Agricultural Marketing Service

Commodity Procurement Program

P.O. Box 419205, Mailstop 8718

Kansas City, MO 64141-6205

USDA COMMODITY REQUIREMENTS 

DPPC5

PASTEURIZED PROCESS AMERICAN CHEESE

FOR USE IN DOMESTIC PROGRAMS

Effective Date: September 2019

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
USDA COMMODITY REQUIREMENTS

PASTEURIZED PROCESS AMERICAN

CHEESE 

FOR USE IN DOMESTIC PROGRAMS

Table of Contents

Part 1 COMMODITY SPECIFICATIONS ................................................................................................ 1

Section 1.1 PASTUERIZED PROCESS AMERICAN CHEESEREQUIREMENTS............................ 1

Section 1.2 KOSHER ONLY PRODUCTS............................................................................................. 3

Section 1.3 QUALITY ASSURANCE .................................................................................................... 4

Section 1.4 WEIGHT REQUIREMENTS ............................................................................................... 6

Part 2 CONTAINER AND PACKAGING REQUIREMENTS................................................................. 6

Section 2.1 GENERAL............................................................................................................................ 6

Section 2.2 COMMERCIAL PACKAGING REQUIREMENTS ........................................................... 6

Section 2.3 CONTAINERS AND MATERIALS.................................................................................... 7

Section 2.4 UNITIZATION REQUIREMENT ....................................................................................... 7

Section 2.5 MONTH/YEAR OF PACK .................................................................................................. 8

Section 2.6 LOT CODE/CERTIFICATE NUMBER .............................................................................. 8

Section 2.7 MATERIALS........................................................................................................................ 8
DPPC5 Page 1 of 8

Part 1 COMMODITY SPECIFICATIONS

Section 1.1 PASTUERIZED PROCESS AMERICAN CHEESE REQUIREMENTS

A. Product Requirements

(1) The natural cheese and skim milk for processing shall have been 

manufactured in plants approved by the Dairy Grading Branch, Dairy 

Programs, Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) from pasteurized, heattreated, or raw milk produced in the United States. Ingredients shall not 

have been previously owned by the Government.

(2) The process cheese or blended cheese1 shall be made from commercial 

styles of cheddar cheese, cheddar cheese for manufacturing, Colby cheese, 

Colby cheese for manufacturing, granular (stirred curd) cheese, granular 

cheese for manufacturing, or any mixture of two or more of these cheeses. 

Blended cheese may use reduced fat cheddar cheese, skim milk, or skim 

milk cheese. The flavor of the natural cheese and skim milk shall be free 

of all flavor defects except feed, acid, and bitter which are permitted to a 

slight degree.

(3) Skim milk cheese for manufacturing with an emulsifying agent may be 

used in the manufacturing of blended cheese as a nonstandardized product 

only.

(4) Cheese trimmings from the cutting of natural cheese at AMS-approved 

cheese packaging operations may be used in the blend provided that 

satisfactory arrangements are made at the contractor’s expense for 

unannounced AMS inspections to check and verify that:

a. the kind of cheese and the cheese quality conforms to section A.1; 

and

b. the trimmings are clean and free of mold, soft spots, etc.

B. Production Requirements

(1) When ready for grinding, the natural cheese or cheeses used to produce 

process cheese or blended cheese shall be properly cleaned; free from all 

impurities, mold, rind rot, thick dry rind, paraffin, soft spots, cheese pests, 

and any objectionable surface flavor or condition which may detract from 

the quality of the finished product.

(2) Dairy ingredients used in the manufacture of cheese shall originate from a 

plant that has been approved by the Dairy Grading Branch (DGB), Dairy 

Programs (DP), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), USDA. The USDA 

AMS plant approval code must match the appropriate product or operation 

code for the dairy ingredient being used.

(3) Except for cheeses used in the processing of ribbon-sliced, the weighted 

average age of all the natural cheeses in a blend shall be at least 20 days 

old or greater.

