Raisins Produced From Grapes Grown in California; Change to Reporting Requirements Regarding Other Seedless Raisins

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, an interim final rule changing the reporting requirements regarding Other Seedless (OS) raisins under the Federal marketing order for California raisins (order). The order regulates the handling of raisins produced from grapes grown in California and is administered locally by the Raisin Administrative Committee (RAC). The order provides authority for volume and quality regulations and reporting requirements by varietal type of raisin. The OS varietal type includes raisins produced from Flame Seedless (Flames) and other red grapes. This rule requires handlers to report to the RAC information on acquisitions, shipments, inventories, and inter-handler transfers of the different types of OS raisins, including Flames. The RAC will evaluate this data to determine whether segregating Flames into a separate varietal type is warranted.