[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 163 (Thursday, August 26, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Page 47614]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-18321]


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 Notices
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  Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 163 / Thursday, August 26, 2021 / 
Notices  

[[Page 47614]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

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


United States Standards for Beans

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of final action.

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SUMMARY: This action is being taken under the authority of the 
Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, as amended, (AMA). The United 
States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing 
Service (AMS) is adding the new criterion, Cotyledon Damage, in the 
Bean Inspection Handbook pertaining to the class chickpea/garbanzo 
beans in the U.S. Standards for Beans. Stakeholders in the dry bean 
processing/handling industry requested AMS to revise the Bean 
Inspection Handbook to include the criterion for the new damage factor, 
Cotyledon Damage, in chickpeas/garbanzo beans.

DATES: Applicability date: August 26, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Loren Almond, USDA AMS; Telephone: 
(816) 702-3925; 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. United States 
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 (AMS-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.
    Bean standards facilitate bean marketing and define U.S. bean 
quality in the domestic and global marketplace. These 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, 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. Bean industry 
stakeholders include the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council (USADPLC).
    The United States Standards for Beans and official inspection 
procedures for beans in the Bean Inspection Handbook are available on 
the AMS public website. The United States Standards for Beans were last 
revised in 2017. Currently, under bean inspection criteria, white 
chalky or wafer-like spots are not considered damage in chickpea/
garbanzo beans and there is not a definition or factor for Cotyledon 
Damage in Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans. Stakeholders stated that such spots 
in chickpea/garbanzo beans negatively affect bean flavor and 
specifically asked AMS to revise bean damage factors to include the 
addition of a new criterion, Cotyledon Damage, in the class Chickpea/
Garbanzo Beans.

Addition of Cotyledon Damage Factor in the Class Chickpea/Garbanzo 
Beans

    Stakeholders recommended that AMS revise the Bean Inspection 
Handbook criteria to include the new damage factor, Cotyledon Damage, 
in the class Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans. AMS and stakeholders worked 
collaboratively to define and state the criteria for Cotyledon Damage 
in Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans. Additionally, these changes were 
recommended to AMS by stakeholders to facilitate current marketing 
practices.

Comment Review

    AMS published a Notice in the Federal Register on April 22, 2021 
(86 FR 21268), inviting interested parties to comment on the proposed 
revisions to the U.S. Standards for Beans. AMS received two comments in 
response to the notice that strongly supported the proposed revision. 
AMS received no comments opposing the proposed revision. AMS believes 
this revision will facilitate inspections, better reflect current 
marketing practices, be cost efficient, and facilitate purchasing and 
selling of chickpea/garbanzo beans. Accordingly, AMS is making no 
changes to the revised chickpea/garbanzo bean inspection methods as 
proposed. The revision to chickpea/garbanzo bean inspection is 
effective August 1, 2021. The Bean Inspection Handbook will be revised 
to incorporate the revision.

Final Action

    AMS is revising the Chickpea/Garbanzo bean inspection criteria by 
amending the Bean Inspection Handbook to include the definition and 
criteria requirements for Cotyledon Damage in Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans. 
The new damage factor will 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.
    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1621-1627.

Bruce Summers,
Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-18321 Filed 8-25-21; 8:45 am]
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