Tomato Juice Grades and Standards

Grades of Tomato Juice

1. U.S. Grade A is the quality of tomato juice or tomato juice from concentrate that meets the applicable requirements of Tables I or II.
2. U.S. Grade B is the quality of tomato juice or tomato juice from concentrate that meets the applicable requirements of Tables I or II.
3. Substandard is the quality of tomato juice or tomato juice from concentrate that fails to meet the requirements for "U.S. Grade B."

Color Standards

Color Standards for Tomato Products are available for Purchase.  See How to Purchase Visual Aids for more details.

Instructions for Use and Care of the Visual Color Standards for Tomato Products, including additional technical guidance is found in the Fresh and Processed Equipment Catalog (pdf).  Look in the Processed Fruits, Vegetables, and Specialty Products section on Care and Use Guides. 

Detailed standards, Inspection Instructions & Other Resources:

• U.S. Grade Standards for Tomato Juice (pdf)
• Inspection Instructions for Tomato Juice (pdf)
• 21 CFR § 156.145 - Tomato Juice
• A-445 Determining Lot Compliance for Declaring Natural Tomato Soluble Solids (NTSS)
• A-478 Solids Determination
• A-492 Fortification of Standardized Juices
• AOAC Official Method 936.13 Specific Gravity of Comminuted Tomato Products
• AOAC Official Method 945.75 Extraneous Materials (Foreign Matter) in Products
• AOAC Official Method 955.46 Filth in Tomato Products
• AOAC Official Method 965.41 Mold in Tomato Products
• AOAC Official Method 970.59 Solids (Soluble) in Tomato Products:  Refractive Index Method
• AOAC Official Method 984.29 Howard Mold Counting Procedures
• AOAC Official Method 985.26 Solids (Total) in Tomato Products:  Microwave Oven Drying Method
• Certification Manual 
• Condition of Container Manual
• Determination of Consistency of Tomato Products (pdf)
• Domestic Origin Verification (DOV) Program Manual
• Foreign Material Manual
• FDA Food Defect Action Level
• General Procedures Manual
• Methods of Analyses for Tomato Products Mold Count (pdf)
• Methods of Analyses for Tomato Products Solid Content Determinations (pdf)
• Methods of Analyses for Tomato Products Fly Egg and Maggot Determination (pdf)
• Methods of Analyses for Tomato Products Sand and Inorganic Residue Determination (pdf)
• Safety Manual
• Sampling Manual
• Sanitation Manual
• SC-364-72 Score Sheet for Tomato Juice
• Technical Procedures Manual
• Technical Procedures Manual (pdf)
• Tomato Products Spectrophotometer Studies (pdf)
• USDA Purchases Manual