[Federal Register: July 21, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 139)]
[Notices]
[Page 43559]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr21jy04-33]
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Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
appearing in this section.
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[[Page 43559]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service
United States Standards For Grades of Canned Pears
[Docket No. FV-04-333]
AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice; request for public comment.
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SUMMARY: The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of the Department of
Agriculture (USDA) is soliciting comments on the proposal to revise the
United States Standards for Grades of Canned Pears. AMS received two
petitions, one from a grower cooperative, the other from a processor,
requesting that USDA change the character classification for Grade
``B'', slices, and diced, to read ``the units are reasonably tender or
tenderness may be variable within the unit.'' This change was requested
by the industry in order to bring the standards for canned pears in
line with the present quality levels being marketed today and provide
guidance in the effective utilization of canned pears.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before September 20, 2004.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments
concerning this notice. Comments should reference the date and page of
this issue of the Federal Register. All comments received will be made
available for public inspection at the address listed below during
regular business hours and on the Internet. Please submit comments to
Karen L. Kaufman, Standardization Section, Processed Products Branch,
Fruit and Vegetable Programs, Agricultural Marketing Service, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue SW.; Room 0709,
South Building; STOP 0247, Washington, DC 20250; Fax (202) 690-1527, e-
mail karen.kaufman@usda.gov or http://www.regulations.gov. The current
United States Standards for Grades of Canned Pears, along with the
proposed changes, will be available either through the address cited
above or by accessing the AMS Home Page on the Web at http://www.ams.usda.gov/standards/frutcan.htm
.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen L. Kaufman at (202) 720-5021 or
e-mail at karen.kaufman@usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 203(c) of the Agricultural Marketing
Act of 1946, as amended, directs and authorizes the Secretary of
Agriculture ``to develop and improve standards of quality, condition,
quantity, grade and packaging and recommend and demonstrate such
standards in order to encourage uniformity and consistency in
commercial practices * * *.'' AMS is committed to carrying out this
authority in a manner that facilitates the marketing of agricultural
commodities and makes copies of official standards available upon
request. Those United States Standards for Grades of Fruits and
Vegetables no longer appear in the Code of Federal Regulations but are
maintained by USDA/AMS/Fruit and Vegetable Programs.
AMS is proposing to revise the U.S. Standards for Grades of Canned
Pears using the procedures that appear in Part 36 of Title 7 of the
Code of Federal Regulations (7 CFR Part 36).
Proposed by the petitioner
AMS received two petitions, one from a grower cooperative and the
other from a processor, requesting the revision of the United States
Standards for Grades of Canned Pears. The standards are established
under the authority of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C.
1621-1627). The petitioners represent growers from Washington State,
Oregon and parts of California.
The petitioners are requesting that USDA change the character
classification for Grade ``B'', slices, and diced, canned pears. The
petitioners believe the change in the standard will improve the
economic position of domestic growers of pears.
Prior to undertaking research and other work associated with
revising the grade standards, AMS decided to seek public comments on
the petition. A notice requesting comments on the petition to revise
the United States Standards for Grades of Canned Pears was published in
the January 21, 2004, Federal Register (69 FR 2885).
In response to our request for comments, AMS received two comments
both from pear processors. The comments favored the proposed revision
of the standard.
Based on the submitted information, AMS is proposing to revise the
standard for canned pears following the standard format for U.S. Grade
Standards. The proposed revision will change the character
classification for Grade ``B'', slices, and diced, style canned pears
by including the following: ``the units are reasonably tender or the
tenderness may be variable within the unit.'' The current standard
contains this wording for character classifications for halves,
quarters, pieces or irregular pieces and whole pears.
This proposal will provide a common language for trade, a means of
measuring value in the marketing of canned pears, and provide guidance
in the effective utilization of canned pears. The official grade of a
lot of canned pears covered by these standards will be determined by
the procedures set forth in the Regulations Governing Inspection and
Certification of Processed Products Thereof, and Certain Other
Processed Food Products (Sec. 52.1 to 52.83).
This notice provides for a 60 day comment period for interested
parties to comment on changes to the standards.
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1621-1627.
Dated: July 14, 2004.
A. J. Yates,
Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 04-16486 Filed 7-20-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P