(4) The process cheese or blended cheese shall be pasteurized at a temperature 

of not less than 165 ̊ F for a period of not less than 30 seconds.

 1 “Blended cheese” refers to USDA’s reduced-fat process cheese, and does not reflect requirements in FDA 21 CFR 

133.167
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(5) “Rework” process cheese, which was generated at the same plant from 

production runs intended for sale to the Government, may be used in the 

blend of natural cheeses in limited amounts so as to not adversely affect 

the finished product.

(6) The process cheese or blended cheese shall be processed in plants which 

are approved by AMS. The USDA AMS plant approval code must match 

the appropriate product or operation code for the commodity being 

offered.

C. Product Age and Temperature Requirements

(1) Process cheese and blended cheese shall not be manufactured more than 

60 days prior to delivery to the Government.

(2) Process cheese or reduced fat blended cheese (other than ribbon-sliced), 

immediately after filling and closing containers, shall be stored in such 

manner as to permit ample circulation of air between the individual 

packages to effectuate rapid cooling. The temperature of the cheese shall be 

cooled to 100 ̊ F or less within 24 hours from the time the cheese is 

packaged. Immediately after the rapid cooling, the cheese shall be further 

cooled to 60 ̊ F or lower prior to loading for shipment in accordance with 

shipping instructions, or placed in cooler space with an approximate 

temperature of 40 ̊ F in order to reduce further the temperature of the 

cheese. At the time of delivery, the cheese shall have a temperature of no 

higher than 45°F.

(3) Ribbon-sliced process cheese or blended cheese shall be stored 

immediately after packaging at a temperature no higher than 40 ̊F. 

At the time of delivery, the cheese shall have a temperature no 

higher than 45 ̊ F.

D. Composition Requirements

Pasteurized process American cheese shall comply with the following composition 

requirements:

Composition Process Cheese Blended Cheese

Report test 

results to the 

nearest:

Milkfat % Not less than 50% by 

weight of the solids

Range 13-17% by 

total weight

0.1%

Moisture % Not more than 40% Not more than 51% 0.1%

Salt % Not more than 2.0% Not more than 2.7% 0.1%

pH Value Range 5.3 – 5.8 Range 5.4 - 5.8 0.01 value

Sodium 

(reduced 

sodium cheese 

only)

Range 200 – 300mg 

per 28 gram serving

Range 200 – 300mg 

per 28 gram serving

Not required
DPPC5 Page 3 of 8

E. Physical Requirements

Pasteurized process American cheese, and blended cheese physical 

analysis requirements shall comply with the following:

Pasteurized Process American Cheese and Blended Cheese

Loaves, Slices, and Blended Cheese Slices

Flavor Its flavor shall be pleasing, and characteristic of process cheese made from 

mild to medium cured American cheese, and shall be free from undesirable 

flavors and odors.

Body & 

Texture

The body shall be smooth, medium firm, resilient, and free of pinholes, 

crystals or openings except those caused by trapped steam. Its texture 

shall be close and free from lumps, graininess, or uncooked particles must 

slice freely, show not more than slight brittleness or roughness, and the 

cheese shall not stick to the knife or break when cut into approximately 

1/8-inch slices. Ribbon-sliced cheese shall contain 160 half-ounce slices. 

The slices shall be staggered stacked and shall easily separate from the 

stack.

Color The process cheese shall have a uniform medium yellow color and an 

attractive sheen. No visible signs of mold shall be permitted.

Meltability The cheese shall have been tested for meltability in accordance with AMS 

Methods of Laboratory Analysis, DA Instruction No. 918-RL, section 

D.1.j., and shall be at Number 3 or higher.

F. Manufacturer’s/Distributor’s Product Assurance. The manufacturer/distributor 

shall certify that the cheese provided shall meet the requirement of this 

Commodity Requirements Document (CRD), conforms to their own 

specifications, standards, and quality assurance practices, and be the same cheese 

offered for sale in the commercial market. The USDA reserves the right to 

require proof of conformance.

