Revision of U.S. Standards for Grades of Watermelons

• Citation: 86 FR 46673
• Record Number: 2021-17814
• Published date: 19 August 2021
• Section: Notices
• Court: Agricultural Marketing Service,Agriculture Department

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,

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rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

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examples of documents appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

46673

Vol. 86, No. 158

Thursday, August 19, 2021

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

[Doc. No. AMS–SC–20–0096, SC–20–327]

Revision of U.S. Standards for Grades

of Watermelons

AGENCY

: Agricultural Marketing Service,

USDA.

ACTION

: Notice.

SUMMARY

: The Agricultural Marketing

Service (AMS) of the Department of

Agriculture (USDA) is revising the U.S.

Standards for Grades of Watermelons.

Changes will provide a common

language for trade of watermelons.

DATES

: Applicable September 20, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT

:

David G. Horner, USDA, Specialty

Crops Inspection Division, 100

Riverside Parkway, Suite 101,

Fredericksburg, VA 22406; phone (540)

361–1128; fax (540) 361–1199; or email

Dave.Horner@usda.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

: Section

203(c) of the Agricultural Marketing Act

of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1621–1627), 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. The U.S.

Standards for Grades of Fruits and

Vegetables that no longer appear in the

Code of Federal Regulations are

maintained by AMS at: http://

www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards.

AMS is revising the U.S. Standards for

Grades using the procedures that appear

in part 36 of Title 7 of the Code of

Federal Regulations (7 CFR part 36).

Background

On October 22, 2019, the National

Watermelon Association (NWA), a trade

association representing growers,

retailers, and shippers from 30 U.S.

states, Canada, and Central America,

petitioned the USDA to revise the

watermelon standards and update the

official USDA visual aids library. AMS

worked closely with the NWA

throughout the development of the

proposed revisions, soliciting their

comments and suggestions about the

standards through discussion drafts and

presentations. Through this

collaboration, AMS also developed and

issued four new watermelon visual aids.

On November 20, 2020, the NWA

approved the proposed revisions, and

on March 11, 2021, a Proposed Notice

was published in the Federal Register

(86 FR 13874). The public comment

period closed May 10, 2021, with 45

comments from the industry, 44 of

which fully supported the proposed

revisions.

One commenter supported the

revisions except for the proposed

scoring guide for rind worm injury

occurring on the ground spot. The

commenter felt consumers will not

overlook this defect because they

understand that this is the ground spot,

but was open to compromise. The NWA

originally proposed to forgo scoring rind

worm injury when affecting the ground

spot. The color of the ground spot

changes throughout the growing stages,

from pale white to creamy yellow at

maturity. Rind worm injury is tan in

color and more readily blends with the

color of the ground spot. AMS

determined that rind worm injury on

the ground spot is less detracting, but

not to the extent that the grade standard

would allow an unlimited amount. AMS

believes scoring rind worm injury on

the ground spot that seriously detracts

from the appearance of the melon as

damage, but not as serious damage, is a

reasonable compromise. Rind worm

injury occurring on portions of the

melon other than the ground spot will

continue to be scored as damage and

serious damage.

To show their support of the

revisions, commenters generally ended

their submissions with the following or

a similar statement: ‘‘The USDA has the

full support of the NWA and its

membership (that crosses the country

from coast to coast and border to border

(and beyond in some cases). Thank you

for your support, and your help in this

vital effort.’’

Therefore, AMS is making the

following changes:

•§ 51.1973 Tolerances: For defects at

shipping point, en route, or at

destination for the U.S. No. 1 and U.S.

No. 2 grades, AMS will remove the 3%

tolerance for Anthracnose at shipping

point and remove the 5% tolerance for

Anthracnose en route or at destination.

The tolerance for decay will be revised

to establish a total tolerance of 1% for

shipping point and 2% for en route or

at destination for Anthracnose and

decay.

•§ 51.1976 Size: AMS will align

weights with current marketing trends

by adjusting the average weights to 10

to 34 pounds.

•§ 51.1985 Permanent defects and

§ 51.1986 Condition defects: AMS will

remove sunburn as a condition defect

and add sunburn as a permanent defect.

•§ 51.1978 and §51.1982: In

§ 51.1978, AMS will correct the typo in

the definition for fairly well formed to

read ‘‘the perfect type for the variety’’

instead of ‘‘the perfect type of the

variety.’’ In § 51.1982, AMS will add the

missing heading identifying the

definition: ‘‘Seedless watermelons.’’

•§ 51.1987 Classification of defects:

AMS will base the scoring guides for

sunburn, hail, rind worm injury, scars

(and other similar defects), and transit

rubs on a 15-pound melon and will base

the scoring guide for hollow heart on

any size melon. Lastly, AMS will limit

the scoring of rind worm injury on the

ground spot by scoring it under the

definition of damage when seriously

detracting from the appearance of the

melon; rind worm injury occurring on

the ground spot is not scorable as

serious damage.

•AMS will remove all metric

measurements from the standards. The

revisions align the standards with

current marketing trends.

(Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1621–1627.)

Erin Morris,

Associate Administrator, Agricultural

Marketing Service.

[FR Doc. 2021–17814 Filed 8–18–21; 8:45 am]

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