[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 196 (Wednesday, October 12, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61559-61561]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-22109]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

[Doc. No. AMS-FGIS-22-0066]


United States Standards for Beans: Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) 
Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is proposing revision to the U.S. 
Standards for Beans, pertaining to the grade determining

[[Page 61560]]

factors Moisture and Contrasting Chickpeas in the class Chickpea/
Garbanzo Beans, under the United States Agricultural Marketing Act of 
1946, as amended, (AMA). Stakeholders in the bean processing/handling 
industry requested AMS to amend the grading requirements for Moisture 
and Contrasting Chickpeas in Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans in the U.S. Bean 
Standards. To ensure that the bean standards remain relevant, AMS 
invites interested parties to comment on whether revising the Chickpea/
Garbanzo standard will facilitate the marketing of Chickpea/Garbanzo 
Beans. This action may revise or amend the table of Grades and Grade 
Requirements for Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans in the U.S. Standard for 
Beans.

DATES: Comments must be received by December 12, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments 
concerning this notice. All comments must be submitted through the 
Federal e-rulemaking portal at https://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; 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; 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.A. Dry Pea and Lentil Council (USA DPLC), requested 
AMS revise the Chickpea/Garbanzo Bean criteria for the grade 
determining factors Moisture and Contrasting Chickpeas.
    Currently, Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans are assigned the Special Grade, 
``High Moisture'' when the moisture content exceeds 18.0 percent. 
Contrasting Chickpeas over 5.0 percent cause the Chickpea/Garbanzo 
Beans to be considered U.S. Substandard Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans. AMS-
FGIS proposes to revise the bean inspection criteria in the U.S. 
Standards for Beans and revise the Bean Inspection Handbook, by 
amending the criteria requirements for Moisture and Contrasting 
Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans.

Moisture Determination in Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans

    Representatives of bean industry stakeholders contacted AMS-FGIS to 
discuss the issues of high moisture in Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans. 
Stakeholders stated that 18.0 percent moisture is too high to properly 
store and maintain Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans. FGIS pointed out that 
moisture content is often a contract specification. During meetings and 
discussions, bean stakeholders recommended revising the Chickpea/
Garbanzo Bean moisture content downward from 18.0 percent to 14.0 
percent when applying the special grade criteria High Moisture. 
Therefore, Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans with more than 14.0 percent moisture 
would be designated as Special Grade, ``High Moisture.''

Contrasting Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans

    Stakeholders stated that designating Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans with 
more than 5.0 percent Contrasting Chickpeas as U.S. Substandard is 
illogical because the entire sample of beans is still considered 
Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans, regardless of its U.S. Substandard designation 
due to contrast. During meetings and discussions, bean stakeholders 
communicated the need to revise the standard by changing the grade 
criteria for Contrasting Chickpeas in Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans. 
Stakeholders suggested changing the 5.0 percent Contrasting Chickpea/
Garbanzo Bean maximum limit for U.S. No. 3 to ``>2.0 percent.'' 
Therefore, Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans found to contain more than 2.0 
percent Contrasting Chickpeas may be designated as U.S. No. 3 but shall 
grade no higher than U.S. No. 3. Contrasting Chickpea grading criteria 
for U.S. No. 1 and U.S. No. 2 would remain unchanged.
    This revision would assist in moving the U.S. Bean market towards 
fewer quality complaints and serve to ensure consistent grading results 
across the nation. These changes were recommended to AMS by the 
stakeholder organizations identified in the background section of this 
notice to facilitate the current marketing practices.
    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, these 
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 is issuing this request for information to invite 
interested parties to submit comments on the proposal to amend U.S. 
Standards for Beans pertaining to the class Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans, 
and to revise the Bean Inspection Handbook accordingly.

Proposed AMS Action

    Based on input from stakeholder organizations in the bean industry, 
AMS proposes to amend the U.S. Standards for Beans by revising the 
criteria for Special Grade High Moisture and the grade determining 
factor ``Contrasting Chickpeas'' in Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans. As a 
result, Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans with more than 14.0 percent moisture 
would be considered Special

[[Page 61561]]

Grade, ``High Moisture.'' Contrasting Chickpeas over 2.0 percent will 
no longer be considered U.S. Substandard Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans, but 
instead would grade no higher than U.S. No. 3 Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans. 
AMS would revise the Bean Inspection Handbook to reflect these changes.
    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.

Melissa Bailey,
Associate Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-22109 Filed 10-11-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P