UNITED .STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Con.'s~e r.. and llarke ting Service 

Fruit a.'1d Vegetable Division 

Processed Products Standardization. 

and Inspection Branch· 

FOR USE OF USDA A.: 390 

'PROCESSED PRODUCTS OFFICES' October 28, 1965 

TO: All ' 

' ✓ ~ ~--{. Processed Foods Inspectors '-f I .\

FROM: Fred Dunn, Chief of the Branch -t {/1/

SUBJECT: Inspection and Certification of Frozen Carrots and Peas 

as to: 1) Proportion of Ingredients. 

2) Carrots of Sliced Style. 

3) Labeling. 

FILE WITH: United States Standards for Grades of 

Frozen Peas and Carrots 

The United States Standards for Grades of Frozen Peas and Carrots specify 

proportions of ingredients as not less than 50%, by wei'ght, of peas and 

not less than 25%, by weight, of diced carrots. The· grade standards 

further specify compliance criterion based on sample and individual sample 

units. 

1) Proportions of Ingredients 

Lots offered as Frozen Peas and• Carrots may contain a higher proportion 

of carrots than peas. This is apt to occur when the packer attempts to 

pack the product with both ingredients at the 50% level, At times, 

packers may deliberately add a higher proportion of carrots than peas. 

1; 

whatever the reason, when the carrot ingredient exceeds the 50% level 

the ..product is considered Ftozen Carrots and Peas (rather than Peas and 

Carrots). ,, ' 

When carrots are the predominating ingredien'ti'the:• following procedure 

should be followed: 

a) Ascertain the grade ·of the product on the basis of the 

United States Standards for Grades of Frozen Peas and 

Carrots; 

b) Ascertain the average percent, by weight, of the ingredients (Use a sufficient number of sample unit's in the 

sample to accurately e,~tablish a sample average); and 

c) Certify as follows, but do not show score points: 

Product Inspected -- FROZEN CARROTS Al\lD PEAS 

Proportion of Ingredients Carrots -----'% ____., 1. Peas 

A-
GRADE: U. S. GRADE OR U. S. 

-----· based on United States Standards for 

Grades of Frozen Peas and Carrots 

(See statements above) 

2) Carrots of Sliced Style 

When carrots are of Sli.ced style, follow the procedure in 1) of this 

instruction for ascertaining proportions and certifying grade, but 

certify as to product name and include the word "Sliced" in the proportion statement when Carrots are in predominance, as follows·: 

Product Inspected -- FROZEN PEAS and SLICED CARROTS 

(or) 

FROZEN SLICED CARF.OTS and PEAS 

Proportion of ingredients -- Sliced Carrots 

Peas ------'% 

3) Product of Frozen Peas and Carrots 

When the product meets, the standards for proportion of ingredients and 

consists of Diced Carrots, the product is certified in the usual manner, 

but the proportion of ingredients need not be stated on the certificate, 

unless specifically requested. 

4) Labeling 

Although no Food and Drug Standards of Identity exist for this product, 

, there is, a· basic Food and Drug law that when a product consists of two 

·or more ingredients the ingredients are listed on the labe1 in the 

descending order of their predominance. 

When Diced Carrots are used, an appropriate label for the main product 

name would be, as applicable: 

FROZEN PEAS and CARROTS 

FROZEN CARROTS and PEAS 

If Sliced Carrots are used, the main product name should include the 

style of carrot either in connection with the main product name or in 

a subordinate (but prominent) statement in clos,e proximi ty to the 

product name, for example: 

FROZEN PEAS and SLICED CARROTS 

FROZEN PEAS and CARROTS (Sliced) 

FROZEN PEAS and CARROTS -- Sliced Carrots 

When the product of Frozen Peas and Carrots (in any mixture and 

including Sliced Carrots) conforms to this instruction, the product 

may carry an official USDA continuous inspection or grade mark. 

Distribution - "A" v 

Agriculture - Washington 

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