USDA grade standards for most 

 processed fruits and vegetables de- 

 scribe three quality levels: 



• U.S. Grade A or U.S. Fancy means 

 top or best quality in color, flavor, 

 uniformity of size and shape, ten- 

 derness, and lack of defects-for use 

 when appearance is most important. 



• U.S. Grade B or U.S. Choice (for 

 fruits) or U.S. Extra Standard (for 

 vegetables) means good quality — 

 suitable for most purposes. 



• U.S. Grade C or U.S. Standard 



means lower quality than Grade B- 

 a thrifty buy when optimum appear- 

 ance and texture are not too im- 

 portant. 



Only products that have been offi- 

 cially inspected and packed in plants 

 approved by USDA may be labeled with 

 the U.S. grade designation. 



USDA's voluntary grade standards 

 complement mandatory Federal stand- 

 ards designed for consumer protection. 

 For example, the Food and Drug Ad- 

 ministration has established minimum 

 standards of quality for several major 



fruit and vegetable products. So USDA 

 adopts, as the minimum grade level, 

 specifications that are at least as high 

 as FDA's mandatory requirements. 

 This minimum grade is Grade C when 

 the U.S. standards for a product pro- 

 vide three levels of quality and Grade 

 B in those standards where only two 

 levels of quality are provided. Thus 

 USDA provides two or more grade 

 levels for marketing purposes and at 

 the same time recognizes the minimum 

 mandatory standards established by 

 FDA. 



USDA has also developed standards 

 for condition of food containers. These 

 standards are used primarily by State 

 and Federal agencies in their food pur- 

 chase programs. However, large vol- 

 ume food buyers may also request that 

 USDA inspectors use these standards 

 to certify the condition of the contain- 

 ers of the food they are purchasing. 



Single copies of USDA's grade 

 standards and standards for condition 

 of containers are available free, on re- 

 quest, from the Washington, D.C., 

 office of the inspection service. 



Plant Survey 



Before USDA will begin in-plant in- 

 spection services, a plant survey is 

 required. USDA also requires a plant 

 survey if a processor wishes to use a 

 U.S. grade designation on the label of 

 products inspected on a lot basis. Only 

 products processed in approved plants 

 may use U.S. grade labeling. 



In addition to the initial plant sur- 

 vey, surveys must be repeated at least 

 annually if you wish to continue USDA 

 inspection or official grade labeling. 



The plant survey is based on the 

 Food and Drug Administration's good 

 manufacturing practices sanitation 

 guidelines and regulations issued un- 

 der the Federal Food, Drug, and Cos- 

 metic Act. After passing a plant survey, 

 a processor— and his customers— can be 

 assured that his plant meets rigid sani- 

 tary requirements for facilities, equip- 

 ment, and operating methods. 



During a plant survey, USDA inspectors 

 check equipment, facilities, and operating 

 methods to be sure they meet rigid sani- 

 tary requirements. 



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