G. Regulatory Requirements.

(1) The delivered cheese shall comply with:

(a) all applicable Federal and State mandatory requirements 

and regulations relating to the preparation, packaging, 

labeling, storage, distribution, and sale of cheese within 

the commercial marketplace, and

(b) all applicable FDA regulations including but not limited to

provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the 

Fair Packaging and Labeling Act, and regulations 

promulgated thereunder (e.g. 21 CFR Parts 1-199).

H. Liability

The contractor shall be liable for losses due to excessive deterioration, mold 

development, spoilage, foreign material, and/or extraneous material which 

are discovered within 180 days of the date of delivery to the Government.

Section 1.2 KOSHER ONLY PRODUCTS

“Kosher Only” products shall comply with applicable dietary (kosher) laws as 
DPPC5 Page 4 of 8

established by the “613 Council of Kashruth.” Manufacturing plants shall be 

certified for compliance with the aforementioned requirement by contacting 

the Board of Jewish Education of Greater New York (BJENY) at 646-472-

5366. At no cost to the vendor, a rabbinic supervisor shall be sent to certify 

compliance of the manufacturing plant with the dietary (kosher) laws. Note 

that this level of kosher is stricter than many other nationally accepted kosher 

certifications (such as “O-U” of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations, 

or “O-K” of the Organized Kashrus Laboratories). 

Failure to obtain such certification will result in an offer being deemed nonresponsive. Additionally, there are kosher requirements applicable to the 

ingredients used to manufacture the final end product; this requires adherence to 

kosher requirements throughout the supply chain. [...regardless of whether 

earlier steps in the supply chain are the direct responsibility of the Governments’ 

prime contractor.] 

“613 Council of Kashruth” certification to produce kosher only process cheese 

requires continuous rabbinical supervision by BJENY to ensure the following 

at the appropriate point in the supply chain:

 Kosher milk production

 Kosher natural cheese manufacturing

 Conversion of kosher natural cheese into kosher process cheese

Sliced Process Cheese shall be a vertical or horizontal stack, at the option of the

vendor.

Minimum Order. When the Government requires Kosher supplies covered by this 

contract in an amount of less than two truckloads, the Government is not obligated 

to purchase, nor is the Contractor obligated to furnish, those supplies under the

contract.

Offeror shall certify that their manufacturing plant is capable of meeting 

applicable dietary (kosher) laws as established by the “613 Council of Kashruth” 

and that certification by BJENY had been obtained.

Section 1.3 QUALITY ASSURANCE

A. For Process Cheese

(1) All processing operations shall be under continuous inspection by AMS. 

The quality, date(s) of manufacture, and weight of the process cheese will 

be evidenced by grading certificates issued by AMS.

(2) The meltability, percentage of moisture, milk fat, salt, and pH value will 

be evidenced by certificates issued by AMS, an independent commercial 

laboratory using AOAC International approved methodology, or the 

contactors laboratory that complies with the inspection clause of the 

contract. Procedures and a schedule of fees for inspection services are 

available at: https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grading/requestservice#dairy.

(3) If the process cheese fails to meet contract specifications on one or more 

factors on the first inspection, the contractor may arrange with AMS for 
DPPC5 Page 5 of 8

subsequent inspections of the cheese. The inspections may be conducted 

at origin or a subsequent point of delivery if the provisions of 7 CFR 58.22 

through 58.32 issued under the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, as 

amended, with respect to retest, appeal, and new inspections can be met. 

At the option of the contractor, rejected lots may be reworked including 

correcting packaging deficiencies and removing unsatisfactory containers, 

and such reworked lots may be resubmitted for AMS inspection. When 

subsequent inspections of the cheese are made, the results of the last 

inspection will be used as the basis of payment under the contract.

(4) Examination and certification of the cheese by AMS does not relieve the 

contractor of its responsibility to deliver cheese which complies with all 

contractual and specification requirements.

