FSC 8940 

A-A-20265A 

March 14, 2013 

SUPERSEDING 

A-A-20265 

July 31, 1997 

 

COMMERCIAL ITEM DESCRIPTION 

PEPPERS, STUFFED WITH BEEF AND RICE, IN SAUCE, FROZEN

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

the use of this Commercial Item Description (CID). 

1. SCOPE. This CID covers frozen peppers, stuffed with beef and rice, in sauce, (stuffed 

peppers), packed in commercially acceptable containers, suitable for use by Federal, State, local 

governments, and other interested parties. 

2. PURCHASER NOTES. Purchasers shall specify the following: 

 - 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. 9.1) or USDA certification (Sec. 9.2). 

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

products shall meet the requirements of the: 

 - Processing guidelines (Sec. 4). 

 - 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).

4. PROCESSING GUIDELINES. 

4.1 Processing. The stuffed peppers shall be processed in accordance with Current Good 

Manufacturing Practices (21 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 110). 

4.2 Food security. The stuffed peppers shall be processed and transported in accordance with 

the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Guidance for Industry: Food Producers, 

METRIC
A-A-20265A 

2 

Processors, and Transporters: Food Security Preventive Measures Guidance.1 This guidance 

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, 

criminal, or terrorist actions. The implementation of enhanced food security 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 postproduction finished 

product. 

4.3 Age requirement. Unless otherwise specified in the solicitation, contract, or purchase 

order, the stuffed peppers shall be manufactured not more than 90 days prior to delivery. 

5. SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS. 

5.1 Ingredients. The stuffed peppers shall contain a beef and rice stuffing mixture, a green bell 

pepper, sauce and spices, safe and suitable sweeteners and thickeners, and may contain 

vegetables. All ingredients shall 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. 

5.1.1 Beef and Rice Stuffing Mixture. The beef and rice stuffing mixture shall be a 

homogenous mixture of beef and precooked rice and may contain spices. 

5.1.1.1 Meat. The beef shall conform to the applicable provisions of the meat and poultry 

products inspection and certification requirements (9 CFR Parts 301 to 350). The beef shall 

comply with all applicable provisions of the Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications (IMPS), 

including the Acceptable Quality Levels (AQLs) for major and minor defects, and the defect 

levels specified in Table 100I of the IMPS Quality Assurance Provisions (QAPs). The stuffed 

peppers shall meet the requirements of the USDA Food Standards and Labeling Policy Book for 

stuffed peppers with meat in sauce. 

5.1.1.2 Rice. The rice shall comply with the FDA Standard of Identity for Enriched Rice (21 

CFR § 137.350). 

5.1.2 Peppers. The peppers shall be mature, green, sweet bell peppers of similar varietal 

characteristics. 

5.1.3 Sauce and spices. The sauce shall contain tomato puree or tomato paste, and diced 

tomatoes, and may contain onions, sweeteners, thickeners, salt, and spices, including garlic and 

other spices common to tomato-based sauce. 

5.1.4 Additional ingredients. The stuffed peppers may contain food ingredients permitted by 

the FDA for thickening, emulsifying, stabilizing, preserving, or enhancing flavor. Food 

 

1

http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/GuidanceDocuments/FoodDefenseandEmergencyResponse/ucm083075.h

tm
A-A-20265A 

3 

additives or generally recognized as safe (GRAS) substances used shall be of Food Chemicals 

Codex Purity or US Pharmacopeia-National Formulary quality and meet the related FDA 

regulations on food additives or GRAS requirements. Any additional ingredients added directly 

to the meat components shall comply with the Food Ingredients and Sources of Radiation section 

of the Regulatory Requirements Under the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products 

Inspection Act (9 CFR § 424.21), or Safe and Suitable Ingredients Used in the Production of 

Meat, Poultry, and Egg Products (FSIS Directive 7120.12

). 

5.1.5 Foreign material. All ingredients shall be clean, sound, wholesome, and free from 

foreign material such as plastic pieces, evidence of rodent or insect infestation, and metal 

contaminants, including, but not limited to, ferrous, non-ferrous, and stainless steel. All tomato 

products shall comply with the defect action levels specified in the FDA Defect Levels 

Handbook currently in effect on the date of the solicitation, contract, or purchase order. 

5.2 Finished product. The finished stuffed peppers shall be a beef and rice mixture in a green 

bell pepper, cooked in sauce and spices. The finished stuffed peppers shall show no evidence of 

spoilage, thawing and refreezing, or excessive heating (materially scorched). 

