In a move that might interest UK wholesale market traders, Australian fruit and vegetable wholesalers have issued a raft of specifications to stop growers from sending in second grade produce and expecting a first grade price.

The 1,500 specifications for quality, colour, size, traceability, shelf life and maturity are being rolled out across Australia to central market wholesalers this week.

Fed up with being on the rough end of produce that does not provide the sell-on value its price ticket requires, the industry has put its resolve into action. Martin Clark of the Australian Chamber of Fruit and Vegetable Industries told local press the guidelines are necessary because some produce is way short of the mark. "The variety in the quality is quite extreme in some places," he said.

"I can show you examples in the markets down here where a number of grapes from different growers are lined up against the wall on one particular wholesalers stand, at one end they're selling for $6 a box, at the other end they're selling for $46 a box."

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