A-A-20251

January 18, 2002

COMMERCIAL ITEM DESCRIPTION

CREAM, EGGNOG, HALF-AND-HALF, AND SOUR CREAM

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

use of this Commercial Item Description (CID). This CID replaces

Types VII, VIII, IX, and XII requirements in CID A-A-20013B.

1. SCOPE.

1.1 This CID covers cream, eggnog, half-and-half, and sour cream products, packed in commercially 

acceptable containers, suitable for use by Federal, State, local governments, and other interested 

parties.

2. PURCHASER NOTES.

2.1 PURCHASERS shall specify the following:

- Group(s), type(s), and flavor(s) of cream, eggnog, half-and-half, and sour cream

products required (Sec. 3).

2.2 PURCHASERS may specify the following:

- Vitamins added (optional) (Sec. 5.2.3) for Types A-E (Sec. 3).

- Packaging requirements other than commercial (Sec. 9).

3. CLASSIFICATION. The cream, eggnog, half-and-half, and sour cream products shall conform to 

the following list, which shall be specified in the solicitation, contract, or purchase order.

Groups, types, and flavors.

Group I - Pasteurized

Group II - Ultra-pasteurized (Extended Shelf Life Under Refrigeration [ESL])

Group III - Aseptically processed and packaged (Packaged in hermetically sealed containers

that maintains commercial sterility under normal nonrefrigerated conditions)

FSC 8910

METRIC
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Types A-E are available with all Groups

Type A - Heavy cream

Type B - Light whipping cream

Type C - Light cream (coffee or table cream)

Flavor 1 - Amaretto

Flavor 2 - Hazelnut

Flavor 3 - Other (Flavor currently commercially available purchaser shall specify)

Type D - Eggnog

Type E - Half-and-half

Types F-O are not available with Group II and Group III

Type F - Sour cream

Type G - Sour cream with added sweeteners or flavorings

Type H - Reduced fat sour cream

Type I - Lowfat sour cream

Type J - Nonfat sour cream

Type K - Acidified sour cream

Type L - Acidified sour cream with added sweeteners or flavorings

Type M - Acidified reduced fat sour cream

Type N - Acidified lowfat sour cream

Type O - Acidified nonfat sour cream

Flavor 1 - With chives

Flavor 2 - With bacon and cheddar

Flavor 3 - Other (Flavor currently commercially available purchaser shall specify)

4. MANUFACTURER'S/DISTRIBUTOR'S NOTES. Manufacturer's/distributor's products 

shall meet the requirements of the:

- Salient characteristics (Sec. 5).

- Manufacturer’s/distributor’s product assurance (Sec. 6).

- Regulatory requirements (Sec. 7).

- Quality assurance provisions (Sec. 8).

- Packaging requirements other than commercial: as specified by the purchaser (Sec. 9).

5. SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS.

5.1 Processing. The cream, eggnog, half-and-half, and sour cream products shall be formulated and 

packaged in accordance with the requirements of the current edition of the Grade "A" Pasteurized 
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Milk Ordinance (PMO) and current good manufacturing practices (21 CFR Part 110), and shall 

comply with the following Standards of Identity:

Food nutrient content claims for fat 21 CFR § 101.62

Requirements for foods named by use of a nutrient

content claim and a standardized term 21 CFR § 130.10

Heavy cream 21 CFR § 131.150

Light whipping cream 21 CFR § 131.157

Light cream 21 CFR § 131.155

Eggnog 21 CFR § 131.170

Half-and-half 21 CFR § 131.180

Sour cream 21 CFR § 131.160

Acidified sour cream 21 CFR § 131.162

5.2 Pasteurization/Homogenization. All cream, half-and-half, and sour cream products shall be 

pasteurized at a temperature of not less than 75°C (166°F) for a period of time not less than 15 seconds 

or at a temperature of not less than 66°C (150°F) for a period of time not less than 30 minutes. Eggnog 

shall be pasteurized at a temperature of not less than 80°C (175°F) for a period of time not less than 25 

seconds, 83°C (180°F) for a period of time not less than 15 seconds or 69°C (155°F) for a period of 

time not less than 30 minutes. All pasteurization equipment shall be properly designed and operated for a 

time and temperature thereto for microbial destruction. Pasteurization shall be in accordance with general 

provisions (21 CFR §131.3) and the Grade "A" PMO. The cream, eggnog, and half-and-half products 

shall be homogenized.

