Notice2021-18321
United States Standards for Beans
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
August 26, 2021
Issuing agencies
Agriculture DepartmentAgricultural Marketing Service
Abstract
This action is being taken under the authority of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, as amended, (AMA). The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is adding the new criterion, Cotyledon Damage, in the Bean Inspection Handbook pertaining to the class chickpea/garbanzo beans in the U.S. Standards for Beans. Stakeholders in the dry bean processing/handling industry requested AMS to revise the Bean Inspection Handbook to include the criterion for the new damage factor, Cotyledon Damage, in chickpeas/garbanzo beans.
Full Text
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 163 (Thursday, August 26, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Page 47614]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-18321]
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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 163 / Thursday, August 26, 2021 /
Notices
[[Page 47614]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service
[Doc. No. AMS-FGIS-21-0009]
United States Standards for Beans
AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of final action.
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SUMMARY: This action is being taken under the authority of the
Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, as amended, (AMA). The United
States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing
Service (AMS) is adding the new criterion, Cotyledon Damage, in the
Bean Inspection Handbook pertaining to the class chickpea/garbanzo
beans in the U.S. Standards for Beans. Stakeholders in the dry bean
processing/handling industry requested AMS to revise the Bean
Inspection Handbook to include the criterion for the new damage factor,
Cotyledon Damage, in chickpeas/garbanzo beans.
DATES: Applicability date: August 26, 2021.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Loren Almond, USDA AMS; Telephone:
(816) 702-3925; email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c18daeb3a4afef8def80adacaeafa581b4b2a5a0efa6aeb7"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="db97b4a9beb5f597f59ab7b6b4b5bf9baea8bfbaf5bcb4ad">[email protected]</span></a>.
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. United States
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 (AMS-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.
Bean standards facilitate bean marketing and define U.S. bean
quality in the domestic and global marketplace. These 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; provide the basis of determination; and
specify grades and grade requirements. Official procedures for
determining grading factors are provided in the Bean Inspection
Handbook. Together, 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. Bean industry
stakeholders include the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council (USADPLC).
The United States Standards for Beans and official inspection
procedures for beans in the Bean Inspection Handbook are available on
the AMS public website. The United States Standards for Beans were last
revised in 2017. Currently, under bean inspection criteria, white
chalky or wafer-like spots are not considered damage in chickpea/
garbanzo beans and there is not a definition or factor for Cotyledon
Damage in Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans. Stakeholders stated that such spots
in chickpea/garbanzo beans negatively affect bean flavor and
specifically asked AMS to revise bean damage factors to include the
addition of a new criterion, Cotyledon Damage, in the class Chickpea/
Garbanzo Beans.
Addition of Cotyledon Damage Factor in the Class Chickpea/Garbanzo
Beans
Stakeholders recommended that AMS revise the Bean Inspection
Handbook criteria to include the new damage factor, Cotyledon Damage,
in the class Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans. AMS and stakeholders worked
collaboratively to define and state the criteria for Cotyledon Damage
in Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans. Additionally, these changes were
recommended to AMS by stakeholders to facilitate current marketing
practices.
Comment Review
AMS published a Notice in the Federal Register on April 22, 2021
(86 FR 21268), inviting interested parties to comment on the proposed
revisions to the U.S. Standards for Beans. AMS received two comments in
response to the notice that strongly supported the proposed revision.
AMS received no comments opposing the proposed revision. AMS believes
this revision will facilitate inspections, better reflect current
marketing practices, be cost efficient, and facilitate purchasing and
selling of chickpea/garbanzo beans. Accordingly, AMS is making no
changes to the revised chickpea/garbanzo bean inspection methods as
proposed. The revision to chickpea/garbanzo bean inspection is
effective August 1, 2021. The Bean Inspection Handbook will be revised
to incorporate the revision.
Final Action
AMS is revising the Chickpea/Garbanzo bean inspection criteria by
amending the Bean Inspection Handbook to include the definition and
criteria requirements for Cotyledon Damage in Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans.
The new damage factor will be defined as, ``Chickpea/Garbanzo beans or
pieces of Chickpea/Garbanzo beans with a white chalky or wafer-like
spot that penetrates the cotyledon (singularly or in combination) that
meets or exceeds the minimum coverage shown on VRI-Bean-5.1 Cotyledon
Damage (Chickpea/Garbanzo).'' The criteria also specify that damage
portion size requirements for chickpea/garbanzo beans are approximately
250 grams for small-seeded beans and 500 grams for large-seeded beans.
Further, suspect beans must be scraped to confirm the spot penetrates
into the cotyledon and is of a size to constitute damage, per the
definition.
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1621-1627.
Bruce Summers,
Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-18321 Filed 8-25-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
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