Grades of Tomato Sauce
- U.S. Grade A is the quality of tomato sauce that meets the applicable requirements of Table I.
- U.S. Grade B is the quality of tomato sauce that meets the applicable requirements of Table I.
- Substandard is the quality of tomato sauce that fails to meet the requirements for "U.S. Grade B.”
Color Standards
Color Standards for Tomato Products are available for Purchase. See How to Purchase Visual Aids for more details.
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.
Detailed Standards, Inspection Instructions & Other Resources:
- U.S. Grade Standards for Tomato Sauce (pdf)
- Inspection Instructions for Tomato Sauce (pdf)
- A-478 Solids Determination
- AOAC Official Method 945.75 Extraneous Materials (Foreign Matter) in Products
- AOAC Official Method 955.46 Filth in Tomato Products
- AOAC Official Method 965.41 Mold in Tomato Products
- AOAC Official Method 970.59 Solids (Soluble) in Tomato Products: Refractive Index Method
- AOAC Official Method 984.29 Howard Mold Counting Procedures
- AOAC Official Method 985.26 Solids (Total) in Tomato Products: Microwave Oven Drying Method
- Certification Manual
- Condition of Container Manual
- Determination of Consistency of Tomato Products (pdf)
- Domestic Origin Verification (DOV) Program Manual
- Foreign Material Manual
- FDA Defect Action Level
- General Processed Procedures Manual(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)
- Safety Manual
- Sampling Manual
- Sanitation Manual
- SC-364-118 Score Sheet for Tomato Sauce
- Technical Procedures Manual
- Tomato Products Spectrophotometer Studies (pdf)
- USDA Purchases Manual