USA: Standard for Walnuts

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is revising the Standards for Grades of Shelled Walnuts and Walnuts in the Shell.Currently, the Standards only permit four colors: Extra Light, Light, Light Amber and Amber. However, consumer demand is growing for red walnuts in the USA. Thus, AMS proposes to include red colored walnuts and to remove the “Unclassified” section.The changes aim to modernize the standards and meet growing consumer demand by providing greater marketing flexibility.Federal Register Vol. 81, No. 227. Friday, November 25, 2016. Pages 85164-85167