AMSC N/A FSC 8950

METRIC

A-A-20097G

July 12, 2019

SUPERSEDING

A-A-20097F

November 10, 2010

COMMERCIAL ITEM DESCRIPTION

HOT SAUCE

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has authorized

the use of this Commercial Item Description (CID).

1. SCOPE. This CID covers hot sauce, packed in commercially acceptable containers, suitable 

for use by Federal, State, local governments, other interested parties, and as a component of 

operational rations. Please note: This document does not guarantee purchase of this item by 

USDA.1

2. PURCHASER NOTES.

2.1 Purchasers must specify the following:

• Type(s) and agricultural practice(s) of hot sauce required (Sec. 3).

• When analytical requirements are different than specified (Sec. 7.1).

• When compliance with analytical requirements must be verified (Sec. 7.2).

• Manufacturer’s/distributor’s certification (Sec. 10.3) or USDA certification (Sec. 10.4). 

2.2 Purchasers may specify the following:

• Food Defense (Sec. 10.1) and Manufacturer’s Quality Assurance (Sec. 10.2). Purchaser may 

specify one of the following combinations: Sec. 10.1.1 with 10.2.1 or 10.1.2 with 10.2.2. 

• Packaging requirements other than commercial (Sec. 11).

3. CLASSIFICATION. The hot sauce must conform to the following list which must be 

specified in the solicitation, contract, or purchase order.

 1 USDA purchase specifications are available at: https://www.ams.usda.gov/selling-food/product-specs.
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Types and agricultural practices.

2

Type I - Hot

Type II - Extra hot 4x

Type III - Green

Type IV - Chipotle

Type V - Habanero

Type VI - Garlic

Type VII - Chili and lime

Type VIII - Sweet and spicy

Type IX - Buffalo-style

Type X - Sriracha

Type XI - Other (as specified by the purchaser)

Agricultural practices A - Conventional

Agricultural practices B - Organic

4. MANUFACTURER’S/DISTRIBUTOR’S NOTES. Manufacturer’s/distributor’s 

products must meet the requirements of the:

• Processing guidelines (Sec. 5).

• Salient characteristics (Sec. 6).

• Analytical requirements: as specified by the purchaser (Sec. 7).

• Manufacturer’s/distributor’s product assurance (Sec. 8).

• Regulatory requirements (Sec. 9).

• Quality assurance provisions: as specified by the purchaser (Sec. 10).

• Packaging requirements other than commercial: as specified by the purchaser (Sec.11).

5. PROCESSING GUIDELINES.

5.1 Processing. The hot sauce must be processed in accordance with Current Good 

Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) (21 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 110) or the 

Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for 

Human Food (21 CFR Part 117) in effect on the date of the solicitation, contract, or purchase 

order, and as applicable to the production facility.

5.2 Food defense. The hot sauce must be processed and transported in accordance with 21 CFR 

Part 121, Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against Intentional Adulteration. This document 

identifies the kinds of preventive measures food manufacturers, processors, or handlers may take 

to minimize the risk that food under their control will be subject to tampering or other malicious, 

 2 Not all options are available from every manufacturer. Check with the manufacturer/distributor for availability.
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criminal, or terrorist actions. The implementation of enhanced food defense preventive measures 

provides for the security of a plant’s production processes and includes the storage and 

transportation of pre-production raw materials, other ingredients, and post-production finished 

product.

5.3 Organic ingredients. When organic hot sauce is specified in the solicitation, contract, or 

purchase order, the organic hot sauce must be produced, handled, and labeled in accordance with 

the USDA organic regulations by an operation that is certified organic in accordance with the 

requirements of the National Organic Program (7 CFR Part 205). A Certificate of Organic 

Production or Handling must be provided to verify that the product was processed and handled in 

accordance with the USDA organic regulations.

6. SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS.

6.1 Labeling. All ingredients must be declared by their common or usual name in descending 

order of predominance by weight (21 CFR §101.4(a)) unless exempted by 21 CFR §101.100.

6.2 Ingredients.

6.2.1 Raw ingredients. Each type of hot sauce is a ready-to-use sauce prepared from 

ingredients such as, but not limited to, fermented red peppers, jalapeño peppers, chipotle 

peppers, habanero peppers, chili pepper paste, garlic, distilled vinegar, salt, sugar, spices, 

stabilizers, natural flavors, garlic powder, onion powder, lime juice concentrate, vegetable oil, 

and other ingredients characteristic of each type.

