7 CFR § 989.59 - Regulation of the handling of raisins subsequent to their acquisition by handlers.
(a) Regulation. Unless otherwise provided in this part, no handler shall:
(1) Ship or otherwise make final disposition of natural condition raisins unless they at least meet the effective and applicable minimum grade, quality, and condition standards for natural condition raisins; or
(2) Ship or otherwise make final disposition of packed raisins unless they at least meet such minimum grade quality, and condition standards established by the Committee, with the approval of the Secretary, in applicable rules and regulations or as later changed or prescribed pursuant to the provisions of paragraph (b) of this section: Provided, That nothing contained in this paragraph shall prohibit the shipment or final disposition of any raisins of a particular varietal type for which minimum standards are not applicable or then in effect pursuant to this part. And provided further, That a handler may grind raisins, which do not meet the minimum grade, quality, and condition standards for packed raisins because of mechanical damage or sugaring, into a raisin paste. The Committee may establish, with approval of the Secretary, different grade, quality, and condition regulations for different markets.
(b) Changes to minimum grade, quality, or condition standards. The Committee may recommend changes in the minimum grade, quality, or condition standards for packed raisins of any varietal type and may recommend to the Secretary that minimum grade, quality, or condition standards for any varietal type be added or deleted. The Committee shall submit with its recommendation all data and information upon which it acted in making its recommendation, and such other information as the Secretary may request. The Secretary shall approve any such change if he finds, upon the basis of data submitted to him by the Committee or from other pertinent information available to him, that to do so would tend to effectuate the declared policy of the Act.
(c) Publicity and notice. The Committee shall give prompt and reasonable notice to producers, dehydrators, handlers, and the cooperative bargaining association(s) of each recommendation submitted by it to the Secretary and of each regulation issued by the Secretary. Notice of such regulation shall be given to all handlers of record by registered or certified mail.
(d) Inspection and certification. Unless otherwise provided in this section, each handler shall, at his own expense, before shipping or otherwise making final disposition of raisins, cause an inspection to be made of such raisins to determine whether they meet the then applicable minimum grade, quality, and condition standards for natural condition raisins or the then applicable minimum standards for packed raisins. Such handler shall obtain a certificate that such raisins meet the aforementioned applicable minimum standards and shall submit or cause to be submitted to the Committee a copy of such certificate together with such other documents or records as the Committee may require. The certificate shall be issued by the Specialty Crops Inspection Division of the United States Department of Agriculture, unless the Committee determines, and the Secretary concurs in such determination, that inspection by another agency will improve the administration of this amended subpart. Any certificate issued pursuant to this paragraph shall be valid only for such period of time as the Committee may specify, with the approval of the Secretary, in appropriate rules and regulations.
(e) Inter-plant and inter-handler transfers. Any handler may transfer from his plant to his own or another handler's plant within the State of California any raisins without having had such raisins inspected as provided in paragraph (d) of this section. The transferring handler shall transmit promptly to the Committee a report of such transfer, except that transfers between plants owned or operated by the same handler need not be reported. Before shipping or otherwise making final disposition of such raisins, the receiving handler shall comply with the requirements of this section.
(f) Disposition of off-grade raisins, other failing raisins, and raisin residual material in eligible non-normal outlets. Any off-grade raisins, except those returned unstemmed to the tenderer or successfully reconditioned, and any raisin residual material which may be received or acquired by a handler or accumulated by a handler from reconditioning raisins or from processing standard raisins and other failing raisins, shall be disposed of or marketed by the handler, without further inspection, in eligible non-normal outlets: Provided, That no packer shall be precluded from recovering raisins from such accumulations or acquisitions: Provided further, That whenever the Secretary concludes, on the basis of a recommendation of the Committee, that to specify one or more non-normal outlets as ineligible for any class of such receipts, acquisitions, or accumulations will tend to effectuate the declared policy of the act, he shall specify such ineligible outlets and prohibit the shipment thereto or final disposition therein of such class by handlers as well as the receipt and use thereof by processors: And provided further, That no processor who is a distiller shall be precluded from receiving or using for distillation (1) the standard raisins which subsequently fail to meet the said applicable standards, (2) the raisin residual material accumulated from processing standard raisins, or (3) the raisin residual material referable to the standard raisin equivalent recovered in reconditioning; and any handler may ship such raisins and raisin residual material to such processor. The Committee shall establish, with the approval of the Secretary, such rules and procedures as may be necessary to insure adequate control over the off-grade raisins, other failing raisins, and raisin residual material subject to this paragraph. Such rules may include a requirement that the disposition and use of all or any class of off-grade raisins, other failing raisins, or raisin residual material be confined to the area. The provisions of this paragraph are not intended to excuse any failure to comply with all applicable food and sanitary rules and regulations of city, county, State, Federal, or other agencies having jurisdiction.
(g) Exemption of experimental and specialty packs. The Committee may establish, with the approval of the Secretary, rules and procedures providing for the exemption of raisins in experimental and specialty packs from one or more of the requirements of the minimum grade, quality, or condition standards of this section, together with the inspection and certification requirements if applicable.