B. For Blended Cheese

(1) The contractor shall perform the product testing and quality analysis to 

ensure that the product meets the specifications. The results shall be 

evidenced by a Certificate of Analysis. The meltability, percentage of 

moisture, milkfat, salt, and pH value will be evidenced by certificates 

issued by AMS, an independent commercial laboratory using AOAC 

International approved methodology, or the contactors laboratory that 

complies with the inspection clause of the contract. The quality, date(s) of 

manufacture, and weight of the process cheese will be evidenced by 

grading certificates issued by the contractor.

(2) In the event of quality, performance, or processing concerns, AMS Dairy 

Grading Branch and/or Commodity Procurement Program reserves the 

right to perform quality assurance at source. Source includes, but is not 

limited to: contractor’s manufacturing facility; packaging facility; 

warehouse; in-house laboratory; subcontractor’s facilities; etc. (for 

additional information, refer to the AMS Master Solicitation for 

Commodity Procurements for Domestic Food Distribution Program 

Purchases available at https://www.ams.usda.gov/sellingfood/solicitations).

C. General

(1) The contactor may ship the cheese prior to receipt of the commodity 

testing and analysis results. In this event, the contractor assumes risk and 

liabilities, which arise with respect to the failure of the shipped process 

cheese or blended cheese to meet contract specifications.

(2) Manufacturer’s/distributor’s certification. When the contractor performs 

quality assurance, the manufacturer/distributor will certify that the 

cheese distributed meets the requirements of this CRD.

(3) USDA certification. When AMS performs quality assurance, the USDA, 

AMS, DP, DGB, shall be the certifying program. DGB inspectors shall 

certify the quality and acceptability of the cheese in accordance with DGB 

procedures which include selecting random samples of the cheese, evaluating 

the samples for conformance with the salient characteristics of this CRD and 

other contractual requirements, and documenting the findings on official 

DGB certificates. In addition, when required in the solicitation, contract, or 
DPPC5 Page 6 of 8

purchase order, DGB inspectors will examine the cheese for conformance to 

the United States Standards for Condition for Food Containers in effect on 

the date of the solicitation. To qualify for this option the plant must be listed 

in Dairy Plants Surveyed and Approved for USDA Grading Service. The 

USDA AMS plant approval code must match the appropriate product or 

operation code for the commodity being manufactured.

(4) USDA INSPECTION NOTES. USDA certification shall include 

evaluation of the quality and condition of samples of the cheese and 

compliance with requirements in the following areas.

• Pasteurized Process American Cheese Requirements (Sec 1.1).

• Composition Requirements (Sec. 1.1 D). When USDA testing of 

cheese is specified, DGB inspection personnel shall select 

samples and submit them to the USDA, Science and Technology 

Programs (S&TP) laboratory for analysis.

• Packaging requirements (Part 2).

(5) Contractors shall notify the Government immediately of lots that fail 

to meet contract requirements.

(6) The contracting officer may require submission of COAs

representing contract performance.

Section 1.4 WEIGHT REQUIREMENTS

A. The cheese shall be packaged in five (5) pound loaves, five (5) pound ribbonsliced loaves, or two (2) pound loaves, as specified in the solicitation.

B. Individual shipping containers packed with 6/5-pound packs of cheese shall

weigh not less than 29.85 pounds net weight. Individual shipping containers 

packed with 12/2-pound packs shall weigh not less than 23.88 pounds net weight. 

The total net weight of all shipping containers test weighed from a lot shall not 

vary more than one-tenth (0.1) of one percent under the aggregate marked net 

weight of all shipping containers within the lot.

Part 2 CONTAINER AND PACKAGING REQUIREMENTS

Section 2.1 GENERAL

This part provides the container specifications and packaging materials requirements 

used under this contract.

Section 2.2 COMMERCIAL PACKAGING REQUIREMENTS

A. Contractors shall supply commercial brand products only and shall certify at the 

time of submission of an offer that the commercial product being delivered has a 

history of successful distribution and use in domestic commercial channels and is 

sold on the commercial market with an established level of consumer acceptance.