6.2.2 Additional processing ingredients. When used, all additional ingredients must meet the 

standards specified in the Food Chemicals Codex (FCC) or, in the absence of FCC specification 

at a minimum, meet the specifications for quality set by the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP)-National 

Formulary quality. The additional ingredients must be approved for those particular uses by 

Food & Drug Administration (FDA)’s regulations on food additives (21 CFR Part 170) or Direct 

Food Substances Affirmed as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) requirements (21 CFR Part 

184).

6.3 Finished product. Each type of hot sauce must be a smooth suspension of uniform small 

particle size and must not stratify or separate (minor separation which upon light shaking 

disappears and results in a uniform, relatively stable suspension is acceptable). The hot sauce 

must have a typical pungent (heat value or bite) flavor and odor characteristic for the type of hot 

sauce. The hot sauce must be free from foreign odors and flavors. 

6.3.1 Type I, Hot and Type II, Extra hot. Each type of hot sauce must be a red to reddishbrown colored liquid, have a thin texture and possess a pungent odor and a good flavor that is 

well balanced and peppery.
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6.3.2 Type III, Green. The green hot sauce must be a pale green colored liquid, have a thin 

texture and possess a mild jalapeño flavor and odor with vinegar background notes.

6.3.3 Type IV, Chipotle. The chipotle hot sauce must be a dark brownish-red colored liquid

with flecks of spices, have a moderately thick texture and possess a pungent odor and rich smoky 

flavor.

6.3.4 Type V, Habanero. The habanero hot sauce must be a dark orange-red colored liquid 

with flecks of spices, have a moderately thick texture and possess a strong pungent flavor and 

odor with a blend of vinegar and fruit flavors.

6.3.5 Type VI, Garlic. The garlic hot sauce must be a bright orange-red colored liquid, have a 

moderately thick texture and possess a mild pepper and garlic flavor and odor.

6.3.6 Type VII, Chili and lime. The chili and lime hot sauce must be a dark orange-red colored 

liquid, have a thin texture and possess a cumin and lime flavor and odor.

6.3.7 Type VIII, Sweet and spicy. The sweet and spicy hot sauce must be a dark orange 

colored liquid, have a moderately thick texture and possess a sweet and peppery flavor and odor.

6.3.8 Type IX, Buffalo-style. The Buffalo-style hot sauce must be an orange-red colored 

liquid, have a uniformly smooth and slightly thick appearance and texture, and possess a tangy, 

buttery flavor and odor. 

6.3.9 Type X, Sriracha. The sriracha hot sauce must be a bright red colored liquid, have a thick 

texture and possess a sweet and peppery garlic flavor and odor. 

6.4 Foreign material. Peppers and applicable spices used to produce the hot sauce that have 

Defect Action Levels must not exceed those tolerances specified in 21 CFR §110.110. All other 

ingredients must be clean, sound, wholesome, and free from foreign material, such as, but not 

limited to, extraneous plant material, dirt, plastic, insects, insect pieces or rodent or insect 

infestation. 

7. ANALYTICAL REQUIREMENTS.

7.1 Analytical requirements. Unless otherwise specified in the solicitation, contract or 

purchase order, the following analytical requirements for the hot sauce must conform to those in 

Table I:
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TABLE I. Analytical requirements

Type Nonvolatile 

Solids3

Percent

Salt 

Percent 

Acidity 

(acetic 

acid) 

Percent

pH Pungency (SHU) or 

Capsaicin (ppm)4 5

Type I 7.5 - 18.0 4.9 - 12.0 2.4 - 5.0 ≤ 3.46 ≥ 6507 (43 ppm)

Type II 3.6 - 17.0 1.2 - 12.0 3.6 - 9.5 2.7 - 3.4 ≥ 25007 (167 ppm)

Type III 8.5 - 14.0 7.0 - 8.0 4.5 - 5.0 2.7 - 3.0 600 - 1200 (40 - 80 ppm)

Type IV 17.0 - 20.0 5.5 - 6.5 3.7 - 4.2 2.9 - 3.2 1500 - 2500 (100 - 167 ppm)

Type V 24.0 - 28.0 5.8 - 6.8 4.6 - 5.4 3.0 - 3.5 5000 - 8000 (333 - 533 ppm)

Type VI 10.0 - 16.0 6.0 - 8.0 3.6 - 5.3 2.7 - 3.5 1200 - 1800 (80 - 120 ppm)

Type VII 10.0 - 19.5 4.6 - 10.5 2.7 - 4.1 2.8 - 3.4 350 - 1250 (23 - 82 ppm)

Type VIII 56.0 - 61.0 3.3 - 3.8 1.2 - 1.7 3.4 - 3.7 100 - 600 (7 - 40 ppm)

Type IX 11.0 - 17.0 5.0 - 9.7 1.0 - 3.7 2.9 - 3.6 ---

Type X 28.0 - 36.0 4.5 - 8.1 1.5 - 2.0 3.2 - 3.8 1000 - 3000 (67 - 200 ppm)

7.2 Analytical verification. Purchaser must specify manufacturer’s/distributor’s certification 

(Sec. 10.3) or USDA certification (Sec. 10.4).

