[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 10 (Thursday, January 15, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2356-2357]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-1053]
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Notices
Federal Register
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This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
appearing in this section.
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Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 10 / Thursday, January 15, 1998 /
Notices
[[Page 2356]]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service
United States Standards for Grades of Canned Beets, United States
Standards for Grades of Canned Carrots and the United States Standards
for Grades of Canned White Potatoes
[FV-97-329N]
AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of the Department of
Agriculture (USDA) is soliciting comments on its proposal to change the
United States Standards for Grades of Canned Beets, the United States
Standards for Grades of Canned Carrots, and the United States Standards
for Grades of Canned White Potatoes (canned root crop vegetables).
Specifically, USDA is proposing to adjust the Recommended Minimum
Drained Weight Averages (RMDWA's) for all styles packed in No. 300 size
cans to be equivalent to the percent water capacity corresponding to
the closest sized container, the No. 303 can, i.e., reduced by 9.02
percent. These changes are being requested by industry in order to
improve the useability of the U.S. standards for these canned root crop
vegetables. In addition, USDA will further improve the standards and
promote consistency by changing the format of the tables to incorporate
a column for the water capacity of each container size and add metric
system tables to the canned beets and canned carrots standards.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before March 16, 1998.
ADDRESSES: Written comments may be submitted to Chere L. Shorter,
Processed Products Branch, Fruit and Vegetable Programs, Agricultural
Marketing Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Room 0709, South
Building; STOP 0247, P.O. Box 96456, Washington, DC 20090-6456; faxed
to (202) 690-1087; or e-mailed to Chere__L__S[email protected].
Comments should reference the date and page number of this issue of
the Federal Register. All comments received will be made available for
public inspection at the above address during regular business hours (8
a.m.-4:30 p.m.).
The current U.S. grade standards for these canned root crop
vegetables, along with the proposed changes, are available either
through the above addresses or by accessing AMS's Home Page on the
Internet at www.ams.usda.gov/standards/vegcan.htm.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chere L. Shorter at (202) 720-4693.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 203(c) of the Agricultural Marketing
Act of 1946, as amended, directs and authorizes the Secretary of
Agriculture ``to develop and improve standards of quality, condition,
quantity, grade, and packaging and recommend and demonstrate such
standards in order to encourage uniformity and consistency in
commercial practices * * *''. AMS is committed to carrying out this
authority in a manner that facilitates the marketing of agricultural
commodities and makes copies of official standards available upon
request. The United States Standards for Grades of Canned Beets, the
United States Standards for Grades of Canned Carrots, and the United
States Standards for Grades of Canned White Potatoes (canned root crop
vegetables) do not appear in the Code of Federal Regulations but are
maintained by USDA.
AMS is proposing to change the United States Standards for Grades
of Canned Beets, the United States Standards for Grades of Canned
Carrots, and the United States Standards for Grades of Canned White
Potatoes using the procedures it published in the August 13, 1997,
Federal Register and that appear in part 36 of Title 7 of the Code of
Federal Regulations (7 CFR part 36).
In November 1993, USDA received a request to review the RMDWA's for
these canned root crops in No. 300 size containers from the National
Food Processors Association's (NFPA)'s Grade Standards Review
Subcommittee. NFPA requested the changes in the United States Standards
for Grades of Canned Beets; Canned Carrots; and Canned White Potatoes.
NFPA is a scientifically and technically-based trade association
representing over 550 food industry companies.1 NFPA
requested that the recommended drained weight of the No. 300 size
container be reviewed for all styles of canned root crop vegetables.
Within the last few years the canning industry has been replacing
production of the No. 303 container size with the No. 300 container.
The total water capacity for the No. 300 container is less than the
total water capacity for a No. 303 container. The percentage water
capacity, on which the recommended minimum drained weight average is
based, is calculated by dividing the RMDWA for a particular style of
canned root crop vegetable by the total water capacity of the
container. Studies done by the USDA have found that for every style of
canned root crop vegetable under consideration, in the current U.S.
standards, the drained weight as a percentage of the water capacity is
significantly more for the No. 300 container than for No. 303
containers, even though the available capacity of the No. 300 container
is 9.02 percent less than that of the No. 303 container.
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\1\ Source--USDA, NASS, ASB.
