[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 150 (Thursday, August 4, 2016)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 51297-51298]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-18451]
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Rules and Regulations
Federal Register
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 150 / Thursday, August 4, 2016 /
Rules and Regulations
[[Page 51297]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service
7 CFR Part 51
[Doc. Number AMS-FV-14-0090, FV-16-327]
U.S. Standards for Grades of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, Fruits
and Vegetables for Processing, Nuts, and Specialty Crops
AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.
ACTION: Final notice.
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SUMMARY: The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) is revising 41 U.S. Standards for
Grades of fresh fruits and vegetables, fruits and vegetables for
processing, nuts, and specialty crops by removing the ``Unclassified''
category from each standard. This revision brings these grade standards
in line with other recently amended standards and current terminology.
The change also updates the standards to more accurately represent
today's marketing practices and provide the industry with greater
flexibility.
DATES: September 6, 2016.
ADDRESSES: Standardization Branch, Specialty Crops Inspection Division,
Specialty Crops Program, Agricultural Marketing Service, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, National Training and Development Center,
Riverside Business Park, 100 Riverside Parkway, Suite 101,
Fredericksburg, VA 22406.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Olivia Vernon, Standardization Branch,
Specialty Crops Inspection Division, at the address above or by
telephone at (540) 361-2743; fax (540) 361-1199; or, email
[email protected]. The current U.S. Standards for Grades are
available on the AMS Web site at http://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 203(c) of the Agricultural Marketing
Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1621-1627), 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 grade standards
available upon request. The U.S. Standards for Grades of Fruits and
Vegetables not connected with Federal Marketing Orders or U.S. import
requirements no longer appear in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR),
but are maintained by USDA, AMS, Specialty Crops Program, and are
available on the Internet at http://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards.
AMS is revising these voluntary U.S. standards for grades using the
procedures in part 36, title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations (7
CFR part 36).
Background
AMS is eliminating the ``Unclassified'' section in 41 U.S. grade
standards that were issued under the Agricultural Marketing Act of
1946.
The fresh fruit and vegetable grade standards covered by these
changes are: Sweet anise, lima beans, beets, Brussels sprouts, cabbage,
cucumbers, endive, garlic, collard greens or broccoli greens, mustard
greens and turnip greens, horseradish roots, greenhouse leaf lettuce,
mushrooms, common green onions, onion sets, parsnips, fresh peas,
southern peas, rhubarb, romaine, bunched shallots, spinach plants,
summer squash, turnips or rutabagas, dewberries and blackberries,
American (eastern type) grapes, juice grapes (European or vinifera
type), and raspberries.
In the Proposed Notice, AMS inadvertently included celery, honey
dew and honey ball type melons, Persian limes, summer and fall pears,
and winter pears in this rulemaking. The grade standards for these
commodities are published in the CFR at 7 CFR part 51 whereas the
standards for the 41 commodities addressed here are not published in
the CFR. AMS ultimately intends to remove celery, honey dew and honey
ball type melons, Persian limes, summer and fall pears, and winter
pears standards from the CFR. At that time, the ``Unclassified''
section will be removed from the grade standards for celery, honey dew
and honey ball type melons, Persian limes, summer and fall pears, and
winter pears. The fresh fruit and vegetable for processing grade
standards covered by these changes are spinach, berries, blueberries,
red sour cherries for manufacture, sweet cherries for canning or
freezing, cranberries for processing, currants, raspberries, growers'
stock strawberries for manufacture, and washed and sorted strawberries
for freezing.
The nut and specialty crops grade standards covered by these
changes are: Brazil nuts in the shell, cut peonies in the bud, and
tomato plants.
AMS continually reviews all fruit, vegetable, nut and specialty
crop grade standards to ensure their usefulness to the industry. AMS
determined that the ``Unclassified'' section should be eliminated from
the aforementioned 41 U.S. Standards for Grade as the category is not a
grade and only serves to show that no grade has been applied to the
lot. It is no longer considered necessary.
On September 9, 2015, AMS published a Proposed Notice in the
Federal Register (80 FR 53021) soliciting comments on removing the term
``Unclassified'' from the standards. Seven comments were received by
November 2, 2015, the closing date of the public comment period, from
six private citizens and one individual associated with a U.S.
university.
The six private citizen commenters supported the revisions as a
positive step forward for the USDA that will offer produce companies
and everyday shoppers a clearer idea of the quality of produce they are
purchasing. The final commenter suggested that making this change to
the standards would create the need for additional grades and
categories to cover all variants with in different commodities. The
USDA stands by its decision to remove the unclassified category because
there is no evidence of use of the category by industry, and for the
reason that commodities would fall into one of the established grades
currently listed in the standards.
Based on the information gathered, AMS is removing the
``Unclassified'' category from the aforementioned U.S.
[[Page 51298]]
Standards for Grade. The revision brings these grade standards in line
with other recently amended standards and current terminology, and
updates the standards to more accurately represent today's marketing
practices and provide the industry with greater flexibility.
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1621-1627.
Dated: July 29, 2016.
Elanor Starmer,
Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-18451 Filed 8-3-16; 8:45 am]
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