hes

(f) The standards describe rather typical carcasses of each grade, and no attempt is made to describe the numerous combinations of characteristics that may qualify a carcass for a particular grade.

§ 54.137 Specifications for official United States standards for grades of sow car

casses.

(a) U.S. No. 1 grade. U.S. No. 1 grade sow carcasses have about the minimum degree of finish required to produce pork cuts of acceptable palatability. Meatiness and yield of lean cuts from carcass weight are slightly high. Yield of fat cuts is slightly low. The ratio of total lean and fat to bone is slightly high. Carcasses with the minimum finish required for U.S. No. 1 grade are moderately long and slightly wide in relation to weight. The back and loins are moderately full and thick with a well-rounded appearance. Hams are usually moderately thick and plump and are slightly full in the lower part toward the hock. Bellies are moderately long, slightly thick, and moderately uniform in ethickness with a slightly thick belly

8

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ing

pocket. Shoulders are slightly thick and full. Carcasses are usually moderately well-balanced and moderately uniform in fleshing and finish. There are moderate quantities of interior fat in the pelvic area, a slightly thin but moderately extensive layer of fat lining the inside surface of the ribs, and a slightly small quantity of feathering, or fat intermingled with the lean between the ribs. The lean is firm. Both exterior and interior fats are firm, white, and of excellent quality. Carcasses with back fat thickness qualifying them for the fatter onehalf of the U.S. No. 1 grade but with thin muscling in the major cuts,

uneven fleshing and finish, or thick and uneven bellies shall be graded U.S. No. 2. Carcasses with back fat thickness qualifying them for the thinner one-half of the U.S. No. 1 grade but with only a moderately thin and incomplete rib lining, a moderately small quantity of feathering, slightly thin bellies with moderately thin belly pockets, and moderately soft lean and fat shall be graded Medium.

(b) U.S. No. 2 grade. U.S. No. 2 grade sow carcasses have a higher degree of finish than the minimum required to produce pork cuts of acceptable palatability. Meatiness and yield of lean cuts from carcass weight are slightly low. Yield of fat cuts is slightly high. The ratio of total lean and fat to bone is moderately high. Carcasses with the minimum finish required for U.S. No. 2 grade are slightly short and moderately wide in relation to weight. The back and loins are full and thick and are especially full near the edges. Hams are usually thick and plump and are moderately full in the lower part toward the hock. Bellies are slightly short, moderately thick, and rather uniform in thickness with a moderately thick belly pocket. Shoulders are moderately thick and full. Carcasses are usually well-balanced and uniform in fleshing and finish. There are slightly large quantities of interior fat in the pelvic area, a slightly thick and rather extensive layer of fat lining the inside surface of the ribs, and moderate feathering. The lean is firm. Both exterior and interior fats are firm, white, and of excellent quality. Carcasses with back fat thickness qualifying them for the fatter one-half of the U.S. No. 2 grade but with thin muscling in the major cuts uneven fleshing and finish, or very thick and uneven bellies shall be graded U.S. No. 3. Carcasses with back fat thickness qualifying them for the thinner onehalf of the U.S. No. 2 grade but with thick muscling in the major cuts, wellbalanced fleshing and uniform finish and slightly thick bellies shall be graded U.S. No. 1.

(c) U.S. No. 3 grade. U.S. No. 3 grade sow carcasses have a decidedly higher degree of finish than the minimum required to produce pork cuts of acceptable palatability. Meatiness and yield

of lean cuts from carcass weight are low. Yield of fat cuts is high. The ratio of total lean and fat to bone is high. Carcasses with the minimum finish required for U.S. No. 3 grade are short and wide in relation to weight. The back and loins are very full and thick and are decidedly full at the edges. Hams are usually very thick and plump and are full in the lower part toward the hock due to a thick fat covering. Bellies are short and thick and uniform in thickness with a thick belly pocket. Shoulders are thick and full. Carcasses are usually well-balanced and uniform in fleshing and finish. There are large quantities of interior fat in the pelvic area, a moderately thick and extensive layer of fat lining the inside surface of the ribs, and slightly abundant feathering. The lean is firm. Both exterior and interior fats are firm, white, and of excellent quality. Carcasses with back fat thickness indicative of nearly minimum finish for the U.S. No. 3 grade but with thick muscling in the major cuts, well-balanced fleshing and uniform finish, and moderately thick bellies shall be graded U.S. No. 2.

