Colour is the primary way consumers identify high-quality vegetables. Vibrant, consistent colour enhances customers' perceptions — they see these goods as more desirable, flavorful, and nutritious. Colour is also crucial to accurate product classification to meet industry regulations. Adhering to vegetable colour standards helps achieve these goals and supports quality assurance programs.
Colour Standards Applying to the Vegetable Industry
All vegetables are subject to regulations established by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The FDA oversees covered processing facilities under Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations, while the USDA issues rules — including colour standards — to guide manufacturers with product grading. For example, asparagus must meet specific colour requirements to qualify as U.S. No. 1 grade.
Some products also have industry-specific and product-specific colour standards. Tomatoes and tomato-based products have several specialized colour scores and indices, including:
- Tomato Paste Score (TPS)
- Tomato Sauce Score (TSS)
- Tomato Juice Score (TJS)
- Tomato Catsup Score (TCS)
- Tomato a/b Ratio
- Lycopene Index
- Fresh Tomato Colour Index (FTCI)
