What is one purpose of the grading process in peanut inspection?

The grading process in peanut inspection primarily serves to classify peanuts for marketability. This classification helps to ensure that peanuts meet specific quality standards, which is crucial for buyers and sellers in the peanut market. By using grading criteria, inspectors evaluate factors such as size, shape, color, and kernel quality. This information allows buyers to make informed decisions based on the quality of the peanuts they are purchasing, which in turn impacts pricing, storage, and potential uses in food products.

While determining the best storage conditions, setting prices, and identifying foreign contaminants are important aspects of peanut handling and trade, they are not the primary focus of the grading process itself. Grading is fundamentally about market classification, which is essential for ensuring that products displayed in the market meet consumers' expectations and safety standards.