5.2.1 Appearance. The stuffed peppers shall not be mushy or pasty. There shall be no foreign 

color to the product. 

5.2.2 Aroma and flavor. The stuffed peppers shall have an aroma and flavor characteristic of 

prepared stuffed peppers. There shall be no foreign odors or flavors such as, but not limited to, 

burnt, scorched, stale, rancid, or moldy. 

5.2.3 Texture and consistency. The texture of the peppers shall not be rubbery or mushy. The 

sauce shall not be excessively thin, thick, or pasty. The stuffing shall not be rubbery or tough 

and the rice shall not be undercooked (hard) or overcooked (mushy). 

6. ANALYTICAL REQUIREMENTS. 

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

purchase order, the stuffed peppers shall comply with the following ranges and tolerances: 

 Test Tolerance 

 Monosodium glutamate Less than 2.27g per 227 g (8 oz) (1 percent) of 

 (MSG) finished product 

 Fat Less than 17.0 g per 227 g (8 oz) of finished 

 product 

 

2 http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oppde/rdad/fsisdirectives/7120.1.pdf 
A-A-20265A 

4 

 Test Tolerance 

 Sodium Less than 1,000 mg per 227 g (8 oz) of finished 

 product

 Standard Plate Count Less than 50,000 CFU per g 

Escherichia coli Less than 3 per g using Most Probable Number 

 (E. coli) (MPN) or less than 10 Colony Forming Units 

 (CFU) per g 

E. coli O157:H7 Shall be negative 

Listeria monocytogenes Shall be negative 

 (L. monocytogenes) 

Salmonella Shall be negative 

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

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

a composite sample. The composite sample shall be 1.134 kg (2.5 lb) per lot, prepared from a 

minimum of sixty representative subsamples or retail packages randomly selected from the lot. 

6.3 Analytical testing. When specified in the solicitation, contract, or purchase order, the 

analyses shall be made in accordance with the following methods from the AOAC International 

Official Methods of Analysis (OMA) or the FDA’s Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM) as 

specified below: 

Test Method 

 

MSG 970.37 

 Fat 985.15, 991.36, 2007.04, or 2008.06 

 Sodium 985.35 or 984.27

 Standard Plate Count 990.12 or BAM Ch 3 

 E. coli 991.14, 998.08, 2011.17, or BAM Ch 4 

 E. coli O157:H7 2000.14, 2005.03, or BAM Ch 4A 

 L. monocytogenes 999.06, 2003.12, 2004.02, 2010.02, or BAM Ch 10 

 Salmonella 967.25, 967.27, 996.08, 2003.09, 2004.03, 2011.03, 

 2011.17, or BAM Ch 5 

6.4 Test results. Test results for MSG shall be reported to the nearest 0.1 percent. Test results 

for fat shall be reported to the nearest 0.1 g. Test results for sodium shall be reported to the 

nearest mg. The test results for standard plate count shall be reported to the nearest 100 CFU per 

g. The test results for E. coli shall be reported to the nearest MPN or CFU. The test results for 

E. coli O157:H7, L. monocytogenes, and Salmonella shall be reported as positive or negative. 

Any result not conforming to the analytical requirements shall be cause for rejection of the lot.
A-A-20265A 

5 

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

distributor shall certify that the stuffed peppers provided shall meet the salient characteristics of 

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

the same stuffed peppers offered for sale in the commercial market. The purchaser reserves the 

right to require proof of conformance. 

8. REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS. The meat components and the finished product shall 

originate and be produced, processed, and stored in compliance with all applicable provisions of 

the Federal Meat Inspection Act and regulations promulgated thereunder. The delivered stuffed 

peppers shall comply with all applicable Federal and State mandatory requirements and 

regulations relating to the preparation, packaging, labeling, storage, distribution, and sale of the 

stuffed peppers in the commercial marketplace. Delivered stuffed peppers shall comply with all 

applicable provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the Fair Packaging and 

Labeling Act, and regulations promulgated thereunder. When a known allergen is included in 

the stuffed peppers, the stuffed peppers shall comply with the allergen labeling requirements of 

the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. When the stuffed peppers are used for the National 

School Lunch Program, the stuffed peppers shall comply with all applicable provisions of the 

Child Nutrition (CN) Programs. 

9. QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS. Purchaser shall specify 9.1 or 9.2.

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

purchase order, the manufacturer/distributor shall certify that the finished stuffed peppers 

distributed meet or exceed the requirements of this CID. 

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

product quality, acceptability or both be determined, the Specialty Crops Inspection Division 

(SCI), Fruit and Vegetable Program (FV), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), USDA, shall 

be the certifying agency. SCI inspectors shall certify the quality and acceptability of the stuffed 

peppers in accordance with SCI procedures which include: selecting random samples of the 

stuffed peppers, evaluating the samples for conformance with the salient characteristics of this 

CID and other contractual requirements, and documenting the findings on official SCI score 

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

SCI will examine the stuffed peppers for conformance to the U.S. Standards for Condition of 

Food Containers (7 CFR Part 42) in effect on the date of the solicitation, contract, or purchase 

order. 

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 9.2 is specified in the solicitation, 

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

 
A-A-20265A 

6 

condition of samples of stuffed peppers and compliance with requirements in the following 

areas:

 - Processing guidelines (Sec. 4). 

 - Salient characteristics (Sec. 5). 

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

6). When USDA analytical testing is specified, SCI 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 a USDA certification contact the Chief, Inspection 

Branch, SCI, FV, AMS, USDA, STOP 0240, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, 

DC 20250-0240, telephone (202) 720-2482, fax (202) 720-0393, or via E-mail: 

Nathaniel.Taylor@ams.usda.gov. 

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

on analytical testing, contact the Science & Technology Program (S&TP), AMS, USDA, 

STOP 0272, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-0272, telephone (202) 

720-5231 or via E-mail: Alan.Post@ams.usda.gov or Ruihong.Guo@ams.usda.gov. 

12.3 Sources of documents.

12.3.1 Sources of information for nongovernmental documents are as follows:

Copies of the AOAC International OMA may be obtained from: AOAC International, 481 

North Frederick Avenue, Suite 500, Gaithersburg, MD 20877-2417, 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 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. 

12.3.2 Sources of information for governmental documents are as follows: 

 
A-A-20265A 

7 

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

CFR Part 42, information on the Meat and Poultry Products Inspection and Voluntary Inspection 

and Certification are contained in 9 CFR Parts 301 to 350, 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 Guidance for Industry - Food Producers, Processors, and Transporters: Food Security 

Preventive Measures Guidance is available online from: FDA, Center for Food Safety and 

Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) on the Internet at: 

http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/GuidanceDocument

s/FoodDefenseandEmergencyResponse/ucm083075.htm.

Copies of the USDA’s Food Standards and Labeling Policy Book are available online from 

USDA, FSIS, at: 

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oppde/larc/policies/labeling_policy_book_082005.pdf. 

Copies of the Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications (IMPS) are available online from 

USDA, AMS on the Internet at: 

http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/ams.fetchTemplateData.do?template=TemplateP&nav 

ID=IMPS&rightNav1=IMPS&topNav=&leftNav=&page=LivestockStandardizationIMPS

&resultType=&acct=lsstd. 

Copies of FSIS Directive 7120.1, Safe and Suitable Ingredients Used in the Production of Meat, 

Poultry, and Egg Products, are available online from USDA, FSIS, at: 

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oppde/rdad/fsisdirectives/7120.1.pdf. 

Copies of the FDA Defect Level Handbook are available online from FDA at: 

http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/GuidanceDocument

s/Sanitation/ucm056174.htm. 

Copies of the FDA Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM) are available online from FDA at: 

http://www.fda.gov/Food/ScienceResearch/LaboratoryMethods/BacteriologicalAnalyticalM

anualBAM/default.htm. 

 
A-A-20265A 

8 

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

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

which may improve this CID are available from or provided to: Chief, Standardization 

Branch, SCI, FV, AMS, USDA, STOP 240, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, 

DC 20250-0240, telephone (202) 720-5021, Fax (202) 690-1527, via E-mail: 

CIDS@ams.usda.gov, or on the Internet at: 

www.ams.usda.gov/CommercialItemDescription.

CIVIL AGENCY COORDINATING ACTIVITIES:

 DOJ - BOP 

 HHS - NIH, FDA 

 USDA - FV 

 VA - OSS 

PREPARING ACTIVITY:

 USDA - FV 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the 

bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, 

familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected 

genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will apply to 

all programs and/or employment activities.) 

If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found 

online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, or at any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form. You may also 

write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax (202) 

690-7442 or email at program.intake@usda.gov.