[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 50 (Wednesday, March 14, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14874-14875]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-6331]
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Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
appearing in this section.
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Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 50 / Wednesday, March 14, 2001 /
Notices
[[Page 14874]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Agricultural Marketing Service
[Docket No. DA-98-02B]
United States Standards for Grades of Dry Whole Milk
AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This document gives notice of the availability of revisions to
the United States Standards for Grades of Dry Whole Milk. The changes
will: (1) Lower the maximum bacterial estimate to not more than 10,000
per gram for U.S. Extra Grade and not more than 50,000 per gram for
U.S. Standard Grade, (2) include protein content as an optional test,
(3) incorporate maximum titratable acidity requirements, (4) expand the
``Test methods'' section to allow product evaluation using the latest
methods included in the Standard Methods for the Examination of Dairy
Products, in the Official Methods of Analysis of the Association of
Official Analytical Chemists, and in standards developed by the
International Dairy Federation, (5) reference the Food and Drug
Administration's standards of identity for dry whole milk, (6) relocate
information concerning the optional oxygen content determination, and
(7) make editorial changes that would provide consistency with other
U.S. grade standards for dairy products.
EFFECTIVE DATE: This notice is effective April 13, 2001.
ADDRESSES: The revised Standards are available from Duane R. Spomer,
Chief, Dairy Standardization Branch, Dairy Programs, Agricultural
Marketing Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Room 2746, South
Building, Stop 0230, P.O. Box 96456, Washington, DC 20090-6456 or at
www.ams.usda.gov/dairy/stand.htm.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Talari V. Jude, Dairy Products
Marketing Specialist, Dairy Standardization Branch, Dairy Programs,
USDA/AMS/Dairy Programs, Room 2746, South Building, P.O. Box 96456,
Washington, DC 20090-6456; (202) 720-7473.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 203 (c) of the Agricultural
Marketing Act of 1946, as amended, directs and authorizes the Secretary
of Agriculture ``to develop and improve standards of quality,
condition, quantity, grade, and packaging and recommend and demonstrate
such standards in order to encourage uniformity and consistency in
commercial practices * * *.'' AMS is committed to carrying out this
authority in a manner that facilitates the marketing of agricultural
commodities and will make copies of official standards available upon
request. The United States Standards for Grades of Dry Whole Milk no
longer appear in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) but are
maintained by USDA/AMS/Dairy Programs.
AMS is revising the United States Standards for Grades of Dry Whole
Milk using the procedures it published in the August 13, 1997, Federal
Register and that appear in Part 36 of Title 7 of the CFR.
The notice, which included a request for comments on the proposed
changes, was published in the Federal Register on July 28, 2000 (65 FR
46399-46421).
The current United States Standards for Grades of Dry Whole Milk
have been in effect since May 13, 1983. AMS initiated a review of these
standards and discussed possible changes with the dairy industry. The
American Dairy Products Institute (ADPI), a trade association
representing the dry whole milk industry, provided specific
suggestions, including suggestions to lower the maximum bacterial
content requirements and to expand the definition of dry whole milk to
include optional ingredients that may be added. AMS proposed changes to
reflect improvements in the quality of dry whole milk and marketing
changes that have occurred since the standards were last revised. In
addition, AMS proposed changes to promote greater uniformity and
consistency in the application of these standards.
AMS published the notice in the Federal Register with an outline of
the specific proposed changes and provided a comment period of 60 days,
which ended on September 26, 2000.
ADPI filed comments expressing their general support for the
proposal and provided a specific recommendation to retain roller
process product in the standards. This recommendation would
reincorporate currently existing roller process product provisions in
the ``Definitions'' section, the ``Specifications for U.S. grades''
section, and in the summary provided in Table III. ADPI reported that a
significant amount of roller process product is manufactured for its
unique functional properties. No other comments were received.