5.3 Finished product.

5.3.1 Milkfat content.

Creams and Eggnog

Product Milkfat content

Heavy cream, Type A Contains not less than 36 percent milkfat. 1/

Light whipping cream, Type B Contains not less than 30 percent but less than 36 percent 

milkfat. 1/ 2/

Light cream, Type C Contains not less than 18 percent but less than 30 percent 

milkfat. 1/ 2/

Eggnog, Type D Contains not less than 6 percent milkfat, not less than 8.25 

percent milk solids not fat, and 1 percent egg yolk solids. 

1/ 2/
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Half-and-half, Type E Contains not less than 10.5 percent but less than 18 

percent milkfat. 1/ 2/

1/ Per reference amount

2/ Identity based on percent milkfat

5.3.2 Fat content.

Sour Creams (Acidified and Cultured)

Product Milkfat content

Sour cream,

Types F and K

Contains not less than 18 percent milkfat. 1/

Sour cream with added 

sweeteners and flavorings,

Types G and L

Contains not less than 18 percent milkfat of the remainder contained by 

substracting the weight of added ingredients from the weight of the food, 

but in no case does the food contain less than 14.4 percent milkfat. 1/ 

2/ 3/

Reduced fat sour cream,

Types H and M

Minimum of 25 percent reduction in total fat. 1/

Contains 13.5 percent or less fat, but not less than 6 percent total. 2/ 

Lowfat sour cream,

Types I and N

Contains 3 grams of fat per 50 grams of food fat. 1/

Contains 6.0 percent or less, but not less than 1.0 percent total fat. 2/

Nonfat sour cream,

Types J and O 

Contains less than 0.5 grams of fat per 50 grams of food fat. 1/

Contains less than 1 percent total fat. 2/

1/ Per reference amount

2/ Compared to Types F and K

3/ Nutritive sweeteners or bulky flavoring

5.3.3 Vitamins additional (optional). When specified in the solicitation, contract, or purchase order 

for Types A-E, the cream, eggnog, and half-and-half products shall contain 400 International Units (IU) 

of vitamin D and contain at least 2,000 IU of vitamin A per 946 mL (1 quart) within limits of good 

manufacturing practice.

5.3.4 Flavors. Cream, eggnog, half-and-half, and sour cream products shall be free from all 

undesirable and objectionable flavors, and have a pleasingly sweet distinctive individual characteristic 

flavor. The cream products, Types A-C, shall have a clean, pleasing flavor. The light cream, Type C, 

may have flavor to a slight degree of cooked, feed, or flat. The eggnog, Type D, shall have a sweet, 

pleasing flavor ranging from an egg custard-like flavor without spices to moderately strong flavor with 

rum and nutmeg spice background flavor. The half-and-half, Type E, shall have a fresh, sweet, pleasing 
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flavor. The sour creams, Types F-O shall have a pleasant mild aromatic acid flavor. Flavoring 

ingredients shall be added at a level sufficient to impart a desirable characteristic typical flavor to the 

finished product.

5.3.5 Color and appearance. Cream, eggnog, half-and-half, and sour cream products shall be 

uniformly colored throughout and characterize the type it represents. The cream products shall be 

uniformly white to light cream color. The eggnog color shall be uniformly off white to yellow and shall 

be free from mottling. The half-and-half color shall have a white to light cream color. The sour creams 

shall present a clean, natural color, with a smooth, velvety appearance. Natural color may range from a 

bright white to a light cream color. The surface should appear smooth and dry without excessive whey 

separation. Flavoring ingredients shall be consistent in size and distribution to produce the desired 

appearance and appeal of the finished product.

5.3.6 Body and texture. The heavy cream and light whipping cream products shall whip rapidly and 

retain a satisfactory stiffness. The heavy cream, light whipping cream, and light cream products shall be 

smooth and uniform. The light cream and half-and-half shall show no evidence of feathering or oiling-off 

in hot coffee. The eggnog shall be smooth with a creamy consistency and shall show no evidence of 

separation, ropiness, slimy mouth, or excessive viscosity. The sour creams shall be thick and smooth, 

uniform, free from lumps, or graininess and spoonable to a soft mound.

5.3.7 Foreign material. Cream, eggnog, half-and-half, and sour cream products shall be clean, 

sound, wholesome, and be free from foreign material such as, but not limited to, dirt, insect parts, hair, 

wood, glass, or metal.

