Domestic Dates Produced or Packed in Riverside County, CA; Modification of the Qualification Requirements for Approved Manufacturers of Date Products

This rule modifies the requirements for approved manufacturers of date products under the marketing order regulating the handling of domestic dates produced or packed in Riverside County, California. The marketing order is administered locally by the California Date Administrative Committee (committee). The committee's approved product manufacturer program helps assure that only high quality whole and pitted dates are shipped within the United States and exported to Canada. This rule clarifies the application procedures and qualification requirements for an approved manufacturer of date products. This rule also specifies that a regulated date handler must be in compliance with the marketing order to be an approved manufacturer of date products. These modifications will help safeguard the integrity of the approved date product manufacturer program, as well as the quality of whole and pitted dates marketed both domestically and in Canada.