7.3 USDA verification procedures. When USDA certification (Sec. 10.4) is specified in the 

solicitation, contract, or purchase order, analytical testing must be performed as follows.

7.3.1 Product verification sampling. When USDA verification of analytical requirements is 

specified in the solicitation, contract, or purchase order, analytical testing must be performed on 

subsamples of packages randomly selected from the lot. The number of subsamples must be 

 3 Pepper solids are required to be no less than 2.7 percent for Types I thru VI. 4 Scoville Heat Units (SHU), parts per million (ppm).

5 When required in the solicitation, contract, or purchase order, pungency value (SHU) shall be defined at the discretion of the buyer or be based 

 on a reference or bid sample product and be an agreement between the parties involved. NOTE: Commercial vendor’s pungency ranges 

 vary greatly. 6 Less than or equal to.

7 Greater than or equal to.
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based on USDA inspection service sampling procedures and plans (7 CFR §52.38). The contents 

of each will be used to create a composite sample that will be used in the analytical testing.

7.3.2 Analytical testing and reporting. When specified in the solicitation, contract, or 

purchase order, the analyses must be made in accordance with the following methods from the 

AOAC International Official Methods of Analysis (OMA) or as specified in Table II. Any result 

not conforming to the analytical requirements may be cause for rejection of the lot.

TABLE II. Analytical testing and reporting

Test Method Reported as

Nonvolatile solids 925.45A8 Nearest 0.1 percent

Salt 941.139 or 971.27 Nearest 0.1 percent

Acidity (as acetic acid) 920.174 Nearest 0.1 percent

pH 981.12 Nearest 0.1 value

Pungency (Capsaicin) 995.03, ASTA10 21.3, Gas 

Chromatography11

Nearest Scoville unit 

or ppm

8. MANUFACTURER’S/DISTRIBUTOR’S PRODUCT ASSURANCE. The manufacturer/ 

distributor must certify that the hot sauce provided meets the salient characteristics of this CID, 

conform to their own specifications, standards, and quality assurance practices, and be the same

hot sauce offered for sale in the commercial market. The purchaser reserves the right to require 

proof of conformance.

9. REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS. The delivered hot sauce must comply with all 

applicable Federal, State, and local mandatory requirements and regulations relating to the 

preparation, packaging, labeling, storage, distribution, and sale of the hot sauce in the 

commercial marketplace. Delivered hot sauce must comply with all applicable provisions of the 

Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act, the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act, and 

regulations promulgated thereunder. When a known allergen is included in the hot sauce, the hot 

sauce must comply with the allergen labeling requirements of the FD&C Act. Major allergens 

 8 Pre-dry to near dryness on steam bath before drying in a vacuum oven. Run at 65oC (149oF). 9 Saturated potassium permanganate (KMnO4) shall be used in lieu of 5 percent KMnO4 solution. 10 American Spice Trade Association (ASTA). 11 When a pungency value less than 750 SHU (50 ppm) is specified, pungency analysis must follow the directions listed in the Regional Standard 

for Gochujang Codex Stan 294R in effect on the date of the solicitation, contract, or purchase order.
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identified in the FD&C Act include: wheat, fish, milk, soy, tree nuts, eggs, peanuts, and 

crustacean shellfish or those in effect on the date of the solicitation, contract, or purchase order. 

10. QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS. Purchaser must specify 10.3, or 10.4. 

Purchaser may specify one of the following combinations: 10.1.1 with 10.2.1, or 10.1.2 with 

10.2.2.

10.1 Food defense. When required in the solicitation, contract, or purchase order, a Food 

Defense Systems Survey (FDSS) must be conducted by USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service 

(AMS), Specialty Crops Program (SCP), Specialty Crops Inspection (SCI) Division. Food 

defense requirements include a documented and operational food defense plan that provides for 

the security of a plant’s production processes and includes the storage and transportation of preproduction raw materials and other ingredients and post-production finished product. The plan 

must address the following areas: (1) food security plan management; (2) outside and inside 

security of the production and storage facilities; (3) slaughter, when applicable, and processing, 

including all raw material sources; (4) shipping and receiving; (5) storage; (6) water and ice 

supply; (7) mail handling; (8) personnel security; and (9) transportation, shipping, and receiving. 

