USDA Modernizes How We Grade Ketchup and Other Tomato Products

You might care about this because the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is updating how it grades seven canned tomato products. These products include tomato ketchup, sauce, juice, paste, puree, and canned tomatoes. The main goal is to make these standards more useful for the food industry and easier to understand. The first big change involves how color is measured. The old method used physical Munsell color discs, which are no longer used. Now, the standards will refer to USDA color chip information, which is a more modern way to check product color. The second change simplifies the grading language. Historically, grades used a two-term system, like "U.S. Grade A or U.S. Fancy." This document removes the second term, so products will simply be labeled "U.S. Grade A," "U.S. Grade B," and so on. This makes the labels consistent with newer grading standards. Another practical change is spelling "catsup" as "ketchup" across all documents. This matches common usage and what the Food and Drug Administration uses. Lastly, there are several small editorial updates, such as adding missing section headings and a new table for drained weights in canned tomatoes. These revisions help ensure the standards reflect current commercial practices and provide a clear language for trade. Two public comments supported these changes, especially for making product identification clearer to consumers and strengthening consistency in the food industry. What makes these updates particularly interesting is their focus on clarity and modernization. By moving away from outdated color measurement tools like Munsell discs to USDA color chip information, the grading process becomes more consistent and accessible. This helps ensure that all tomato products meet modern quality expectations. The decision to drop dual grading terms, like "U.S. Fancy," is another step toward simplicity. It means that the grading system will be uniform across different products and easier for everyone to understand, from manufacturers to consumers. Changing "catsup" to "ketchup" might seem small, but it shows the USDA's commitment to aligning its standards with everyday language and established food industry terms. These changes are not just about paperwork. They are about making the system more efficient and relevant for the companies that produce these foods and for the people who buy them. They reflect an effort to keep government standards current with industry practices and consumer expectations. Several groups of people would find this legal document highly relevant. Food manufacturers who produce canned tomato products such as ketchup, tomato sauce, tomato juice, tomato paste, tomato puree, and canned tomatoes will be directly affected. These companies rely on these U.S. grade standards to ensure the quality of their products and for trade. Quality control managers and food inspectors will need to understand the updated methods for assessing color and the new grading terminology. Agricultural businesses and suppliers involved in the tomato industry will also find these changes important for their operations. Furthermore, food distributors and retailers who handle these products will need to be aware of the revised grading language to ensure proper labeling and marketing. Even consumers, while not directly applying these standards, benefit from the clearer and more consistent quality assurances these updates provide for the food products they purchase.