Canned Tomatoes Grades and Standards

Grades of Canned Tomatoes

1. U.S. Grade A is the quality of canned tomatoes that meets the applicable requirements of Tables I, II, III, IV, and V of §52.5170, and scores not less than 90 points. 
2. U.S. Grade B is the quality of canned tomatoes that meets the applicable requirements of Tables I, II, III, IV, and V of §52.5170, and scores not less than 80 points. 
3. U.S. Grade C is the quality of canned tomatoes that meets the applicable requirements of Tables I, II, III, IV, and V of §52.5170, and scores not less than 70 points.
4. Substandard is the quality of canned tomatoes that fails the requirements for U.S. Grade C.

Color Standards

Color Standards for Tomato Products.

Instructions for Use and Care of the Visual Color Standards for Tomato Products, including additional technical guidance is found in the Fresh and Processed Equipment Catalog (pdf).  Look in the Processed Fruits, Vegetables, and Specialty Products section on Care and Use Guides. 

Inspection Aid

• Headspace gauge
• Area Measurement Guide, 8 x 10 in English Units, IA#30A
• Area Measurement Guide, IA #30B

See How to Purchase Visual Aids for more details.

Detailed standards, Inspection Instructions & Other Resources:

• U.S. Grade Standards for Canned Tomatoes (pdf)
• Canned Tomato Inspection Instructions (pdf)
• 21 CFR § 155.190 - Canned tomatoes
• A-478 Solids Determination
• A-445 Determining Lot Compliance for Declaring Natural Tomato Soluble Solids (NTSS)
• AOAC Official Method 965.41 Mold in Tomato Products
• AOAC Official Method 984.29 Mold in Tomato Products
• AOAC Official Method 955.46 Filth in Tomato Products
• AOAC Official Method 945.90 Mold in Tomatoes (Canned)
• AOAC Official Method 945.75 Extraneous Materials (Foreign Matter) in Products
• Certification Manual
• Condition of Container Manual
• Domestic Origin Verification (DOV) Program Manual
• FDA Food Defect Action Levels
• Foreign Material Manual
• General Procedures Manual 
• Safety Manual
• Sampling Manual
• Sanitation Manual
• SC-364-70 Score Sheet for Canned Tomatoes
• Technical Procedures Manual
• USDA Purchases Manual
• U.S. Standards for Determination of Fill Weights 
• U.S. Standards for Inspection by Variables
• Determination of Consistency of Tomato Products (pdf)
• Methods of Analyses for Tomato Products Mold Count (pdf)
• Methods of Analyses for Tomato Products Solid Content Determinations (pdf)
• Methods of Analyses for Tomato Products Fly Egg and Maggot Determination (pdf)
• Methods of Analyses for Tomato Products Sand and Inorganic Residue Determination (pdf)
• FDA Macroanalytical Procedures Manual
• Tomato Products Spectrophotometer Studies (pdf)