Comment from Kitchen Pride Mushroom Farm

Re: Strong Support for Updated U.S. Grades and Standards for Mushrooms 91 FR 18390, Doc. No. 2026-06971 Date: April 13, 2026 Dear USDA Specialty Crops Inspection Division: I am writing as Tony Syachurski, CEO of Kitchen Pride Mushroom Farm, to express our strong and unequivocal support for the proposed revisions to the U.S. Standards for Grades of Mushrooms. These long-overdue updates represent far more than a technical refinement — they are essential for the critical survival of the entire commercial mushroom category and the family and corporate farms that produce this crop across the United States. Our 1966-era standards no longer reflect the realities of modern mushroom production, harvesting, packing, or consumer demand. Varieties such as portabella, crimini/baby bella, and intentional white-and-brown mixed specialty packs have become mainstream, yet the current rules force growers to operate under outdated defect tolerances, rigid size definitions embedded within grades, and ambiguous scoring for issues like open veils, bruising, feathering, spots, and cuts or mechanical defects. This misalignment creates unfair downgrades, inflated cull rates, inconsistent grading between shippers, and unnecessary rejections at retail — all of which squeeze margins and threaten the economic viability of commercial mushroom farming. For farms like ours in Gonzales, Texas — and for every commercial grower nationwide — fair, modern standards are not optional; they are a matter of survival. Without clear,