(a) Shelled peanuts: No handler or importer shall ship or otherwise dispose of shelled peanuts for human consumption unless such peanuts are positive lot identified, chemically analyzed by a USDA laboratory or USDA-approved laboratory and certified “negative” as to aflatoxin, and certified by the Inspection Service as meeting the following quality standards:
Minimum Quality Standards - Peanuts for Human Consumption
[Whole kernels and splits: Maximum limitations]
| Type and grade category | Unshelled peanuts and damaged kernels and minor defects (percent) |
Total fall through sound whole kernels and/or sound split and broken kernels | Foreign materials (percent) |
Moisture (percent) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excluding Lots of “splits” | ||||
| Runner | 3.50 | 6.00%; 17/64 inch round screen | .20 | 9.00 |
| Virginia (except No. 2) | 3.50 | 6.00%; 17/64 inch round screen | .20 | 9.00 |
| Spanish and Valencia | 3.50 | 6.00%; 16/64 inch round screen | .20 | 9.00 |
| No. 2 Virginia | 3.50 | 6.00%; 17/64 inch round screen | .20 | 9.00 |
| Runner with splits (not more than 15% sound splits) | 3.50 | 6.00%; 17/64 inch round screen | .20 | 9.00 |
| Virginia with splits (not more than 15% sound splits) | 3.50 | 6.00%; 17/64 inch round screen | .20 | 9.00 |
| Spanish and Valencia with splits (not more than 15% sound splits) | 3.50 | 6.00%; 16/64 inch round screen | .20 | 9.00 |
| Lots of “splits” | ||||
| Runner (not less than 90% splits) | 3.50 | 6.00%; 17/64 inch round screen | .20 | 9.00 |
| Virginia (not less than 90% splits) | 3.50 | 6.00%; 17/64 inch round screen | .20 | 9.00 |
| Spanish and Valencia (not less than 90% splits) | 3.50 | 6.00%; 16/64 inch round screen | .20 | 9.00 |
(b) Cleaned-inshell peanuts: No handler or importer shall ship or otherwise dispose of cleaned-inshell peanuts for human consumption unless such peanuts are Positive lot identified and are determined by the Inspection Service to contain:
(1) Not more than l.00 percent kernels with mold unless a sample of such peanuts, drawn by an inspector of the Inspection Service, is analyzed chemically by a USDA laboratory or a USDA-approved laboratory and certified “negative” as to aflatoxin;
(2) Not more than 3.50 percent peanuts with damaged or defective kernels;
(3) Not more than 10.00 percent moisture; or
(4) Not more than 0.50 percent foreign material.
[67 FR 57140, Sept. 9, 2002; 67 FR 63503, Oct. 11, 2002, as amended at 68 FR 46924, Aug. 7, 2003; 68 FR 53490, Sept. 11, 2003; 81 FR 50288, Aug. 1, 2016]