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NFPA states that several companies are noting difficulty in meeting
the RMDWA requirements for these products in the No. 300 cans. In some
instances, critical fill weight maximums have been exceeded, causing
companies to reevaluate their thermal processing schedules to be sure
their product is sterile. Some companies are targeting lower than the
RMDWA's. One effect of targeting too low is that production may not
meet the buyers' specifications for the RMDWA's because there may be a
high percentage of slack filled cans. This situation may result in a
demand from buyers for a discount in price. To meet USDA requirements
for drained weight, processors, by putting more product into the can
than may be necessary, have sustained economic hardship, damage to the
product, and sometimes loss of the integrity to the can seal. When the
seal's integrity is lost during processing, the product's wholesomeness
is jeopardized.
The remedies recommended by NFPA propose that the RMDWA's in the
U.S.
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standards for grades of canned beets; canned carrots; and canned white
potatoes be reduced to the same percentage water capacity offered in
the No. 303 container size, i.e. lowered by 9.02 percent. The No. 303
can size was chosen because the size relationship is closest to the No.
300 can. In consideration of this proposal, the Standardization Section
of the Processed Products Branch, Fruit and Vegetable Programs, AMS,
initiated a study to review the current grade standards for canned root
crop vegetables packed in No. 300 containers. Several companies were
asked to submit data on drained weight for the two most prevalent
styles of each canned root crop vegetable under consideration, mainly
sliced and whole beets, diced and sliced carrots and sliced and whole
potatoes. Seven PPB area field offices also collected samples and
determined drained weight measurements for these commodities. The
independent findings provided a cross-sectional representation of the
marketplace and served as a benchmark for industry data. The drained
weight data provided by the industry and by AMS for the No. 300
containers were then combined and examined. In 1996 the data and
conclusions were published in a report on file with USDA titled,
``Drained Weight Study, 1995 Report on Proposal to Lower Recommended
Minimum Drained Weights for Root Vegetables Packed in No. 300
Containers.''
The conclusions of the report do substantiate that there is some
merit in the industry proposal to decrease the recommended minimum
drained weights in the U.S. grade standards for canned beets; carrots;
and white potatoes packed in No. 300 containers. Currently, the
percentage water capacity, which is the ratio of the RMDWA and the
water capacity of a container, is significantly higher in all cases for
the smaller No. 300 container than for the No. 303 containers. For
example, in diced beets, the RMDWA for the No. 300 container is 10.0
ounces, and the RMDWA for the No. 303 container is 10.5 ounces. The
percent water capacity represented by 10.0 ounces is 65.8 percent,
while 10.5 ounces represents a percent water capacity of only 62.3
percent.
Based on this information USDA has found that new RMDWA's for No.
300 containers, making the percentage water capacities more consistent
with those of the No. 303 containers, should be considered.
Based on these findings, AMS agrees with the recommendations from
NFPA and proposes to improve the United States Standards for Grades of
Canned Beets; Canned Carrots; and Canned White Potatoes by making
changes to and adding the following tables: Canned Beets, Table I,
adding Table IA, Canned Carrots, Table I, adding Table IA, and Canned
White Potatoes, Table I and Table IA. Specifically, the changes will:
(1) adjust the RMDWA's for No. 300 containers which were calculated
using the percentage water capacity corresponding to No. 303 containers
and lowered accordingly by 9.02 percent of the RMDWA of the 303 size
container; and further improve the standards and promote consistency by
(2) changing the format to include tables that will incorporate the
water capacity of each container size; and (3) adding metric system
tables to the canned beet and canned carrot standards.
These changes, if adopted, would improve the grade standards by
making RMDWA's proportional for the No. 300 can size, ensure safety of
the product, and help to facilitate the marketing of canned beets,
carrots and white potatoes, allowing a more equitable marketing
environment for the canning industry. The affected trade has
recommended and reviewed these changes, therefore AMS is publishing
this notice with a 60 day comment period which will provide sufficient
amount of time for interested persons to comment on changes to the
standards.
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1621-1627.
Dated: January 9, 1998.
Robert C. Keeney,
Deputy Administrator, Fruit and Vegetable Programs.
[FR Doc. 98-1053 Filed 1-14-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P