[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 76 (Friday, April 19, 2019)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 16381-16382]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-07899]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service
7 CFR Part 52
[Document Number AMS-FV-14-0088, SC-19-328]
United States Standards for Grades of Processed Vegetables
AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.
ACTION: Final notice.
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SUMMARY: The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of the Department of
Agriculture (USDA) is revising the U.S. Standards for Grades of Canned
Lima Beans, U.S. Standards for Grades of Canned Mushrooms, U.S.
Standards for Grades of Pickles, and U.S. Standards for Grades of Green
Olives. AMS is replacing the term ``midget'' with ``petite'' in the
canned lima bean, canned mushroom, and pickle standards, and removing
``midget'' completely from the green olive standards as there is an
alternative term. AMS is also replacing the two-term grading system
(dual nomenclature) with a single term to describe each quality level
in the canned lima bean, canned mushroom, and green olive standards.
Editorial changes are also being made to the grade standards that
conform to recent changes made in other grade standards.
DATES: Effective May 20, 2019.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lindsay H. Mitchell, USDA, Specialty
Crops Inspection Division, 100 Riverside Parkway, Suite 101,
Fredericksburg, VA 22406, by phone (540) 361-1120; fax (540) 361-1199;
or, email [email protected]. Copies of the revised U.S.
Standards for Grades of Canned Lima Beans, U.S. Standards for Grades of
Canned Mushrooms, U.S. Standards for Grades of Pickles, and U.S.
Standards for Grades of Green Olives are available at www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/vegetables.
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 standards available upon request. The U.S. Standards for
Grades of Fruits and Vegetables that no longer appear in the Code of
Federal Regulations are maintained by AMS at: http://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards. AMS is proposing revisions to these U.S. Standards
for Grades using the procedures that appear in part 36 of Title 7 of
the Code of Federal Regulations (7 CFR part 36).
Background
AMS continually reviews all fruit and vegetable grade standards to
ensure their usefulness to the industry, modernize language, and remove
duplicative terminology. On May 13, 2013, AMS received a petition from
the Little People of America stating they ``are trying to raise
awareness around and eliminate the use of the word midget.'' The
petition further stated, ``Though the use of the word midget by the
USDA when classifying certain food products is benign, Little People of
America, and the dwarfism community, hopes that the USDA would consider
phasing out the term midget.''
AMS determined that six grade standards contained the term
``midget''--U.S. Standards for Grades of Canned Lima Beans, U.S.
Standards for Grades of Canned Mushrooms, U.S. Standards for Grades of
Pickles, U.S. Standards for Grades of Green Olives, U.S. Standards for
Grades of Processed Raisins, and U.S. Standards for Grades of Shelled
Pecans. The shelled pecans and processed raisins standards were
addressed in two separate rules because additional changes were being
made to those standards.
[[Page 16382]]
In addition to replacing ``midget'' with ``petite'' or removing
``midget,'' AMS is also removing dual nomenclature in U.S. Standards
for Grades of Canned Lima Beans, U.S. Standards for Grades of Canned
Mushrooms, and U.S. Standards for Grades of Green Olives. More recently
developed standards use a single term, such as ``U.S. Grade A'' or
``U.S. Grade B,'' to describe each level of quality within a grade
standard. Older grade standards used dual nomenclature, such as ``U.S.
Grade A or U.S. Fancy,'' ``U.S. Grade B or U.S. Extra Standard,'' or
``U.S. Grade B or U.S. Choice,'' and ``U.S. Grade C or U.S. Standard,''
to describe the same level of quality. The terms ``U.S. Fancy,'' ``U.S.
Extra Standard,'' ``U.S. Choice,'' and ``U.S. Standard'' will be
removed and the terms ``U.S. Grade A,'' ``U.S. Grade B,'' and ``U.S.
Grade C'' will be used exclusively.
Finally, AMS is making editorial changes to these grade standards
to update the name of a table to better reflect its content, a grade
designation in a scoresheet to align with language used throughout the
standards, the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) references where
applicable, and to remove obsolete addresses for viewing or obtaining
color standards. Information on obtaining color standards is available
in the Fresh and Processed Equipment Catalog on the AMS website at
https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/how-purchase-equipment-and-visual-aids. These revisions will result in a consistent format across
grade standards (75 FR 43141). The following table summarizes the
changes made by AMS:
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Remove or replace
U.S. standards for grades of Effective date ``Midget'' Other proposed revisions
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Canned Lima Beans................ 3/20/60 Replace with ``Petite'' Change level of quality
in Table II in Sizes of designations to single terms in
canned lima beans the Grades of canned lima beans
section. and Color sections.
Correct CFR citation for standard
of identity to 21 CFR 155.200 in
the Identity section.
Replace Processed Products
information and address with
``USDA Headquarters in
Washington, DC'' in the General
section.
Canned Mushrooms................. 4/7/62 Replace with ``petite'' Change level of quality
in the Sizes of canned designations to single terms in
mushrooms in the styles the Grades of canned mushrooms
of whole and buttons section.
section. Correct CFR citation for standard
of identity to 21 CFR 155.200 in
the Product description section.
Green Olives..................... 9/8/67 Remove from Table I in Change level of quality
the Sizes of whole style designations to single terms in
green olives section. the Grades of green olives and
Uniformity of size sections and
Tables IV and V in the Absence of
defects section.
Change ``D'' to ``Sstd'' in the
Score sheet for green olives
section.
Pickles.......................... 4/22/91 Replace with ``Petite'' Change the title of Table III from
in Table II in the Sizes ``Recommended Pickle Ingredients
of whole pickles section All Styles Except Relish'' to
and Table VI in the ``Recommended Minimum Quantity of
Requirements for grade Pickle Ingredients All Styles
section. Except Relish.''
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The revisions provide a common language for trade and better
reflect the current marketing of fruits and vegetables.
Comments
On August 13, 2018, AMS published a notice in the Federal Register
(83 FR 39917) soliciting comments on replacing or removing the term
``midget'' from each of the grade standards identified in this
document, as well as replacing the two-term grading system with a
single term to describe each quality level in U.S. Standards for Grades
of Canned Lima Beans, U.S. Standards for Grades of Canned Mushrooms,
and U.S. Standards for Grades of Green Olives. Nine comments were
received from the general public by the end of the public comment
period on October 12, 2018.
One comment favored replacing or removing the term ``midget,'' but
supported using ``extra small'' instead of ``petite'' for pickles since
the other sizes are small, medium, large, and extra-large. The term
``petite'' was proposed by the industry because there are three lesser
sizes before the ``small'' size designation: midget, small gherkin, and
large gherkin. AMS is revising the standard for pickles with the term
``petite.'' One comment favored removing ``midget'' but did not support
addressing dual nomenclature in this notice. AMS will address dual
nomenclature at the same time ``midget'' is replaced or removed since
these are minor non-controversial changes that will update the
standards to more accurately represent today's marketing practices and
addressing both is more efficient than undertaking separate rulemakings
on each issue. One comment was outside the scope of this revision to
U.S. grade standards. The remaining six comments favored replacing or
removing the term ``midget'' in the grade standards.
Based on the information gathered, AMS is replacing or removing
``midget,'' removing dual nomenclature, and making editorial changes to
the aforementioned U.S. Standards for Grades. These revisions bring the
grade standards in line with other recently amended standards and
current terminology, and update the standards to more accurately
represent today's marketing practices.
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1621-1627.
Dated: April 16, 2019.
Bruce Summers,
Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-07899 Filed 4-18-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P