A-A-20092C 

September 3, 2008

SUPERSEDING 

A-A-20092B 

August 1, 2001 

COMMERCIAL ITEM DESCRIPTION

STEAK SAUCE 

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

the use of this Commercial Item Description (CID). 

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

suitable for use by Federal, State, local governments, and other interested parties; and as a 

component of operational rations. 

2. PURCHASER NOTES.

2.1 Purchasers shall specify the following:

 - Flavor(s) of steak sauce required (Sec. 3). 

 - When shelf life requirements are different than specified (Sec. 5.7). 

 - When analytical requirements are different than specified (Sec. 6.1). 

 - When analytical requirements need to be verified (Sec. 6.2). 

 - Manufacturer’s/distributor’s certification (Sec. 9.2) or USDA certification (Sec. 9.3). 

2.2 Purchasers may specify the following:

 - Manufacturer’s quality assurance (Sec. 9.1 with 9.1.1) or (Sec. 9.1 with 9.1.2). 

 - Packaging requirements other than commercial (Sec. 10). 

3. CLASSIFICATION. The steak sauce shall conform to the following list which shall be 

specified in the solicitation, contract, or purchase order. 

Flavors. 

Flavor I - Regular 

Flavor II - Sweet/Tangy 

AMSC N/A FSC 8950 

METRIC
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Flavor III - Spicy 

Flavor IV - Mesquite 

Flavor V - Other 

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

products shall meet the requirements of the:

 - Salient characteristics (Sec. 5). 

 - Analytical requirements: as specified by the purchaser (Sec. 6). 

 - Manufacturer’s/distributor’s product assurance (Sec. 7). 

 - Regulatory requirements (Sec. 8). 

 - Quality assurance provisions: as specified by the purchaser (Sec. 9). 

 - Packaging requirements other than commercial: as specified by the purchaser (Sec. 10). 

5. SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS. 

5.1 Processing. The steak sauce shall be processed in accordance with good manufacturing 

practices (21 CFR Part 110). 

5.2 Ingredients. The steak sauce may contain ingredients, such as but not limited to, tomato 

puree (tomato paste and water), distilled vinegar, high fructose corn syrup, raisins, dates, 

molasses, salt, fruit, fruit concentrate, fruit peels, fruit juices, tamarind onion or onion powder, 

anchovies, hydrolyzed soy and corn protein, garlic or garlic powder, xanthan gum, potassium 

sorbate and sodium benzoate, natural flavor, shallots, caramel coloring, dehydrated parsley, and 

other ingredients. 

5.3 Color and appearance. The steak sauce shall be a brown-colored liquid and have an 

appearance typical of the flavor specified. 

5.4 Flavor and odor. The steak sauce shall possess a well-blended, sweet, acid, mellow, spicy, 

fruit flavor and odor typical of the flavor specified. There shall be no foreign flavors and odors 

such as, but not limited to: burnt, scorched, stale, or rancid. 

5.5 Suspension. The steak sauce shall have finely ground suspended material evenly distributed 

throughout the liquid. It shall be a smooth suspension that shall not stratify or separate. 

5.6 Foreign material. All ingredients and finished product shall be clean, sound, wholesome, 

and free from evidence of rodent or insect infestation. 

5.7 Shelf life requirement. Unless otherwise specified in the solicitation, contract, or purchase 

order, the steak sauce shall have a minimum shelf life of 1 year from the time of production when 

stored unopened at a temperature of 4o to 21oC (40o to 70oF). 
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6. ANALYTICAL REQUIREMENTS.

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

purchase order, the analytical requirements for the steak sauce shall be as follows. 

6.1.1 pH. The pH level shall be not greater than 4.0. 

6.1.2 Titratable acidity. The titratable acidity (as acetic acid) shall be not less than 1.5 percent 

and not greater than 4.2 percent. 

6.1.3 Salt content. The salt content (NaC1) shall be not less than 1.5 percent and not greater 

than 5.0 percent. 

