After the buyer has decided on the kind of food to buy, the next step is to select the grade best suited to individual needs. To be able to judge of grades, it is necessary to know the standard products, or to know the qualities that enhance and the qualities that decrease the value of the food.

In the case of fresh fruits and vegetables, the standard product should be well-matured, sound, free from blemish, uniform in size and shape, of good color, fresh, clean, and well packed. Most of these qualities may be determined by the eye, some by the touch, and others by the odor and the taste. Among grades, as among foods themselves, there are differences in nutritive value, in proportion of edible and non-edible material, and in cost. These differences may be determined only by study and comparison. Selection of meat is discussed on page 510, and canned foods on page 445.

Up to the present time, most food has been graded from the point of view of the producer rather than of the consumer. Few foods have been graded and labeled so that the consumer and the merchant can talk on the same basis. Until this is done, it will be difficult for the housewife to buy intelligently. She should, however, read carefully the labels on all packages showing the net weights and the composition of the contents.