Agricultural Marketing Service
 
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Grading, Certification and Verification
 
 
International Marketing
 
International Commodity and Trading Standards  

 

 
To foster marketing opportunities in global commerce, AMS participates in several international standards organizations, including:

USDA Also Reaches out Internationally through:  
  • Official USDA standards for meat, livestock, poultry, eggs, fruits and vegetables, dairy products, cotton, tobacco, and other agricultural products are respected worldwide. Terms such as "USDA Choice" and "USDA Grade A" have meaning in international commerce and command premium prices for USDA-graded U.S. agricultural products. This is because the detailed descriptions behind these terms allow buyers and sellers anywhere in the world to communicate precisely about products to be traded.

 

 
  • Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications describe commonly traded meat items. Specifications are available in these categories: fresh beef; fresh lamb and mutton; fresh veal and calf; fresh goat; fresh pork; cured, cured and smoked, and fully cooked pork products; cured, dried, and smoked beef products; variety meats and by-products; and sausage products.

 

 
  • U.S. Trade Descriptions for Poultry Products consist of word and picture descriptions of poultry products. These descriptions communicate product and packaging characteristics using a coding system that was specifically designed for use via the internet and approved by the Uniform Code Council.

 

 
  • National Organic Standards: With these standards, buyers of certified U.S. organic products can make their purchases with confidence that national uniform production and processing standards have been applied.
 
See also
 
  International Marketing Overview  
 
  Product Production Process and Equipment Certification  
 
  Scientific and Intellectual Property Services  
 
  Market and Shipping Information  
 
 
  Last Modified Date: 07/26/2007