6.1.4 Soluble solids. The soluble solids shall be not less than 20.0 percent and not greater than 

50.0 percent. 

6.1.5 Consistency. The consistency shall be not less than 6.5 centimeters or not more than 17.5 

centimeters in 30 seconds at 20oC (68oF) ± 1oC (1.8oF). 

6.2 Product verification. When USDA verification of analytical requirements is specified in 

the solicitation, contract, or purchase order, the following procedures will be followed. 

Analytical testing shall be performed on a composite sample. The composite sample shall be 227 

g (8 oz) prepared from five randomly selected subsamples. Subsamples shall be a minimum of 

one can/jar/pouch and shall contain the appropriate number of cans/jars/pouches to yield a 227 g 

(8 oz) sample when composited. 

6.3 Analytical testing. Analytical testing shall be made in accordance with the following 

methods described in the Official Methods of Analysis of the AOAC International, or as 

specified below. 

Test Method

 pH 981.12 

 Titratable Acidity (acetic acid) 920.174 or 942.15 

 Salt (as NaC1) 935.47 or 941.13 

 Soluble Solids 970.59, 932.14 or 932.12 

 Consistency Bostwick Consistometer 

6.4 Test results. The test result for pH shall be reported to the nearest 0.1 value. Titratable 

acidity, salt, and soluble solids shall be reported to the nearest 0.1 percent. The test result for 

consistency shall be reported to the nearest 0.5 centimeter in 30 seconds. Any result not 

conforming to the analytical requirements shall be cause for rejection of the lot. 
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7. MANUFACTURER’S/DISTRIBUTOR’S PRODUCT ASSURANCE. The manufacturer/ 

distributor shall certify that the steak sauce provided shall meet the salient characteristics of this

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

same steak sauce offered for sale in the commercial market. The purchaser reserves the right to 

require proof of conformance. 

8. REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS. The delivered steak sauce shall comply with all 

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

preparation, packaging, labeling, storage, distribution, and sale of steak sauce within the 

commercial marketplace. Delivered steak sauce shall comply with all applicable provisions of 

the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and regulations promulgated thereunder. The 

delivered steak sauce shall comply with the allergen labeling requirements of the Federal Food, 

Drug, and Cosmetic Act. 

9. QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS. Purchaser shall specify 9.2 or 9.3; purchaser 

may specify 9.1 with 9.1.1 or 9.1 with 9.1.2.

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

order, the product manufacturer shall 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 awarding of 

the contract. Failure to provide this documentation within the proper time frame may result in 

the contract being terminated for cause. 

9.1.1 Plant systems audit. A plant systems audit (PSA) conducted by USDA, Agricultural 

Marketing Service (AMS), or another audit performed by a third party auditing service is 

required within 12 months prior to the date of the awarding of the contract. (An AMS PSA 

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

accordance with Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations Part 110 - Current Good Manufacturing 

Practice in Manufacturing, Packing, or Holding Human Food, and verifies that the 

manufacturer has in place an internal quality assurance program. The AMS PSA determines the 

manufacturer's ability to produce under this CID, if the products of interest are identified at the 

time of the PSA.)

9.1.2 Plant survey. A plant survey conducted by USDA, AMS, or another survey performed by 

a third party auditing service is required within 12 months prior to the date of the awarding of the 

contract. (An AMS plant survey audit verifies that, at the time of the survey, the manufacturer 

produces products in a clean, sanitary environment in accordance with Title 21 Code of Federal 

Regulations Part 110 - Current Good Manufacturing Practice in Manufacturing, Packing, or 

Holding Human Food.)
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9.2 Manufacturer’s/distributor’s certification. When required in the solicitation, contract, or 

purchase order, the manufacturer/distributor will certify that the finished steak sauce distributed 

meets or exceeds the requirements of this CID. 

