Agriculture (citrus) grading question I'm stumped on:
I'm working with a packer who is referring to a batch of oranges as "choice grade" but on the USDA website, this is not one of USDA's standards grades for citrus. From what I can see online the common universal grades are U.S. Fancy, U.S. No. 1, U.S. Combination, and U.S. No. 2.
California/Arizona, Florida and Texas each have their own separate U.S. grade standards, but none of them include a "choice" grade. Is this a common term used in industry but not an official grade?
Does the term "choice" indicate orange is below a US Fancy grade?
Any help from citrus industry people is very appreciated!!
