Cargo Systems Messaging Service

CSMS # 53300999 - USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Clarification for Blanched Peanuts

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) reached out to U.S. Customs and Border Protection to clarify if “wet” blanched peanuts should be filed under the HTS Code Subheading 2008, which is reserved for fruits, nuts, and other edible parts of plants, prepared, and preserved.

The determination was made that all blanched peanuts (wet or dry blanched) belong under the HTS heading 1202. The purpose of separately breaking out “dry-blanched” peanuts was for rate neutrality. Wet blanched peanuts are then classified as “other” under the 1202 HTS heading. Therefore, all blanched peanuts moved from heading 2008 to heading 1202.

In the past blanched peanut imports have been filed under the 2008 HTS heading. Since blanched peanuts do not rise to the level of cooking, they are not classified as being prepared or preserved, and are thus raw peanuts with the skin removed. Please file all blanched peanuts under the appropriate 1202 heading in the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) and use the PN1 message set for AMS to request peanut inspections.