Revising U.S. Standards for Grades of Mushrooms

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) is revising the U.S. Standards for Grades of Mushrooms to add a grade for portabella mushrooms, remove size from the criteria for each grade and create a separate section for size, and revise the tolerances for defects consistent with modern production and handling practices. In addition, AMS is updating terminology, definitions, and defect scoring guides throughout the grade standards. These changes align the grade standards with modern harvesting practices and provide guidance for the effective utilization of this commodity.