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.

Notices Federal Register

63132

Vol. 69, No. 209

Friday, October 29, 2004

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

[Docket No. FV–05–333] 

United States Standards for Grades of 

Canned Pears

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, 

USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Agricultural Marketing 

Service (AMS) of the Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) is revising 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.

EFFECTIVE DATE: November 29, 2004.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Karen L. Kaufman, Processed Products 

Branch, Fruit and Vegetable Programs, 

Agricultural Marketing Service, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, STOP 0247, 

1400 Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20250–0247; fax (202) 

690–1087 or e-mail at 

karen.kaufman@usda.gov. The final 

United States Standards for Grades of 

Canned Pears, 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.’’

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 revising 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). A second 

notice was published in the July 21, 

2004, Federal Register (69 FR 139) 

based on comments received from the 

first notice. AMS received one comment 

in response to the second notice. The 

comment favored the revision to the 

standard. These comments are available 

by accessing AMS’s Home Page on the 

Internet at: http://www.ams.usda.gov/fv/

ppb.html.

Based on the comments, AMS is 

revising the standard for canned pears 

following the standard format for U.S. 

Grade Standards. The 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 revision 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 (§ 52.1 to 52.83). 

The U.S. Standards for Grades of 

Canned Pears will become effective 30 

days after publication of this notice in 

the Federal Register.

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1621–1627.

Dated: October 25, 2004. 

A.J. Yates, 

Administrator, Agricultural Marketing 

Service.

[FR Doc. 04–24161 Filed 10–28–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–02–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service 

[Docket No. FV–04–302] 

United States Standards for Grades of 

Sweet Potatoes

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, 

USDA.

ACTION: Notice; request for public 

comment. 

SUMMARY: The Agricultural Marketing 

Service (AMS) of the Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) is soliciting 

comments on it’s proposal to revise the 

United States Standards for Grades of 

Sweet Potatoes. USDA has received a 

request from several industry groups to 

add a new grade to the standards, U.S. 

No. 1 Petite. The change being proposed 

would allow the packing and shipping 

of smaller size sweet potatoes under the 

U.S. standards, thereby, improving the 

usefulness of the standards in serving 

the industry.