Before the proposed changes to the United States Standards for
Grades of Dry Whole Milk were published, AMS discussed the issue of
roller process product with the dairy industry. At that time there was
little interest in retaining specific provisions for roller process
product. However, during the comment period ADPI identified
manufacturers of roller process product interested in retaining these
provisions. AMS agrees to maintain roller process product provisions in
the United States Standards for Grades of Dry Whole Milk so that these
standards can continue to be used to establish quality standards for
roller process product.
There was an inadvertent omission of titratable acidity information
in ``Table III. Classification According to Laboratory Analysis.'' In
its proposal, AMS proposed changes that would make titratable acidity a
required test to determine U.S. Grade and included information in the
``Specifications for U.S. grades'' section. AMS intended that this
information also be included in the summary table.
In addition to the revisions discussed in the July 28, 2000,
Federal Register notice, the following sections of the United States
Standards for Grades of Dry Whole Milk are also revised as follows:
Definitions
The ``dry whole milk'' definition is changed to read as follows:
``Dry whole milk'' made by the Spray process or Roller process is
the product obtained by removal of water only from pasteurized milk
which may have been homogenized. It contains not more than 5 percent by
weight of moisture on a milk solids not fat basis and not less than 26
percent but less than 40 per cent
[[Page 14875]]
by weight of milk fat. It shall conform to the applicable provisions of
21 CFR 131 ``Milk and Cream'' as issued by the Food and Drug
Administration. Alternatively, dry whole milk may be obtained by
blending fluid, condensed, or dried nonfat milk with liquid or dried
cream or with fluid, condensed, or dried milk, as appropriate, provided
the resulting dry whole milk is equivalent in composition to that
obtained by drying. It contains the lactose, milk proteins, milkfat,
and milk minerals in the same relative proportions as the milk from
which it was made. It may be optionally fortified with either Vitamins
A or D or both.
Specifications for U.S. Grades
Under the section beginning ``(a) U.S. Extra Grade.'' paragraphs
(7) and (8) are changed to read as follows:
(7) Scorched particle content. Not more than 15.0 mg. for spray
process, and 22.5 mg. for roller process. See Table III. Classification
According to Laboratory Analysis of this section.
(8) Solubility Index. Not more than 1.0 ml. for spray process, and
15.0 ml. for roller process. See Table III. Classification According to
Laboratory Analysis of this section.
Under the section beginning ``(b) U.S. Standard Grade.'' paragraphs
(7) and (8) are changed to read as follows:
(7) Scorched particle content. Not more than 22.5 mg. for spray
process, and 32.5 mg. for roller process. See Table III. Classification
According to Laboratory Analysis of this section.
(8) Solubility index. Not more than 1.5 ml. for spray process, and
15.0 ml. for roller process. See Table III. Classification According to
Laboratory Analysis, of this section.
Table III. Classification According to Laboratory Analysis
Under ``Table III. Classification According to Laboratory
Analysis'' the scorched particle and solubility index information is
revised and the titratable acidity information is added to read as
follows:
Table III.--Classification According To Laboratory Analysis
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U.S. Standard
Laboratory tests U.S. Extra Grade Grade
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Scorched particle content; mg.
(max).
Spray process.............. 15.0 22.5
Roller process............. 22.5 32.5
Solubility index; ml. (max)....
Spray process.............. 1.0 1.5
Roller process............. 15.0 15.0
Titratable acidity (lactic Not more than 0.15 Not more than 0.17
acid); percent (max).
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A typographical error in the ZIP code for the Association of
Official Analytical Chemists that appears in the ``Test Methods''
section of the revised standard should read 20877-2417.
Accordingly, the notice revising the United States Standards for
Grades of Dry Whole Milk published in the Federal Register at 65 FR
46399-46421 on July 28, 2000, as well as the changes and corrections
made in this notice, are incorporated in the revised United States
Standards for Grades of Dry Whole Milk.
The revised United States Standards for Grades of Dry Whole Milk
are available either through the address included in this notice or by
accessing the AMS Home Page on the Internet at http://www.ams.usda.gov/dairy/stand.htm.
Authority: (7 U.S.C. 1621-1627).
Dated: March 7, 2001.
Kenneth C. Clayton,
Acting Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 01-6331 Filed 3-13-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P