10.1.1 FDSS. When required in the solicitation, contract, or purchase order, a FDSS must be 

conducted by USDA, AMS, SCP, SCI Division. The FDSS verifies that operators of food 

establishments have implemented measures to minimize the risk of tampering or other criminal 

actions against the food under their control. An AMS FDSS verifies the participating company’s 

adherence to Mitigation Strategies to Protect Food Against Intentional Adulteration (21 CFR 

Part 121).

10.1.2 Food defense section of the Plant Systems Audit (PSA). When required in the 

solicitation, contract, or purchase order, a food defense audit will be conducted as part of the 

PSA. The audit will be conducted by USDA, AMS, SCP, SCI Division auditors. This verifies 

that operators of food establishments have implemented measures to minimize the risk of 

tampering or other criminal actions against the food under their control. The food defense 

section of the PSA verifies the participating company’s adherence to Mitigation Strategies to 

Protect Food Against Intentional Adulteration (21 CFR Part 121).

10.2 Manufacturer’s quality assurance. When required in the solicitation, contract, or 

purchase order, the product manufacturer will be required to provide evidence, by certificate that 

the manufacturing plant has undertaken one of the following quality assurance measures within 

12 months prior to providing a bid or no later than 10 business days from the date of the 

awarding of the contract. Failure to provide this documentation within the proper time frame 

may result in the contract being terminated for cause. 

10.2.1 Plant survey. A plant survey conducted by USDA, AMS, or other survey performed by 

a third-party auditing service is required within 12 months prior to the date of the awarding of 
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the contract. The plant survey audit verifies that, at the time of the survey, the manufacturer 

produces products in a clean, sanitary environment in accordance with CGMP (21 CFR Part 110)

or the Current Good Manufacturing Practice, Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive 

Controls for Human Food (21 CFR Part 117) in effect on the date of the solicitation, contract, or 

purchase order, and as applicable to the production facility. 

10.2.2 PSA. A PSA conducted by USDA, AMS, or other audit performed by a third-party 

auditing service is required within 12 months prior to the date of the awarding of the contract. 

The PSA verifies the manufacturer's capability to produce products in a clean, sanitary 

environment in accordance with CGMP (21 CFR Part 110) or the Current Good Manufacturing 

Practice, Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventive Controls for Human Food (21 CFR Part 

117) in effect on the date of the solicitation, contract, or purchase order as applicable to the 

production facility, and verifies that the manufacturer has in place an internal quality assurance 

program. 

10.3 Manufacturer’s/distributor’s certification. When required in the solicitation, contract, 

or purchase order, the manufacturer/distributor must certify that the hot sauce delivered meets or 

exceeds the requirements of this CID. The manufacturer/distributor must certify via a Certificate 

of Conformance or other adequate documentation (as specified by the purchaser) that the hot 

sauce meets the analytical requirements specified in Sec. 7 of this CID.

10.4 USDA certification. When required in the solicitation, contract, or purchase order that 

product quality and acceptability or both be determined, the USDA, AMS, SCP, SCI Division 

inspectors, must be the certifying program. SCI Division inspectors must certify the quality and 

acceptability of the hot sauce in accordance with SCI Division procedures, which include 

selecting random samples of the hot sauce, evaluating the samples for conformance with the 

salient characteristics and analytical requirements of this CID and other contractual 

requirements, and documenting the findings on official SCI Division score sheets and/or 

certificates. In addition, when required in the solicitation, contract, or purchase order, SCI 

Division inspectors will examine the hot sauce for conformance to the U.S. Standards for 

Condition of Food Containers (7 CFR Part 42) in effect on the date of the solicitation.

11. PACKAGING. Preservation, packaging, packing, labeling, and case marking must be 

commercial unless otherwise specified in the solicitation, contract, or purchase order.

12. USDA INSPECTION NOTES. When Sec. 10.4 is specified in the solicitation, contract, 

or purchase order, USDA certification must include evaluation of the quality and condition 

of samples of hot sauce and compliance with requirements in the following areas:

• Processing guidelines (Sec. 5).

• Salient characteristics (Sec. 6).
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• Analytical requirements when specified in the solicitation, contract, or purchase order

(Sec. 7). When USDA analytical testing is specified, SCI Division inspection personnel must 

select samples and submit them to the USDA, AMS, Science and Technology Program 

(S&TP) laboratory for analysis.

• Packaging requirements (Sec. 11 or as specified in the solicitation, contract, or purchase 

order).

