The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is revising the U.S. Standards for Walnuts in the Shell and for Shelled Walnuts to allow grade certification of the Livermore (red) colored variety of walnuts and to remove the obsolete references to an unclassified walnut category. The current U.S. walnut standards only permit the grade certification of four colors of walnuts: extra light, light, light amber, and amber.
According to the California Walnut Board, consumer demand for red walnuts is growing internationally. These revisions will provide the specialty crops industry with greater marketing flexibility.
The rule was published in the Federal Register on Aug. 22, 2017. To view the publication, visit Regulations.gov.
Source: USDA AMS
