AMS Revises Standards for Almonds in the Shell

The Agricultural Marketing Service issued a final rule revising the standards for grades of almonds in the shell. The change would shift the basis from count to weight in the standards for determining the percentage of internal defects in an inspection sample of almonds in the shell. In addition to simplifying the grading process, AMS said, the weight basis would yield a more accurate percentage of internal defects. For example, due to its lower weight relative to a fully formed kernel, a shriveled kernel has a smaller impact on the percentage of internal defects when the sample is weighed rather than counted, AMS said. According to AMS, the revisions will "align the inspection procedures for incoming inspections (based on the marketing order) and outgoing inspections (based on the standards)," promoting greater uniformity and consistency with current marketing practices.