13. REFERENCE NOTES.

13.1 USDA services.

13.1.1 USDA certification. For USDA certification contact: Associate Director, Inspection 

Operations, SCI Division, SCP, AMS, USDA, Room 1536 South Building, STOP 0240, 1400 

Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-0240, telephone (202) 720-2482, fax 

(202) 720-0393, or via E-mail: Nathaniel.Taylor@usda.gov.

13.1.2 USDA FDSS, plant survey, and PSA. For a USDA FDSS, plant survey, and PSA 

contact the Chief, Auditing Services Branch, SCI Division, SCP, AMS, USDA, Room 0711

South Building, STOP 0247, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-0247, 

telephone (202) 720-5021, fax (866) 230-9168, or via E-mail: SCAudits@usda.gov.

13.1.3 Analytical testing and technical information. For USDA technical information on 

analytical testing, contact the Laboratory Approval and Testing Division, S&TP, AMS, 

USDA, STOP 0272, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-0272, 

telephone (202) 690-4089 or via E-mail: KerryR.Smith@usda.gov.

13.2 Sources of documents.

13.2.1 Sources of information for nongovernmental documents are as follows:

Copies of the AOAC International OMA may be obtained from: AOAC International, 2275 

Research Boulevard, Suite 300, Rockville, MD 20850-3250, telephone (301) 924-7077. 

Internet address: http://www.aoac.org for nonmembers and http://www.eoma.aoac.org for 

members and AOAC OMA subscribers.

Copies of the Official Analytical Methods of the American Spice Trade Association may be 

obtained from: American Spice Trade Association, 2025 M Street, NW, Suite 800, 

Washington, DC 20036, telephone (202) 367-1127, Fax (202) 367-2127, or via Email: 

publications@astaspice.org. Internet address: https://www.astaspice.org.
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Copies of the Codex Alimentarius Standard for Regional Standard for Gochujang Codex Stan 

294R-2009 may be downloaded free from: Codex Alimentarius, via the Internet. Internet 

address: http://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/codex-texts/list-standards/en/.

Copies of the Food Chemicals Codex and U.S. Pharmacopeia may be purchased from: United 

States Pharmacopeia Convention, 12601 Twinbrook Parkway, Rockville, MD 20877, 

telephone (800) 227-8772 or (301) 881-0666, Fax (301) 816-8148 or on the Internet at: 

http://www.usp.org.

13.2.2 Sources of information for governmental documents are as follows:

Applicable provisions of the U.S. Standards for Condition of Food Containers are contained in 7 

CFR Part 42, the National Organic Program are contained in 7 CFR Part 205, the Fair Packaging 

and Labeling Act are contained in 16 CFR Parts 500 to 503, and the Federal Food, Drug, and 

Cosmetic Act are contained in 21 CFR Parts 1 to 199. These documents may be purchased from: 

Superintendent of Documents, New Orders, P.O. Box 979050, St. Louis, MO 63197-9000. 

Credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover/NOVUS, and American Express) purchases may 

be made by calling the Superintendent of Documents on (866) 512-1800, (202) 512-1800. 

These documents may also be obtained free of charge on the Internet at: 

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/collectionCfr.action?collectionCode=CFR.

Copies of this CID and the U. S. Standards for Condition of Food Containers (7 CFR Part 42) are 

available from: Director, SCI Division, SCP, AMS, USDA, Room 1536 South Building, 

STOP 0240, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-0240, via E-mail: 

CIDS@usda.gov or on the Internet at: http://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/cids

and https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2015-title7-vol2/pdf/CFR-2015-title7-vol2-

part42.pdf.

Copies of this CID are also available online at: ASSIST Online (https://assist.dla.mil) or 

ASSIST Quick Search (https://quicksearch.dla.mil).

Beneficial comments, recommendations, additions, deletions, clarifications, etc., and any data 

which may improve this document should be sent to: DLA Troop Support, ATTN: FTSA, 

700 Robbins Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111-5092 or via E-mail: dscpsubsweb@dla.mil.
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MILITARY INTERESTS: CIVIL AGENCY COORDINATING ACTIVITY:

Custodians DOJ - BOP

HHS - FDA

Army - GL USDA - SCP

Navy - SA VA - OSS

Air Force - 35

PREPARING ACTIVITY:

Review Activities

DLA - SS

Army - MD, QM

Navy - MC (Project No. 8950-2019-001)

NOTE: The activities listed above were interested in this document as of the date of this 

document. Since organizations and responsibilities can change, you should verify the currency 

of the information above using the ASSIST Online database at https://assist.dla.mil.

Non-Discrimination Policy: In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations 

and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited 

from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, 

disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation 

for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and 

complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. 

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American 

Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA 

through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. 

To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to 

File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the 

information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to 

USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, 

Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov. 

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.