(d) Medium grade. Medium grade sow carcasses have a lower degree of finish than the minimum required to produce pork cuts of acceptable palatability. Yield of lean cuts from carcass weight is moderately high. Yield of fat cuts is moderately low. The ratio of total lean and fat to bone is moderately low. Carcasses with the minimum finish required for Medium grade are long and rather narrow in relation to weight. The back and loins are rather thin, lack fullness, and slope away from the center. Hams are usually slightly thin, lack plumpness, and taper toward the hock. Bellies are long and moderately thin and are somewhat uneven in thickness with a thin belly pocket. Shoulders are moderately thin and flat. Carcasses tend to be uneven and lack uniformity of fleshing and finish. There are slightly small quantities of interior fat in the pelvic area, a thin and incomplete layer of fat lining the inside surface of the ribs, and only a small quantity of feathering. The lean is moderately soft with little evidence of marbling. Both exterior and interior fats are

moderately soft, white to creat white, and of moderately low quain Carcasses with back fat thickes qualifying them for the fatter o half of the Medium grade that a firm and have slightly thick bels and belly pockets, a slightly thin moderately extensive rib lining, and slightly small quantity of feather shall be graded U.S. No. 1. Carcase with back fat thickness qualify them for the thinner one-half of Medium grade but with little or no r lining and feathering, thin bellies & very thin belly pockets, and soft les and fat shall be graded Cull.

(e) Cull grade. Cull grade sow casses have a decidedly lower degre of finish than the minimum require to produce pork cuts of acceptable pa atability. Yield of lean cuts from ca cass weight is high. Yield of fat cuts low. The ratio of total lean and fat h bone is low. Carcasses with the degre of finish typical of the Cull grade ar long and narrow in relation to weight The back and loins are thin and decid edly lacking in fullness with a definite slope toward the sides. Hams are us ally thin and flat and taper toward the hock. Bellies are very long and th and are uneven in thickness with very thin belly pocket. Shoulders & thin and flat. Carcasses tend to be uneven and lack uniformity of flesh ing and finish. There are only sma quantities of interior fat in the pelv area, little or no fat lining the inside surface of the ribs, and scant feather ing. The lean is soft and watery with very little evidence of marbling. Both exterior and interior fats are soft creamy white to white, and of low quality. Carcasses with back fat thick ness indicative of nearly maximum finish for the Cull grade that are only moderately soft and have moderately thin bellies and belly pockets, a thin and incomplete rib lining, and a small quantity of feathering shall be graded

Medium.

Subpart A-Inspection and Grading of Egg Products

DEFINITIONS

$55.1 Meaning of words.

Under the regulations in this part words in the singular shall be deemed to import the plural and vice versa, as the case may demand.

855.2 Terms defined.

For the purpose of the regulations in this part, unless the context otherwise requires, the following terms shall be construed, respectively:

Act means the applicable provisions of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (60 Stat. 1087; 7 U.S.C. 1621 et seq.), or any other Act of Congress conferring like authority.

Administrator means the Administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of the Department or any other officer or employee of the Department to whom there has heretofore been delegated, or to whom there may hereafter be delegated the authority to act in his stead.

Applicant means any interested party who requests any grading or inspection service, or appeal grading or appeal inspection, with respect to any product.

Chief of the Grading Branch means the Chief of the Poultry Grading Branch, Poultry Division, Agricultural Marketing Service.

Class means any subdivision of a product based on essential physical characteristics that differentiate between major groups of the same kind, species, or method of processing.

Condition means any condition (including, but not being limited to, the state of preservation, cleanliness, soundness, wholesomeness, or fitness for human food) of any product which affects its merchantability; or any condition, including, but not being limited to, the processing, handling, or packaging which affects such product.

Department means the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Eggs of Current Production means shell eggs which have moved through the usual marketing channels since the time they were laid and are not in excess of 60 days old.

Holiday or Legal holiday shall ma the legal public holidays specifier: the Congress in paragraph (a) of tion 6103, Title 5, of the United St Code.

Inspection/grading means (1: act of determining, according to " regulations, the class, quality, qua ty, or condition of any product by amining each unit thereof or a r sentative sample drawn by a gra (2) the act of issuing a certificate (3) the act of identifying, when quested by the applicant, any proc by means of official identification a suant to the Act and this part.

