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USDA Releases New Voluntary Grades and Standards for Pecans
New guidelines are the first to be issued since 1969 and take into account industry feedback from American Pecan Council and National Pecan Sheller Association members, among others.
The United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Services (AMS) published new voluntary grades and standards for inshell and shelled pecans on the U.S. Federal Register. These new standards replace the current grades, revise scoring guides for defects, create new sizes, and offer revised definitions. Specifically, AMS has revised the standards for current grades with U.S. Extra Fancy, U.S. Fancy, U.S. Choice, and U.S. Standard grades. According to AMS, these changes now represent current industry descriptions and practices.
Throughout the process, industry stakeholders from across the pecan value chain provided feedback to AMS, which was incorporated into the recently proposed rule, including:
- Expanding the quality grades for kernels,
- Aligning terminology within the standards for pecans in the shell and shelled meats;
- Updating the minimum percentages under tolerances and moisture content restriction language.
“We recognize USDA’s thorough efforts to obtain the pecan industry’s feedback during multiple public comment periods,” said Anne Warden, CEO of the American Pecan Council. “While voluntary, this new rule gives our industry the opportunity to have a complete grades and standards program that can help streamline how we communicate the quality of our pecans to customers and end-users.”
The updated standards go into effect on July 26, 2024, thirty days after their publication in the Federal Register.
