[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 114 (Wednesday, June 14, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38809-38810]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-12708]
========================================================================
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.
========================================================================
Federal Register / Vol. 88 , No. 114 / Wednesday, June 14, 2023 /
Notices
[[Page 38809]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service
[Doc. No. AMS-AMS-22-0066]
United States Standards for Beans
AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of final action.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA)
Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is revising the United States
Standards for Beans under the United States Agricultural Marketing Act
of 1946, as amended, (AMA). AMS is revising the grade-determining
factors for Moisture and Contrasting Chickpeas in the class Chickpea/
Garbanzo Beans.
DATES: Applicable July 1, 2023.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Loren Almond, USDA AMS; Telephone:
(816) 702-3925; Email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the authority of the AMA (7 U.S.C.
1621-1627), as amended, AMS establishes and maintains a variety of
voluntary quality and grade standards for agricultural commodities that
serve as a fundamental starting point to define commodity quality and
facilitate marketing of U.S. commodities in the domestic and global
marketplace.
The USDA-AMS-Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) maintains and
implements the U.S. Standards for Beans, last revised in 2017, which
are available on the AMS public website (https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards). The U.S. Standards for Beans 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; outline the basis of determination; and specify grades and
grade requirements. Official testing procedures for determining grading
factors are provided in the Bean Inspection Handbook. Together, the
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 published a notice and request for comments in the Federal
Register on October 12, 2022 (87 FR 61559), inviting interested parties
to comment on proposed revisions to the standards pertaining to
Moisture and Contrasting Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans as grade-determining
factors in the class Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans in the U.S. Standards for
Beans. AMS proposed the revisions following discussions with
stakeholders in the bean processing/handling industry.
Proposed Revision of Moisture Determination in Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans
Currently, the maximum tolerance for moisture in U.S. No. 1, 2, and
3 grade chickpeas is 18.0 percent. AMS-FGIS met with representatives of
bean industry stakeholders, who stated that 18.0 percent moisture
content is too high for proper storage and maintenance of Chickpea/
Garbanzo Beans and that the standard should be revised to a lower
moisture content. However, FGIS is aware that moisture content is often
a contract specification and that there is a need in the market for a
grade that recognizes a higher moisture content. After various meetings
and discussions, bean stakeholders recommended revising the moisture
limit for U.S. No. 1, 2, and 3 grades of Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans
downward from 18.0 percent to 14.0 percent and revising the standard
for ``High Moisture'' beans from above 18.0 percent to above 14.0
percent moisture. Accordingly, FGIS proposed in the October 12, 2022,
notice (87 FR 61559), that Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans with more than 14.0
percent moisture should be designated as Special Grade, ``High
Moisture.''
Proposed Revision of Contrasting Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans
Currently, the maximum tolerance for contrasting chickpeas, that
differ substantially in shape or color, in U.S. No. 3 grade is 5.0
percent. Chickpea samples with greater than 5.0 percent contrasting
chickpeas are considered ``U.S. Substandard'' grade. However,
stakeholders told FGIS that contrasting chickpeas of greater than 5.0
percent do not affect actual bean quality, the entire sample of beans
is still considered Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans, and that such beans are
marketable. For these reasons stakeholders requested that chickpeas
with greater than 5.0 percent contrast not be considered ``U.S.
Substandard.'' Stakeholders recommended revising the standard by
changing the grade criteria for Contrasting Chickpeas in Chickpea/
Garbanzo Beans. Under the recommended revision, Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans
with greater than 2.0 percent contrasting chickpeas could be considered
U.S. No. 3 grade. Accordingly, FGIS proposed in the October 12, 2022,
notice (87 FR 61559), that Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans found to contain
more than 2.0 percent Contrasting Chickpeas could be designated as U.S.
No. 3 but would grade no higher than U.S. No. 3. Contrasting Chickpea
grading criteria for U.S. No. 1 and U.S. No. 2 would remain unchanged.
Comment Review
The publication of the notice and request for comment initiated a
60-day comment period, which ended December 12, 2022. AMS received no
comments on the proposed revisions.
Final Action
For the foregoing reasons, AMS-FGIS is revising the U.S. Standards
for Beans in the class Chickpea/Garbanzo Bean by amending the criteria
for Special Grade ``High Moisture'' and the grade determining factor
``Contrasting Chickpeas''. Accordingly, Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans with
more than 14.0 percent moisture will be considered Special Grade,
``High Moisture,'' and samples with Contrasting Chickpeas over 2.0
percent will grade no higher than U.S. No. 3 Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans.
These revisions to the Chickpea/Garbanzo Bean standard are
effective July 1, 2023. Table 3.10 of the Bean Inspection Handbook will
be updated to reflect the revised bean standard, as shown below.
[[Page 38810]]
Table 3.10--Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maximum limits of--
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total defects Foreign material
Grade Moisture \1\ (DB, FM, CCL, Total damaged -------------------------------- Contrasting Contrasting
(percent) & SPL) (percent) Total Stones Classes \2\ Chickpeas \3\
(percent) (percent) (percent) (percent) (percent)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. No. 1.............................. 14.0 2.0 2.0 0.5 0.2 0.5 1.0
U.S. No. 2.............................. 14.0 4.0 4.0 1.0 0.4 1.0 2.0
U.S. No. 3.............................. 14.0 6.0 6.0 1.5 0.6 2.0 >2.0
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Beans with more than 14.0 percent moisture are graded High Moisture.
\2\ Beans with more than 2.0 percent contrasting classes are graded Mixed Beans.
\3\ Beans with more than 2.0 percent contrasting chickpeas must grade no higher than a U.S. No. 3.
U.S. Substandard: U.S. Substandard shall be beans which do not meet
the requirements for the grades U.S. No. 1 through U.S. No. 3 or U.S.
Sample Grade. Beans which are not well screened shall also be U.S.
Substandard, except for beans which meet the requirements for U.S.
Sample Grade.
U.S. Sample Grade: U.S. Sample Grade shall be beans which are
musty, sour, heating, materially weathered, or weevily; which have any
commercially objectionable odor; which contain insect webbing or filth,
animal filth, any unknown foreign substance, broken glass, or metal
fragments; or which are otherwise of distinctly low quality.
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1621-1627.
Melissa Bailey,
Associate Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-12708 Filed 6-13-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P