A-A-20047E

July 29, 2014

SUPERSEDING

A-A-20047D

January 11, 2002

COMMERCIAL ITEM DESCRIPTION

MEAT PUREES

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

the use of this Commercial Item Description (CID).

1. SCOPE. This CID covers meat purees packed in commercially acceptable containers, 

suitable for use by Federal, State, local governments, and other interested parties. 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), style(s), storage type(s), process(es), seasoning(s), packaging, and size(s) of meat 

purees desired (Sec. 3).

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

- When analytical requirements need to be verified (Sec. 7.2).

- Manufacturer’s/distributor’s certification (Sec. 10.1) or USDA certification (Sec. 10.2).

2.2 Purchasers may specify the following:

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

3. CLASSIFICATION. The meat purees must conform to the following list which must be 

specified in the solicitation, contract, or purchase order.

Types, styles, storage types, processes, seasonings, packaging, and sizes.

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Type I - Beef 

Type II - Lamb 

Type III - Veal 

1 For USDA purchase specifications please visit the following websites: Commodity Purchase Specifications for Agricultural Marketing Service 

(AMS) and Commodity Purchase Specifications for Farm Service Agency (FSA). 2 Not all options are available from every manufacturer. Check with the manufacturer/distributor for availability.

METRIC

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Type IV - Chicken 

Type V - Pork 

Type VI - Turkey

Type VII - Ham

Type VIII - Bacon

Type IX - Sausage

Type X - Other (as specified by the purchaser)

Style A - With broth

Style B - With gravy

Style C - Other (as specified by the purchaser)

Storage type 1 - Room temperature

Storage type 2 - Frozen

Storage type 3 - Other (as specified by the purchaser)

Process (1) - Cooked

Process (2) - Not cooked

Seasoning (a) - Regular (No added salt or seasonings)

Seasoning (b) - Seasoned (may contain salt and/or spices)

Seasoning (c) - Reduced Sodium (9 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) § 317.361(b)(6) and

381.461(b)(6))

Seasoning (d) - Other (as specified by the purchaser)

Packaging (i) - Can

Packaging (ii) - Boil-in-bag

Packaging (iii) - Tray

Packaging (iv) - Jar

Packaging (v) - Other (as specified by the purchaser)

Size (aa) - 28 g (1 oz)

Size (bb) - 71 g (2.5 oz)

Size (cc) - 85 g (3 oz)

Size (dd) - 425 g (15 oz)

Size (ee) - 1.1 kg (40 oz)

Size (ff) - Other (as specified by the purchaser)

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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 meat purees must be processed in accordance with regulatory requirements 

under the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Poultry Products Inspection Act (9 CFR Parts 416 

and 417) and must be processed such that the product is considered commercially sterile (9 CFR 

§ 318.300(u) and 9 CFR § 381.300(u)).

5.2 Food security. The meat purees must be processed and transported in accordance with the 

FSIS Food Defense Guidelines for the Transportation and Distribution of Meat, Poultry, and 

Processed Egg Products.

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 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.

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

order, the meat purees must not be manufactured more than 180 days before the date of delivery.

6. SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS.

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

descending order of predominance by weight (9 CFR § 317.2 and 9 CFR Subpart N)

6.1.1 Raw ingredients. For Style A, with broth, at least 75 percent of the product formulation 

must be meat/poultry (as appropriate by Type), and water must be the only other ingredient 

permitted. Style B, with gravy, must contain at least 65 percent meat/poultry (as appropriate by 

Type) and must contain added water and thickeners such as, but not limited to, cornstarch and 

modified food starch. 

3 http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/4f9d737a-1f3e-49ff-851b74884fa946bd/Transportation_Security_Guidelines.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

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6.1.2 Meat/poultry. The meat and poultry must conform to the applicable provisions of the 

meat and poultry products inspection and certification requirements (9 CFR Parts 301 to 350) 

and when applicable, the Poultry Products Inspection Regulations (9 CFR Part 381). The meat 

must comply with all applicable portions of the Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications 

(IMPS) including the defect levels specified in the appropriate series of the IMPS Quality 

Assurance Provisions. The meat purees must contain no meat byproducts or variety meats.

6.1.3 Additional ingredients. Thickeners must be used in Style B meat purees. Preservatives 

and other ingredients may also be used as permitted by FSIS. When used, the additional 

ingredients must be of Food Chemicals Codex purity or US Pharmacopeia-National Formulary 

quality and meet the related FDA regulations on food additives or generally recognized as safe 

(GRAS) requirements (21 CFR Part 170).

6.2 Finished product.

6.2.1 Aroma and flavor. The meat puree must possess the aroma and flavor typical of the

specified Type. The presence of burnt, scorched, rancid, sour, or other objectionable odors or 

flavors will be cause for rejection of the lot.

6.2.2 Consistency. The consistency must be smooth, homogeneous, and such that after stirring 

and emptying from the container to a dry flat surface, possesses a heavy, cream consistency, 

forms a slightly mounded mass, and that at the end of 2 minutes there is practically no separation 

of free liquid (including fat). Thin or watery product is not acceptable. Failure to meet 

consistency requirements will be cause for rejection of the lot. 

6.2.3 Texture. The presence of graininess, lumpiness, or grittiness that materially affects eating 

quality will be cause for rejection of the lot. 

