Revised Standards for Grades of Frozen Asparagus
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A proposed update to U.S. standards for grades of frozen asparagus aims to better align with modern harvesting practices and ease economic burdens on growers. The new standards focus on the style and head material percentage requirements for 'cut spears or cuts and tips' style asparagus, reflecting the increased length of asparagus stems due to reduced labor-dependent picking frequency.
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Key Changes
- A single requirement for average head material in 'cut spears or cuts and tips' style.
- A unified requirement for lot acceptance of percent head material in individual samples.
- Redefinition of what constitutes a 'head' in asparagus grading.
Obligations
What this law requires
Submit comments on proposed frozen asparagus grade standards on or before June 9, 2026
Establish single average head material requirement of not less than 15 percent (by count) for 'cut spears or cuts and tips' style frozen asparagus with cuts one-half inch to 2 inches in length
Ensure no individual sample unit contains less than 8 percent heads (by count) for lot acceptance of 'cut spears or cuts and tips' style frozen asparagus
Redefine 'head' in frozen asparagus standards as 'an upper portion of a shoot which possesses at least one-half inch of compact head material' (replacing previous 'substantial amount' definition)
Submit comments by mail to Standardization Branch, Specialty Crops Inspection Division at 100 Riverside Parkway, Suite 101, Fredericksburg, Virginia 22406; by fax at (540) 361-1199; or via https://www.regulations.gov