microbiological criteria)
GSO 839 / GSO 150 (can integrity and low-acid canned foods)
GSO 4000 (sampling)
Products must undergo proper thermal sterilization and be packed in containers meeting GCC safety and integrity standards.
Packaging & Labeling
The standard requires clear labeling that identifies the product name, style (whole, halves, slices, etc.), packing medium, drained weight, and additives used. Non-retail containers must also follow specific GSO labeling rules."
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