United States Grade Standards for Poultry and Rabbits

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

[PY-97-007]

United States Grade Standards for Poultry and Rabbits

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is changing the

United States Grade Standards for Poultry. Specifically, the changes

will revise the existing grade standards for boneless parts, skinless

carcasses and parts, and boneless, skinless parts. New grade standards

will be added for ready-to-cook (raw), boneless, skinless drumsticks

and legs; and raw size-reduced boneless, skinless products. Existing

standards for defeathering will be clarified by detailing specific

feather tolerances for Grades A-, B-, and C-quality carcasses and

parts. Additionally, the authority to grade-identify boneless, skinless

products under three tentative standards that were used to develop the

new grade standards will be terminated. The standards are being updated

to reflect changes in poultry processing technology and marketing.

EFFECTIVE DATE: April 29, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Rex A. Barnes at (202) 720-

3271.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Poultry grading is a voluntary program

provided under the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, as amended, 7

U.S.C. 1621 et seq., and is offered on a fee-for-service basis.

On December 4, 1995, the Voluntary United States Grade Standards

for Poultry and Rabbits were removed from the Code of Federal

Regulations (CFR) as part of the National Performance Review program to

eliminate unnecessary regulations and to improve those that remain in

force. AMS continues to administer the official standards and makes

copies available on the Internet or upon request. The United States

Grade Standards for Poultry are now referred to as AMS 70.200 et seq.

and the United States Grade Standards for Rabbits are now referred to

as AMS 70.300 et seq.

Background and Comments

A notice of proposed changes to the United States Grade Standards

for Poultry and Rabbits was published in the Federal Register (62 FR

51079) on September 30, 1997. Comments on the proposal were solicited

from interested parties until December 1, 1997.

During the 90-day comment period, the Agency received two comments,

both from State Departments of Agriculture and Consumer Services. One

comment was in agreement with the proposed changes.

The other comment did not oppose the proposed changes, but

questioned the Agency's position regarding skin as a defect on skinless

carcasses and parts, and boneless, skinless products. As a result of

this comment, the Agency is conducting a review of its policy and

practices regarding skin on skinless products. If changes or

clarifications to the standards appear warranted as a result of this

review, a separate notice will be published in the Federal Register to

advise the industry and public.

The Agency expects the proposed changes to extend the value of the

U.S. Grade Standards for Poultry, and will therefore revise the subject

standards as proposed. Copies of the revised standards are available

from the Standardization Branch, Poultry Programs, AMS, USDA, Room

3944-South Bldg., STOP 0259, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington,

DC 20250-0259, (202) 720-3506; or on the Internet at www.ams.usda.gov/

poultry/standards/. The changes are summarized as follows:

Boneless Parts

The standards for boneless parts will be revised to include

drumsticks and legs; address boneless, skin-on parts only; and exclude

tenderloins. Tenderloins and other boneless, skinless parts and their

respective requirements will be covered under a new section. This

change will organize requirements for each product type by section and

make the standards clearer and more ``user friendly.''

Boneless, Skinless Parts

A new section for Grade A-quality tenderloins and other whole

muscle boneless, skinless parts will be added and the criteria updated

by: (1) Including all parts (previously boneless, skinless drumsticks

and legs could not be grade identified); (2) allowing only slight

discolorations on the flesh; and (3) requiring parts to be free of

cartilage, blood clots, bruises, cuts, tears, and holes.

For trimming of boneless, skinless poultry drumsticks and legs, the

standard will require at least one-half of the drumstick and leg remain

intact, and the part need no longer retain the meat yield of the

original part. This change from the tentative standard is based on the

Agency's long-standing policy that parts must be in recognizable

portions for identification purposes and that the ``one-half''

requirement provides a minimum relationship to the meat yield.

Size-Reduced Poultry Products

Standards for size-reduced poultry products will be established by

the following:

(1) Requirements for Grade A-quality raw size-reduced boneless,

skinless products in the form of sliced, diced, and other similarly cut

poultry products will be added to the standards.

(2) The section title under the tentative standard will be revised

from ``Ready-to-Cook, Boneless-Skinless Poultry Products, Without Added

Ingredients'' to ``Size-Reduced Poultry Products.'' This change

clarifies that this section covers size-reduced poultry products

exclusively.

(3) The requirements for the ``size-reduced'' section will be

revised from the tentative standard to require uniformity in product

size and shape to be dictated by the size-reduction process. This

change is necessary because it is improbable that all products of this

nature would be uniform, especially since new technology, including

slicing and dicing procedures, will constantly be improved, modified,

and refined.

(4) Requirements for products labeled ``sliced (part)'' will be

added to the standards. The product, such as breast, thigh, etc.,

shall: (a) Originate from the slicing of the boneless, skinless part;

and (b) collectively approximate the

[[Page 15175]]

shape of the original part prior to slicing. Further, the slices need

not come from the same part. These requirements are consistent with

current guidelines for poultry labeled ``whole chicken, cut-up,'' where

all parts need not come from the same chicken.

Feather Criteria

The feather criteria in Grade A-, B-, and C-quality poultry

carcasses and parts and Grade A-quality poultry roasts will be updated.

Existing standards require that poultry either be ``free of feathers''

or possess only a few feathers when examined at normal grading speeds.

The standards will be revised to specify the number and length of

protruding feathers allowed on poultry for each grade, and limit the

length of hair and/or down permitted on ducks and geese. These

additions reflect the Agency's actual grading interpretation and

practices, and do not require a change in existing procedures.

Tentative Grade Standards

The authority for the use of the three tentative grade standards

will be terminated for: (1) Ready-to-cook boneless, skinless legs and

drumsticks; (2) ready-to-cook boneless, skinless products without added

ingredients; and (3) cooked boneless, skinless products, without added

ingredients published in the Federal Register on March 30, 1995 (60 FR

16428), June 12, 1995 (60 FR 3083), and February 15, 1996 (61 FR 5975),

respectively.

Miscellaneous Changes

Additionally AMS will:

(1) Add poultry tenderloins and wing portions to the standards to

make each eligible for grade identification. Tenderloins may be

identified as Grade A-quality; and wing portions may be identified as

Grade A-, B-, or C-quality parts.

(2) Allow the use of clear to semi-clear marinades and sauces for

grade-identified products, provided the ingredients do not alter the

applicable grade factors or detract from the appearance of the product;

(3) Revise standards for skinless carcasses and parts to include

specific labeling options; and

(4) Make additional miscellaneous changes to remove obsolete

material and otherwise clarify, update, simplify, and technically

correct the standards. These changes are editorial or housekeeping in

nature and impose no new requirements.

Dated: March 24, 1998.

Enrique E. Figueroa,

Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.

[FR Doc. 98-8176 Filed 3-27-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410-02-P