5.4 Shelf life and age requirement. All cream, eggnog, half-and-half, and sour cream products shall 

comply with State and local laws, regulations, or requirements, as applicable.

6. MANUFACTURER'S/DISTRIBUTOR'S PRODUCT ASSURANCE. The manufacturer/ 

distributor shall certify that the cream, eggnog, half-and-half, and sour cream products provided shall 

meet the salient characteristics of this CID, conform to their own specifications, standards, and quality 

assurance practices, and be the same cream, eggnog, half-and-half, and sour cream products offered 

for sale in the commercial market. The purchaser reserves the right to require proof of conformance.

7. REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS. The delivered cream, eggnog, half-and-half, and sour 

cream products shall comply with the current edition of the Grade “A” PMO and with all applicable 

Federal, State, and local regulations relating to the production, transportation, receiving, processing, 

packaging, labeling, storage, distribution, and sale of cream, eggnog, half-and-half, and sour cream 

products within the commercial marketplace. These cream, eggnog, half-and-half, and sour cream 

products shall comply with all applicable provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, 

the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act and regulations promulgated thereunder.
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8. QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS. All Grade “A” milk plants producing cream, eggnog, 

half-and-half, and sour cream products under this CID shall comply with all applicable requirements of 

the current edition of the Grade “A” PMO. The production, transportation, processing, handling, 

sampling, analysis, labeling, and sale of cream, eggnog, half-and-half, and sour cream products shall also 

comply with said regulation. Cream, eggnog, half-and-half, and sour cream products shall be obtained 

from a dairy firm listed in the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) IMS List (Sanitation 

Compliance and Enforcement Ratings of Interstate Milk Shippers). The firm shall also have an 

Enforcement Rating of 90 or better. The Enforcement Rating indicates the level of the regulatory 

agency's application of the requirements of the Grade "A" PMO to the listed dairy firm. Or, 

alternatively, a milk plant may have a National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS) 

acceptable dairy hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) plan in place of a conventional 

sanitation compliance rating and enforcement rating. The above mentioned rated milk plants and their 

respective regulatory agency’s enforcement rating, and/or HACCP listings for milk plants shall be found 

in the IMS List.

Any testing conducted on cream, eggnog, half-and-half, and sour cream products shall be in compliance 

with the current edition of the Grade “A” PMO, the most current edition of Standard Methods for the 

Examination of Dairy Products of the American Public Health Association, and the most current 

edition of Official Methods of Analysis of the AOAC INTERNATIONAL. In addition, all testing shall 

be conducted by milk laboratories that are listed in the IMS List.

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

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

10. REFERENCE NOTES.

10.1 Sources of documents.

10.1.1 Sources of information for nongovernmental documents are 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.

Copies of the Standard Methods for the Examination of Dairy Products may be obtained from: 

American Public Health Association, 800 I Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001, telephone 

(202) 777-2742. Internet address: http://www.apha.org.
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10.1.2 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. 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 (MasterCard or Visa) purchases are made 

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

http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara.

Copies of the current edition of the Grade “A” Pasteurized Milk Ordinance and the Sanitation 

Compliance and Enforcement Ratings of Interstate Milk Shippers may be obtained from: Milk 

Safety Team (HFS-626), FDA, 200 C Street, SW, Washington, DC 20204, telephone (202) 

205-9175 or on the Internet at: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~ear/p-nci.html.

Copies of this CID and beneficial comments, recommendations, additions, deletions, clarifications, etc., 

and any data which may improve this CID are available from and/or provided to: Head, Food Quality 

Assurance Staff, Fruit and Vegetable Programs, Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA, 

STOP 0243, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-0243, telephone (202) 

720-9939, Fax (202) 690-0102, via E-mail: FQAStaff@usda.gov or on the Internet at: 

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

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

Order Desk, Defense Automation and Production Service, 700 Robbins Avenue, Building 4D, 

Philadelphia, PA 19111-5094.
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MILITARY INTERESTS: CIVIL AGENCY COORDINATING ACTIVITIES:

Military Coordinating Activity DOD - BOP

HHS - FDA, NIH, IHS

Army - GL VA - OSS

USDA - FV

Custodians

PREPARING ACTIVITY: 

Army - GL

Navy - SA USDA - FV

Air Force - 35

Review Activities

Army - MD, QM

Navy - MC

DLA - SS

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

national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (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 USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and 

Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal 

opportunity provider and employer.