USDA Proposes Revisions to Nectarine Grade Standards

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is seeking public comments on its proposal to revise the United States Standards for Grades of Nectarines.

AMS proposes to amend the standards to remove "speckling", as a type of defect when grading nectarines, since speckling is strictly a cosmetic issue and does not affect the internal quality, shelf life, or lead to any negative flavors of the affected nectarines. In fact, nectarines with higher sugar content, or sweetness, have been correlated with increased amounts of speckling. With recent developments in breeding as a means to prioritize flavor, it would be expected that speckling would increase along with any new varieties of nectarines with higher sugar content (Brix).

AMS works with industry representatives and others to establish or revise U.S. standards for nearly 240 agricultural products. Standards facilitate commerce by providing a common language for trade and a means of measuring value in the marketing of agricultural products.

The notice was published in the Federal Register on May 7, 2026. Comments are due by July 6, 2026. To view this publication, please visit www.regulations.gov. You can access the current nectarine standards at www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards.

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