[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 76 (Thursday, April 22, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21268-21269]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-08374]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

[Doc. No. AMS-FGIS-21-0009]


United States Standards for Beans-Chickpeas

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural 
Marketing Service (AMS) is proposing to add a new criterion--Cotyledon

[[Page 21269]]

Damage--to the chickpea/garbanzo bean damage factors in the Bean 
Inspection Handbook. The damage factors pertain to the class Chickpea/
Garbanzo Beans in the U.S. Standards for Beans under the United States 
Agricultural Marketing Act (AMA). Stakeholders in the bean processing/
handling industry suggested adding a criterion related to white chalky 
or wafer-like spots in the cotyledon, which can affect chickpea/
garbanzo bean flavor. This proposal is intended to update inspection 
procedures to ensure that the bean standards remain relevant to the 
market. AMS invites interested parties to comment on whether revising 
the inspection instructions to include the additional damage factor 
would facilitate the marketing of chickpea/garbanzo beans. This action 
would not revise or amend the Grade and Grade Requirements for 
Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans in the U.S. Standards for Beans.

DATES: We will consider comments we receive by June 21, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments 
concerning this notice. All comments must be submitted through the 
Federal e-rulemaking portal at http://www.regulations.gov and should 
reference the document number and the date and page number of this 
issue of the Federal Register. Instructions for submitting and reading 
comments are detailed on the site. All comments submitted in response 
to this notice will be included in the record and will be made 
available to the public. Please be advised that the identity of the 
individuals or entities submitting comments will be made public on the 
internet at the address provided above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Loren Almond, USDA AMS; Telephone: 
(816) 702-3925; or email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the authority of the AMA (7 U.S.C. 
1621-1627), as amended, AMS establishes and maintains a variety of 
quality and grade standards for agricultural commodities that serve as 
a fundamental starting point to define commodity quality in the 
domestic and global marketplace.
    Standards developed under the AMA include those for rice, whole dry 
peas, split peas, feed peas, lentils, and beans. The U.S. standards for 
whole dry peas, split peas, feed peas, lentils and beans no longer 
appear in the Code of Federal Regulations, but are now maintained by 
USDA-AMS-Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS). The U.S. standards 
for beans are voluntary and widely used in private contracts, 
government procurement, marketing communication, and for some 
commodities, consumer information.
    The bean standards facilitate bean marketing and define U.S. bean 
quality in the domestic and global marketplace. The standards define 
commonly used industry terms; contain basic principles governing the 
application of standards, such as the type of sample used for a 
particular quality analysis; provide the basis of determination; and 
specify grades and grade requirements. Official procedures for 
determining grading factors are provided in the Bean Inspection 
Handbook. Together, the grading standards and testing procedures allow 
buyers and sellers to communicate quality requirements, compare bean 
quality using equivalent forms of measurement, and assist in price 
discovery.
    AMS engages in outreach with stakeholders to ensure commodity 
standards maintain relevance to the modern market. Stakeholders, 
including the U.S. Dry Pea and Lentil Council, requested that AMS 
revise the bean damage factors to include the addition of a new 
criterion--Cotyledon Damage--in the class Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans. 
Currently, there is not a definition for Cotyledon Damage in Chickpea/
Garbanzo Beans. AMS-FGIS proposes to revise the bean inspection 
criteria in the Bean Inspection Handbook by including the definition 
and criteria requirements for Cotyledon Damage in Chickpea/Garbanzo 
Beans.

Cotyledon Damage in Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans

    Under the current bean inspection criteria, white chalky or wafer-
like spots are not considered damage in chickpea/garbanzo beans. 
Stakeholders stated that such spots in chickpea/garbanzo beans 
negatively affect bean flavor. With the proposed change to the 
inspection handbook, Cotyledon Damage would be defined as ``Chickpea/
Garbanzo beans or pieces of Chickpea/Garbanzo beans with a white chalky 
or wafer-like spot that penetrates the cotyledon (singularly or in 
combination) that meets or exceeds the minimum coverage shown on VRI--
Bean--5.1 Cotyledon Damage (Chickpea/Garbanzo).'' The criteria also 
specify that damage portion size requirements for chickpea/garbanzo 
beans are approximately 250 grams for small-seeded beans and 500 grams 
for large-seeded beans. Further, suspect beans must be scraped to 
confirm the spot penetrates into the cotyledon and is of a size to 
constitute damage per the definition. AMS believes that addressing 
cotyledon damage in chickpea/garbanzo beans would assist in moving the 
U.S. bean market toward fewer quality complaints and serve to ensure 
consistent grading results across the nation.
    AMS grading and inspection services, provided through a network of 
Federal, State, and private laboratories, conduct tests to determine 
the quality and condition of beans. These tests are conducted in 
accordance with applicable standards using approved methodologies and 
can be applied at any point in the marketing chain. Furthermore, the 
tests yield rapid, reliable, and consistent results. The U.S. Standards 
for Beans and the affiliated grading and testing services offered by 
AMS verify that a seller's beans meet specified requirements and ensure 
that customers receive the quality purchased.
    In order for U.S. standards and grading procedures for beans to 
remain relevant, AMS invites interested parties to submit comments on 
the proposal to add criteria pertaining to Cotyledon Damage for the 
class Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans in the Bean Inspection Handbook. This 
change would not revise or amend the Grade and Grade Requirements for 
the class Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans in the U.S. Standards for Beans.

Proposed AMS Action

    Based on input from stakeholder organizations in the bean industry, 
AMS proposes to amend the Bean Inspection Handbook by including the new 
damage definition and criteria for Cotyledon Damage in Chickpea/
Garbanzo Beans.
    AMS is accepting comments on this proposed action for 60 days. All 
comments received within the comment period will be made part of the 
public record maintained by AMS, will be available to the public for 
review, and will be considered by AMS before a final action is taken on 
this proposal.

    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1621-1627.

Erin Morris,
Associate Administrator Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-08374 Filed 4-21-21; 8:45 am]
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