(1) Have no requirements as to uniformity in color in any of the comb sections;

(2) Be free from serious damage caused by granulation, honeydew, poorly ripened or sour honey, objectionable flavor or odor, or other means.

(e) The wood section shall

(1) Be as free from excessive propolis and/or pronounced stains as illustration A in the official color chart;

(2) Be new in appearance, unless otherwise specified.

(f) The minimum net weight shall be 10 ounces, unless otherwise specified.

U.S. Fancy honey shall consist of shallow-frame comb honey that meets the following requirements:

(a) The comb shall

(1) Be produced in shallow frame spaced 1% inches from center to center, which will give a comb thickness of not less than 1 inch, unless otherwise specified;

(2) Be drawn out on foundation which is light in color and is thin enough to produce a comb that compares favorably in texture with the comb in combsection honey;

(3) Be well built out;

(4) Never have contained brood; (5) Have no dry holes;

(6) Have no uncapped cells, except as follows

(1) Empty cells in the row attached to the frame, and/or

(ii) 150 uncapped cells filled with well-ripened honey in the adjoining

(1) Be uniform in color throughout the combs of the lot, unless otherwise specified;

(2) Be free from damage caused by granulation, honeydew, poorly ripened or sour honey, objectionable flavor or odor, or other means.

$52.2868 U.S. No. 1 shallow-frame comb honey.

U.S. No. 1 honey shall consist of shallow-frame comb honey that meets the following requirements:

(a) The comb shall

(1) Be produced in shallow frames spaced 1% inches from center to center, which will give a comb thickness of not less than 1 inch, unless otherwise specified;

(2) Be drawn out on foundation which is light in color and is thin enough to produce a comb that compares favorably in texture with the comb in combsection honey;

(3) Never have contained brood;

(4) Have no uncapped cells, except as follows

(i) Empty cells in the row attached to the frame and in the adjoining row, and/or

(ii) Additional uncapped filled cells, provided they are confined to groups and in the aggregate do not cover over 10 percent of the comb surface in any frame;

(5) Be free from damage caused by cells of pollen.

(b) The cappings shall

(1) Be free from serious damage caused by being broken or by other

§ 52.2870 U.S. Fancy wrapped cut-comb honey.

U.S. Fancy honey shall consist of wrapped cut-comb honey that meets the following requirements:

(a) The comb shall

(1) Be drawn out on foundation that is light in color and is thin enough to produce a comb that compares favorably in texture with the comb in combsection honey;

(2) Have no uncapped cells except on the cut edges;

(3) Never have contained brood; (4) Have no dry holes;

(5) Be free from cells of pollen. (b) The cappings shall

(1) Be free from weeping and from damage caused by bruising or other means;

(2) Present a uniformly even appear

ance.

(c) The color of the comb and cappings shall conform to the requirements as illustrated for U.S. Fancy comb-section honey in the official color chart.

(d) The honey shall—

(1) Be uniform in color throughout the comb;

(2) Be free from damage caused by granulation, honeydew, poorly ripened or sour honey, objectionable flavor or odor or other means.

(e) The wrapper shall be transparent clean, and sealed in such a manner as to prevent leakage.

(f) The minimum net weight shall be 12 ounces, unless otherwise specified.

§ 52.2871 U.S. No. 1 wrapped cut-comb honey.

U.S. No. 1 honey shall consist of wrapped cut-comb honey that meets the following requirements:

(a) The comb shall—

(1) Be drawn out on foundation that is light in color and is thin enough to produce a comb that compares favorably in texture with the comb in combsection honey;

(2) Have no uncapped cells, except as follows

(i) On the cut edges, and/or

(ii) In the row adjoining the cut edge, provided the number does not exceed 15 in a cut comb;

(3) Never have contained brood;
(4) Have no dry holes;

(5) Be free from cells of pollen.

(b) The cappings shall

(1) Be free from weeping and from damage caused by bruising or other means;

(2) Present a uniformly even appearance except for slight irregularities affecting not to exceed one-half of the comb surface.

(c) The color of the comb and cappings shall conform to the requirements as illustrated for U.S. No. 1 comb-section honey in the official color chart.

(d) The honey shall—
(1) Be

fairly uniform in color throughout the comb;

(2) Be free from damage caused by granulation, honeydew, poorly ripened or sour honey, objectionable flavor or odor, or other means.

(e) The wrapper shall be transparent, clean, and sealed in such a manner as to prevent leakage.

(f) The minimum net weight shall be 11 ounces, unless otherwise specified.

§ 52.2872 Unclassified wrapped cutcomb honey.

Unclassified wrapped cut-comb honey shall consist of cut-comb honey which does not conform to the requirements for either of the foregoing grades.

GRADES FOR CHUNK OR BULK COMB HONEY

§ 52.2873 U.S. Fancy chunk or bulk comb honey-packed in tin.