Inspection and grading certifica:: certificate means a statement, eit written or printed, issued by a grad or inspector pursuant to the Act this part, relative to the class, qual quantity, and condition of products.

Inspector/grader means any empir ee of the Department authorized the Secretary, or any other person whom a license has been issued by Secretary, to investigate and certif in accordance with the Act and th part, to shippers of products and othe interested parties the class, quali quantity, and condition of such pro ucts.

Interested party means any per financially interested in a transacti involving any grading, inspection, appeal grading or inspection of & product.

National Supervisor means (1) t officer in charge of the service AMS, and (2) such other employee AMS as may be designated by him.

Office of grading means the office c any grader or inspector.

Official plant means any plant which the facilities and methods operation therein have been found b the Administrator to be suitable and adequate for grading service or inspec tion in accordance with this part and in which such service is carried on.

Person means any individual, party nership, association, business trust of corporation, or any organized group persons, whether incorporated or not

Product or products means egg (whether liquid, frozen, or dried), egg products and any food product which is prepared or manufactured and con tains eggs as an ingredient.

Quality means the inherent properies of any product which determine ts relative degree of excellence.

Regional Director means any employee of the Department in charge of the service in a designated geographiLocal area.

Regulations means the provisions in this part.

Sampling means the act of taking samples of any product for grading or inspection.

Secretary means the Secretary of the Department or any other officer or employee of the Department to whom there has heretofore been delegated, or to whom there may hereafter be delegated, the authority to act Ein his stead.

Service means (1) any grading or inspection, in accordance with the Act and the regulations in this part, of any product, (2) supervision, in any official plant, of the preparation or packaging the of any product, or (3) any appeal grading or appeal inspection of any previously graded or inspected product.

Shell eggs means the shell eggs of the domesticated chicken, turkey, duck, goose, and guinea.

[36 FR 11795, June 19, 1971, as amended at SE 36 FR 19301, Oct. 2, 1971; 37 FR 17816, Sept. 1, 1972. Redesignated at 42 FR 32514, June 27, 1977, and amended at 43 FR 60137, Dec. 26, 1978. Redesignated at 46 FR 63203, Dec. 31, 1981, and amended at 47 FR 46069, Oct. 15, 1982; 47 FR 54421, Dec. 3, 1982]

Subsection 203(h) of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, as amended by Pub. L. 272, 84th Congress, provides criminal penalties for various specified offenses relating to official certificates, memoranda, marks or other identifications, and devices for making such marks or identifications, issued or authorized under section 203 of said Act, and certain misrepresentations concerning the inspection or grading of agricultural products under said section. For the purposes of said subsection and the provisions in this part, the terms listed below shall have the respective meanings specified:

(a) "Official certificate" means any form of certification, either written or printed, used under this part to certify with respect to the sampling, inspection, class, grade, quality, size, quantity, or condition of products (including the compliance of products with applicable specifications).

(b) "Official memorandum" means any initial record of findings made by an authorized person in the process of grading, inspecting, or sampling pursuant to this part, any processing or plant-operation report made by an authorized person in connection with grading, inspecting, or sampling under this part and any report made by an authorized person of services performed pursuant to this part.

(c) "Official mark” means the grade mark, inspection mark, and any other mark or symbol formulated pursuant to the regulations in this part, stating that the product was graded or inspected, or for the purpose of maintaining the identity of the product.

(d) "Official identification" means any United States (U.S.) standard designation of class, grade, quality, size, quantity, or condition specified in this part or any symbol, stamp, label, or seal indicating that the product has been officially graded or inspected and/or indicating the class, grade, quality, size, quantity, or condition of the product approved by the Administrator and authorized to be affixed to any product, or affixed to or printed on the packaging material of any product.

(e) "Official device" means a printed label, or other method as approved by the Administrator for the purpose of applying any official mark or other identification to any product of the packaging material thereof.

ADMINISTRATION

§ 55.10 Authority.

The Administrator shall perform, for and under the supervision of the Secretary, such duties as the Secretary may require in the enforcement or administration of the provisions of the Act and this part. The Administrator is authorized to waive for a limited period any particular provisions of the regulations in this part to permit ex