How Mandarins Are Harvested & Packed At Cuties Citrus

• Palletize – The pallets are shrink-wrapped, taken to cold storage and prepared for transport.

In the video below, you can follow all of the steps that a Cutie takes prior to making it to the grocery store.

How Citrus Producers Battle Mold on Oranges & Other Citrus

The main problem that citrus producers face is mold, specifically Green mold (Penicillium digitatum) and Blue mold (Penicillium italicum). This can become a major issue, as once one piece of citrus in a bin becomes contaminated, it spreads quickly. In order to combat this, it is common practice to have a “black light room,” where UV lights detect decay during the initial steps on the packing line, and workers are able to cull the decayed fruit. This was also the case at the Cuties packinghouse, where there were two separate black light rooms.

Food Safety Considerations

For a mandarin harvesting and packing operation, some of the main food safety concerns are:

• Sanitation of the harvesting tools – Tools should be cleaned and sanitized, including having a clean place to store them while the workers are on break, and the company needs to have a program in place to store the knives overnight instead of having the workers take them home with them. 
• Sanitation of the harvesting bags and bins – Cleaning and sanitizing of the bags and bins needs to occur on a regular and frequent basis. In this case, they are using bags that need to be laundered (differently from how you would clean a bin or harvesting bucket).
• Testing and changing of the wash water – The mandarins are exposed to water during the wash step when they are first dumped onto the packing line. The water needs to be frequently tested and monitored, based on the policy in place.
• Worker hygiene – Since the harvesters touch every mandarin they harvest and the workers at the packing house hand sort them, there is a lot of handling taking place. Whether they are using their bare hands or gloves, there needs to be a hygiene policy in place to ensure that hand washing occurs every time before they return to work, and if they are using gloves, that they are clean and/or switched out regularly. 

There are many more items to be taken into consideration, but this is just a brief list to get you thinking about it! 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the growing season for Cuties that are grown in California?

November to April. Cuties that are grown in California are the only Cuties that are grown in the United States. The rest are imported throughout the year to fill in the gaps, which you may have seen marketed as Summer Cuties.

Are Cuties seedless?

Yes, they are seedless!

Are Cuties GMO?

No, Cuties have not been genetically modified. I get a lot of questions wondering how they can be seedless and not genetically modified and that is due to traditional breeding practices.

How do you peel an orange without hurting your finger nail?

Use a knife to make the initial indentation into the citrus, or use your teeth. Then, you peel the rest as normal and don’t have the issue with hurting your finger nail with the initial indentation!

Featured Grower Information

I would like to thank Cuties Citrus (Sun Pacific) for allowing me to visit and to share the Cuties harvesting and packing content. In addition to mandarins, Sun Pacific also grows and distributes Mighties kiwifruit. 

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