Canned Clingstone Peaches Grades and Standards

Grades of Canned Clingstone Peaches

1. U.S. Grade A is the quality of halves, quarters, slices, dice, or whole canned clingstone peaches that possess similar varietal characteristics; that possess a normal flavor and odor; that possess a good color; that are practically uniform in size and symmetry for the applicable style; that are practically free from defects; that possess a good character; and that for those factors which are scored in accordance with the scoring system outlined in this subpart the total score is not less than 90 points: Provided, that halves, quarters, slices, dice, or whole canned clingstone peaches may possess a reasonably good color; may be reasonably uniform in size and symmetry; and may possess a reasonably good character, if the total score is not less than 90 points.
2. U.S. Grade B is the quality of halves, quarters, slices, dice, whole, or mixed pieces of irregular sizes and shapes of canned clingstone peaches that possess similar varietal characteristics; that possess a normal flavor and odor; that possess a reasonably good color; that are reasonably uniform in size and symmetry for the applicable style; that are reasonably free from defects; that possess a reasonably good character; and that for those factors which are scored in accordance with the scoring system outlined in this subpart the total score is not less than 80 points: Provided, that halves, quarters, slices, dice, or whole canned clingstone peaches may be fairly uniform in size and symmetry if the total score is not less than 80 points.
3. U.S. Grade C is the quality of halves, quarters, slices, diced, whole, or mixed pieces of irregular sizes and shapes of canned clingstone peaches that possess similar varietal characteristics; that possess a normal flavor and odor; that possess a fairly good color; that are fairly uniform in size and symmetry for the applicable style; that are fairly free from defects; that possess a fairly good character; and that for those factors which are scored in accordance with the scoring system outlined in this subpart the total score is not less than 70 points.
4. U.S. Grade D is the quality of halves, quarters, slices, diced, whole, or mixed pieces of irregular sizes and shapes of canned clingstone peaches that may possess dissimilar varietal characteristics; that possess a normal flavor and odor; that possess a fairly good color; that may vary in size and symmetry for the applicable style; that are fairly free from defects except for crushed and broken units in the styles of halves, quarters, or whole style; that possess a noticeable variability in character; and that for those factors which are scored in accordance with the scoring system outlined in this subpart the total score is not less than 60 points. Canned clingstone peaches of this grade may or may not meet the minimum standards of quality for canned peaches issued pursuant to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
5. Substandard is the quality of canned clingstone peaches that fails to meet the applicable requirements of U.S. Grade C or of U.S. Grade D and is the quality of canned clingstone peaches that may or may not meet the minimum standards of quality for canned peaches issued pursuant to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

Grades of Canned Solid-Pack Clingstone Peaches

1. U.S. Grade C Solid-Pack is the quality of halves, quarters, slices, dice, or mixed pieces of irregular sizes and shapes of canned solid-pack clingstone peaches that possess a normal flavor and odor; that possess a fairly good color; that are fairly free from defects for canned solid-pack clingstone peaches; that possess a fairly good character for solid-pack clingstone peaches; and that for those factors which are scored in accordance with the scoring system outlined in this subpart the total score is not less than 70 points.
2. Substandard Solid-Pack is the quality of halves, quarters, slices, dice, or mixed pieces of irregular sizes and shapes of canned solid-pack clingstone peaches that fail to meet the requirements of U.S. Grade C Solid-Pack.

Inspection Aids

• Headspace Gauge,  Inspection Aid 88 Size Chart for Canned or Frozen Fruits or Vegetables Ounces (pdf)
• IA #30A Area Measurement Guide, 8 x 10 in English Units
• IA #30B Area Measurement Guide
• Inspection Aid 88 Size Chart for Canned or Frozen Fruits or Vegetables Ounces (pdf)
• Inspection Aid 89 Size Chart for Canned or Frozen Fruits or Vegetables Grams (pdf)
• Photo Guide PG-9 Classifying Defects in Canned Peaches (pdf)

See How to Purchase Inspection Aids for more details.

Detailed standards, Inspection Instructions & Other Resources:

• U.S. Grade Standards for Canned Clingstone Peaches (pdf)
• Inspection Instructions for Canned Clingstone Peaches (pdf)
• 21 CFR § 145.170 - Canned peaches
• 21 CFR § 145.171 - Artificially sweetened canned peaches
• Certification Manual
• Condition of Container Manual
• FDA Food Defect Action Levels
• Foreign Material Manual
• General Procedures Manual 
• Safety Manual
• Sampling Manual
• Sanitation Manual
• SC 364-46 Score Sheet for Canned Clingstone Peaches
• Technical Procedures Manual