The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) proposes revising the U.S. standards for grades of apples to remove smooth net-like russeting as a grade-determining factor in the U.S. Extra Fancy, U.S. Fancy, and U.S. No. 1 grades for Fuji apples. AMS also proposes to remove obsolete references to the location where color standards may be examined and purchased. The changes modernize the standards and provide greater marketing flexibility to meet growing consumer demand.
The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on May 6, 2019. Written comments must be received by July 5, 2019. Comments should be submitted online at www.regulations.gov, faxed to (540) 361-1199 or mailed to the USDA, Specialty Crops Inspection Division, 100 Riverside Parkway, Suite 101, Fredericksburg, VA 22406.
For more information, contact David Horner at (540) 361-1120 or Dave.Horner@usda.gov.
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