U.S. Fancy chunk or bulk comb honey packed in tin shall consist of not less than 50 percent by volume of chunk or bulk comb honey, unless otherwise specified, which meets the following requirements:

(a) The comb shall

157-010 0-95-19

(1) Be drawn out on foundation that is light in color and is thin enough to produce a comb that compares favorably in texture with the comb in combsection honey;

(2) Have not more than one uncapped cell per square inch of comb surface; (3) Never have contained brood; (4) Have no dry holes;

(5) Be free from cells of pollen. (b) The cappings shall

(1) Be free from damage caused by bruising or other means;

(2) Present a uniformly even appear

ance.

(c) The color of the comb and cappings shall conform to the requirements as illustrated for U.S. Fancy comb-section honey in the official color chart, except that any amount of watery cappings shall be permitted.

(d) The honey shall—

(1) Be uniform in color throughout the comb and the color of the honey in the comb shall not be darker than the next darker color classification of the extracted honey used to make up the total weight.

(2) Be free from damage caused by granulation, honeydew, poorly ripened or sour honey, objectionable flavor or odor, or other means.

(e) The total weight shall be made up with U.S. Fancy extracted honey.

(f) The color of the honey within the container shall be designated according to the color of the extracted honey used to make up the total weight.

§ 52.2874 U.S. No. 1 chunk or bulk comb honey-packed in tin.

U.S. No. 1 chunk or bulk comb honey packed in tin shall consist of not less than 50 percent by volume of chunk or bulk comb honey, unless otherwise specified, which meets the following requirements:

(a) The comb shall

(1) Be drawn out on foundation that is light in color and is thin enough to produce a comb that compares favorably in texture with the comb in combsection honey;

(2) Have not more than two uncapped cells per square inch of comb surface; (3) Never have contained brood; (4) Have no dry holes;

(5) Be free from cells of pollen. (b) The cappings shall

(1) Be free from damage caused by bruising or other means;

(2) Present a uniformly even appearance except for slight irregularities affecting not to exceed one-half of the comb surface.

(c) The color of the comb and cappings shall conform to the requirements as illustrated for U.S. No. 1 comb-section honey in the official color chart, except that any amount of watery cappings shall be permitted.

(d) The honey shall—

(1) Be fairly uniform in color throughout the comb and the color of the honey in the comb shall not be darker than the next darker color classification of the extracted honey used to make up the total weight;

(2) Be free from damage caused by granulation, honeydew, poorly ripened or sour honey, objectionable flavor or odor, or other means.

(e) The total weight shall be made up with U.S. Fancy extracted honey.

(f) The color of the honey within the container shall be designated according to the color of the extracted honey used to make up the total weight.

§ 52.2875 Unclassified chunk or bulk comb honey-packed in tin. "Unclassified" chunk or bulk comb honey packed in tin shall consist of chunk or bulk comb honey that does not conform to the requirements of any of the foregoing grades.

§ 52.2876 U.S. Fancy chunk or bulk comb honey-packed in glass.

"U.S. Fancy" chunk or bulk comb honey packed in glass shall consist of chunk or bulk comb honey that conforms to the requirements for this grade when packed in tin, except that no given volume of chunk or bulk comb honey is required.

§ 52.2877 U.S. No. 1 chunk or bulk comb honey-packed in glass.

"U.S. No. 1" chunk or bulk comb honey packed in glass shall consist of chunk or bulk comb honey that conforms to the requirements for this grade when packed in tin, except that no given volume of chunk or bulk comb honey is required.

§ 52.2878 Unclassified chunk or bulk comb honey-packed in glass. "Unclassified" chunk or bulk comb honey packed in glass shall consist of chunk or bulk comb honey that does not conform to the requirements of any of the foregoing grades.

TOLERANCES FOR GRADES

§ 52.2879 Application of tolerances.

The tolerances specified for the various grades are placed on a container basis. However, any lot of honey shall be considered as meeting the requirements of a specified grade if no sample from the containers in any lot is found to exceed the tolerances specified by more than double the amount allowed, provided the entire lot shall average within the tolerance specified.

§ 52.2880 Tolerances for comb-section honey.

(a) U.S. Fancy, U.S. No. 1, and U.S. No. 1 Mixed Color. (1) In order to allow for variations, other than in weight, incident to proper grading and handling, not more than 5 percent, by count, of the comb sections in any container may be below the requirements for the grade, but not to exceed two-fifths of this tolerance, or 2 percent of the comb sections in any container, shall be allowed for defects causing serious damage.

(2) In addition to the foregoing tolerance, not more than 5 percent, by count, of the comb sections in any container may fail to meet the weight requirements.

(b) U.S. No. 2. (1) In order to allow for variations, other than in weight, incident to proper grading and handling, not more than 5 percent, by count, of the comb sections in any container may be below the requirements for the grade.

(2) In addition to the foregoing tolerance, not more than 5 percent, by count, of the comb sections in any container may fail to meet the weight requirements.

$52.2881 Tolerances for shallow-frame comb honey.