6.2.4 Defects. The presence of bone, cartilage, or ligaments greater than 0.3175 cm (1/8 in) in 

any dimension will be cause for rejection of the lot. 

6.2.5 Foreign material. All ingredients must be clean, sound, wholesome and free from glass, 

plastic, dirt, hair, wood, metal, insect parts, evidence of rodent or insect infestation and any other 

foreign materials.

7. ANALYTICAL REQUIREMENTS.

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

purchase order, the meat purees must comply with the following ranges and tolerances:

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Test Tolerance

Protein Must not be less than 10 percent by weight

Fat Must not be more than 11 percent by weight

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

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

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

subsamples drawn from randomly selected containers. Subsamples must be a minimum of one 

container and must contain the appropriate number of containers to yield a 1.134kg (2.5 lb) 

sample when composited.

7.3 Analytical testing. 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) as specified below:

Test Method

Protein 984.13, 992.15, or 2007.04

Fat 991.36, 2007.04, or 2008.06

7.4 Test results. Test results for protein and fat must be reported to the nearest 0.1 percent. 

Any result not conforming to the analytical requirements will be cause for rejection of the lot.

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

distributor must certify that the meat purees provided will meet the salient characteristics of this 

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

same meat purees offered for sale in the commercial market. The purchaser reserves the right to 

require proof of conformance.

9. REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS. When applicable, the meat components and the 

finished product must originate and be produced, processed, and stored in compliance with all 

applicable provisions of the Federal Meat Inspection Act and regulations promulgated 

thereunder. When applicable, the poultry component and the finished product must originate and 

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

Products Inspection Act and regulations promulgated thereunder (9 CFR Part 381). The 

delivered meat purees must comply with all applicable Federal and State mandatory 

requirements and regulations relating to the preparation, packaging, labeling, storage, 

distribution, and sale of the meat purees in the commercial marketplace. Delivered meat purees

must 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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10. QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS. Purchaser must specify 10.1 or 10.2.

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

or purchase order, the manufacturer/distributor will certify that the finished meat purees

distributed meet or exceed the requirements of this CID.

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

product quality, acceptability or both be determined, the USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service 

(AMS), Livestock Poultry and Seed (LPS) Program, Quality Assessment Division (QAD) must

be the certifying agency. LPS Program graders must certify the quality and acceptability of the 

meat purees in accordance with LPS Program procedures which include: selecting random 

samples of the meat purees, evaluating the samples for conformance with the salient 

characteristics of this CID and other contractual requirements, and officially documenting the 

findings accordingly. In addition, when required in the solicitation, contract, or purchase order, 

LPS Program graders will examine the meat purees 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 Section 10.2 is specified in the solicitation, 

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

condition of samples of meat purees and compliance with requirements in the following 

areas:

- Processing guidelines (Sec. 5).

- Salient characteristics (Sec. 6).

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

(Sec. 7). When USDA analytical testing is specified, LPS or Specialty Crops Inspection 

(SCI) Division inspection personnel must select samples and submit them to the USDA,

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 certification contacts.

13.1.1 SCI Division contact. For USDA, SCI Division certification contact the Chief, 

Inspection Branch, SCI Division, 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. 

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13.1.2 LPS Program contact. For USDA, LPS Program, QAD certification, contact USDA, 

AMS, LPS Program, QAD, 1400 Independence Ave. S.W., Room 3932, Stop 0258, 

Washington, DC 20250, telephone (202) 720-3271, or online at: 

http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/QAD. 

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

on analytical testing, contact a member of the Technical Service Staff, S&TP, AMS, USDA, 

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

690-0621 or via E-mail: KerryR.Smith@ams.usda.gov.

13.3 Sources of documents.

13.3.1 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 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. 

13.3.2 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 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 the FSIS Food Defense Guidelines for the Transportation and Distribution of Meat, 

Poultry, and Processed Egg Products is available online from: USDA, FSIS on the Internet at: 

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/4f9d737a-1f3e-49ff-851b74884fa946bd/Transportation_Security_Guidelines.pdf?MOD=AJPERES. 

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

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

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

Branch, USDA, AMS, FV, SCI Division, Riverside Business Park, 100 Riverside Parkway, 

Suite 101, Fredericksburg, VA 22406, telephone (540) 361-1130, Fax (540) 361-1199, via Email: CIDS@ams.usda.gov or on the Internet at: 

www.ams.usda.gov/CommercialItemDescription.

CIVIL AGENCY COORDINATING ACTIVITIES:

DOJ - BOP

HHS - FDA

USDA - FV

VA - OSS

PREPARING ACTIVITY:

USDA - FV

Non-Discrimination Policy: 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.) To File an Employment Complaint: If you 

wish to file an employment complaint, you must contact your agency's EEO Counselor (PDF) within 45 days of the date of the alleged 

discriminatory act, event, or in the case of a personnel action. Additional information can be found online at 

http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_file.html. To File a Program Complaint: If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of 

discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form (PDF), 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. Persons with Disabilities: Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities and you wish to 

file either an EEO or program complaint please contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339 or (800) 845-6136 (in 

Spanish). Persons with disabilities who wish to file a program complaint, please see information above on how to contact us by mail directly or 

by email. If you require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) please contact 

USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

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