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

product quality and acceptability or both be determined, the Processed Products Branch (PPB), 

Fruit and Vegetable Programs (FV), AMS, USDA, shall be the certifying program. PPB 

inspectors shall certify the quality and acceptability of the steak sauce in accordance with PPB 

procedures which include selecting random samples of the packaged steak sauce, evaluating the 

samples for conformance with the salient characteristics of this CID and other contractual 

requirements, and documenting the findings on official PPB score sheets and/or certificates. In 

addition, when required in the solicitation, contract, or purchase order, PPB inspectors will 

examine the steak sauce for conformance to the United States Standards for Condition of Food 

Containers in effect on the date of the solicitation. 

10. PACKAGING. Preservation, packaging, packing, labeling, and case marking shall be 

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

11. USDA INSPECTION NOTES. When Section 9.3 is specified in the solicitation, 

contract, or purchase order, USDA certification shall include evaluation of the quality and 

condition of samples of packaged steak sauce, and compliance with requirements in the 

following areas:

 - Salient characteristics (Sec. 5). 

 - Analytical requirements when specified in the solicitation, contract, or purchase order 

(Sec. 6.1). When USDA analytical testing is specified, PPB inspection personnel shall 

select samples and submit them to the USDA, Science and Technology Programs (S&TP) 

laboratory for analysis. 

 - Packaging requirements (Sec. 10 or as specified in the solicitation, contract, or purchase 

order). 

12. REFERENCE NOTES.

12.1 USDA certification contact. For USDA, AMS certification, contact the Branch Chief, 

PPB, FV, AMS, USDA, STOP 0247, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 

20250-0247 telephone (202) 720-4693, Fax (202) 690-1527, or via E-mail: 

terry.bane@usda.gov. 

12.2 Analytical testing and technical information contact. For USDA technical information 

on analytical testing, contact the Branch Chief, Technical Service Branch, S&TP, AMS, 

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

telephone (202) 690-0621, or via E-mail: shirleyj.wright@usda.gov. 
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12.3 Sources of documents. 

12.3.1 Source of information for nongovernmental document is as follows:

Copies of the Official Methods of Analysis of the AOAC International may be obtained from: 

AOAC International, 481 North Frederick Avenue, Suite 500, Gaithersburg, MD 20877, 

telephone (301) 924-7077. Internet address: http://www.aoac.org.

12.3.2 Sources of information for governmental documents are as follows: 

Applicable provisions of: 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 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954. Credit card (Visa, MasterCard, 

Discover/Novus, and American Express) purchases may be made by calling the 

Superintendent of Documents (202) 512-1800 or on the Internet at: 

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.

Copies of this CID and the United States Standards for Condition of Food Containers are 

available from: Branch Chief, PPB, FV, AMS, USDA, STOP 0247, 1400 Independence 

Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-0247, telephone (202) 720-9939, Fax (202) 690-1527, 

via E-mail: FQAStaff@usda.gov or on the Internet at: 

http://www.ams.usda.gov/fv/fvqual.htm. 

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

which may improve this document should be sent to: Commander, Defense Supply Center 

Philadelphia, ATTN: DSCP-FTSA, 700 Robbins Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111-5092 or 

Fax (215) 737-2963, or via E-mail: Sally.A.Gallagher@dla.mil. 

Military activities should submit requests for copies of this CID to: Standardization 

Documents Order Desk, Document Automation and Production Service, 700 Robbins 

Avenue, Building 4D, Philadelphia, PA 19111-5094 or on the Internet at: 

http://assist.daps.dla.mil/quicksearch/. 
A-A-20092C 

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MILITARY INTERESTS: CIVIL AGENCY COORDINATING ACTIVITIES:

Custodians DOJ - BOP 

 HHS - NIH, IHS 

 Army - GL USDA - FV 

 Navy - SA VA - OSS 

 Air Force - 35 

Review Activities PREPARING ACTIVITY:

 Army - MD, QM DLA - SS 

 Navy - MC (Project No. 8950-2008-001) 

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 http://assist.daps.dla.mil. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis 

of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental 

status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an 

individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) 

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large 

print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a 

complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., 

Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal

opportunity provider and employer.