(a) U.S. Fancy and U.S. No. 1. (1) In order to allow for variations, other than in weight, incident to proper

grading and handling, not more than 5 percent, by count, of the frames of honey in any container may be below the requirements for the grade, but not to exceed two-fifths of this number, or 2 percent of the frames in any container, shall be allowed for defects causing serious damage.

(2) In addition to the foregoing tolerance, a variation of not more than 5 percent below the net weight marked on the cases shall be permitted.

§ 52.2882 Tolerances for wrapped cutcomb honey.

(a) U.S. Fancy and U.S. No. 1. (1) In order to allow for variations, other than in weight, incident to proper grading and handling, not more than 5 percent, by count, of the wrapped cut combs in any container may be below the requirements for the grade, but not to exceed two-fifths of this tolerance, or 2 percent of the wrapped cut combs in any container, shall be allowed for defects causing serious damage.

(2) In addition to the foregoing tolerance, not more than 5 percent, by count, of the wrapped cut combs in any container may fail to meet the weight requirements.

$52.2883 Tolerances for chunk or bulk comb honey—packed in tin.

(a) U.S. Fancy and U.S. No. 1. In order to allow for variations incident to proper grading and handling, not more than 5 percent, by count, of the containers in any lot may have honey below the requirements for the grade.

§ 52.2884 Tolerances for chunk or bulk comb honey-packed in glass.

(a) U.S. Fancy and U.S. No. 1. In order to allow for variations incident to proper grading and handling, not more than 5 percent, by count, of the containers in any lot may have honey below the requirements for the grade.

COLORS, COLOR CLASSIFICATIONS $52.2885 Official USDA colors.

(a) Official color chart. The official color chart mentioned throughout this subpart is out of print and no longer available.

(b) USDA glass color standards. These color standards replace the "official

color chart" which is out of print. Information regarding the USDA glass color standards, and their availability, may be obtained from:

Processed Products Standardization and Inspection Branch, Fruit and Vegetable Division, Agricultural Marketing Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250.

§ 52.2886 Color classifications of comb honey.

(a) Comb-section honey, shallowframe comb honey, and wrapped cutcomb honey shall be classified as white, light amber, amber, or dark amber.

(b) The foregoing color classification shall be determined in accordance with the color standards as outlined in the applicable U.S. Standards for Grades of Extracted Honey, but the color shall be designated as follows:

(1) Honey classed as water white, extra white, and white for extracted honey shall be designated white comb honey;

(2) Honey classed as extra light amber and light amber shall be designated light amber comb honey;

(3) Honey classed as amber shall be designated amber comb honey;

(4) Honey that is darker than amber shall be designated dark amber comb honey.

(c) In classifying the color of comb honey, a sample of liquid honey shall be drained from a broken comb and the determination made according to the color standards for extracted honey as outlined in the applicable U.S. Standards for Grades of Extracted Honey.

(d) It is permissible to state the color of the honey contained in the comb in conformity with the colors established for the classification of the color of extracted honey.

§ 52.2887 Uniformity of color.

(a) "Uniform in color" means that no pronounced variation in color is apparent in the honey on looking through a comb toward the light.

(b) "Fairly uniform in color" means that honey of a slightly different color from that in the body of the comb section is permitted in the row next to the section and in 10 additional cells, provided these additional cells are well

distributed and are in the row adjoining the outside row. In no event shall the contrast of color be greater than that between any color classification and the darker color classification.

DEFINITIONS OF TERMS

§ 52.2888 Definitions of terms.

(a) Damage means any injury or defect that materially affects the appearance, edibility, or shipping quality of the honey, such as:

(1) The presence of any cells, of pollen in more than one-third of the combs in any lot of U.S. No. 1 shallowframe comb honey. One-third of the combs may have not more than 50 cells of pollen in a comb, provided they are not widely scattered but are on the outside edges of the comb.

(2) The presence in comb-section honey, shallow-frame comb honey, wrapped cut-comb honey, or chunk or bulk comb honey packed in tin or glass, of more than 10 percent by volume of granulated honey in the uncapped cells, or of more than very small or scattered granules in the capped cells.

(3) The presence of any spots of feces (bee excrement) on the comb.

(b) Serious damage means any injury or defect that seriously affects the edibility or shipping quality of the honey. Any spots of feces on the surface of the comb or, in sections, attachment of comb to less than 45 percent of the adjacent area shall be considered serious damage.

(c) Uncapped cells or cells, either empty or filled with honey, which are not sealed or capped over by the bees.

(d) Adjacent area of the section means the total length of the four inner sides of the section, multiplied by the thickness of the comb; as, for instance, in the case of a section 41⁄4 inches square, 4+4+4+4 equals 16, which, multiplied by the actual thickness of the comb, which might be 14 inches, gives an adjacent area of 20 square inches.

(e) Project beyond the edge of the section refers to the projection of comb beyond the widest part of the section, generally because no separators were used, and does not refer to the occasional slight projection of wax beyond the narrow or beeway part of the sec