B. Container and packaging requirements are those used in the current

commercial shipping practices and shall comply with:

(1) Unitization requirements in Section 2.4.

(2) At contractor’s option, a statement such as “Not for Retail Sale” may 

be printed on the principal display panel of the food label.
DPPC5 Page 7 of 8

(3) The manufacturer’s lot code/lot identification number shall be shown

on the commercial bill of lading.

(4) Shipping containers shall be marked to show the maximum safe 

stacking height. It is the responsibility of the contractor in cooperation 

with the shipping container manufacturers to determine the safe stacking

height.

(5) For identification upon receipt at delivery warehouses, all commerciallabeled product shipping documents shall specify “FOR USDA FOOD 

DISTRIBUTION PROGRAMS.”

C. A company name or brand name shall be shown on all shipping containers.

Section 2.3 CONTAINERS AND MATERIALS

A. Constructed to meet the requirements of the Food and Drug Administration 

(FDA) for safe contact with the packaged product. The contractor shall obtain 

and maintain documentation from the container or packaging material 

manufacturer to verify that the containers and packaging materials used in this 

contract were in compliance with the Government’s regulatory requirements for 

safe contact with food products as required in "Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic 

Act" (21 U.S.C. 301 et. seq.), as amended, and the relevantregulations.

B. If the contractor purchases packaging from a foreign country and/or the package 

and container is manufactured in a foreign country, the package and container 

SHALL NOT display country of origin labeling. Phrases including, but not 

limited to, “Made in [Name of Foreign Country.]” or “Product of [Name of 

Foreign Country.]” are strictly prohibited

Section 2.4 UNITIZATION REQUIREMENT

Shipments shall comply with the following unitization requirements:

A. Unless otherwise specified by the Government, all shipments of packaged 

products shall be unitized (palletized and stretch wrapped).

B. Pallets shall be:

(1) Constructed to facilitate the safe handling and transportation of the 

packaged product, as a unit, without loss or damage.

(2) A Number 2, four-way, reversible flush stringer with no broken runners or 

slats.

(3) Suitable for use in the shipment of food products.

C. Plastic stretch wrap shall be:

(1) Constructed of a plastic film which is to be stretched a minimum of 50 

percent beyond its original length when stretched around the pallet load.

(2) Applied as tightly as possible around all tiers of the palletized shipping 

containers. The shipping containers shall be held firmly in place by the 

stretch wrap.

D. Pallet loads shall be:

(1) Stacked in such a way as to minimize the amount that shipping containers 
DPPC5 Page 8 of 8

overhang the edges of pallets.

(2) Blocked and braced or otherwise loaded into the conveyance in a manner 

that prevents shifting during transit.

Section 2.5 MONTH/YEAR OF PACK

A. The month/year of pack or actual pack date shall be shown on all primary 

packaging (immediate containers) and shipping containers.

B. A date fill code may be applied in addition to, but not in lieu of, the month/year of 

pack.

Section 2.6 LOT CODE/CERTIFICATE NUMBER

A lot code or official inspection certificate number shall be legibly marked on all primary 

shipping materials. Contractors may use any type of lot coding system provided a unique 

code is used to identify each lot under a contract. When requested contractors shall 

provide the Government an explanation of the lot coding system utilized.

Section 2.7 MATERIALS

100017 CHEESE PROCESS LVS-6/5 LB Full fat, reduced sodium

100018 CHEESE PROCESS YEL SLC LVS-6/5 LB Full fat, reduced sodium

100019 CHEESE PROCESS WHT SLC LVS-6/5 LB Full fat, reduced sodium

100038 K CHEESE PROCESS WHT SLC LVS-6/5 LB Full fat, reduced sodium, Kosher

100035 CHEESE BLEND AMER SKM LVS-12/2 LB Reduced fat, reduced sodium

100036 CHEESE BLEND AMER SKM YEL SLC LVS-6/5 LB Reduced fat, reduced sodium

100037 CHEESE BLEND AMER SKM WHT SLC LVS-6/5 LB Reduced fat, reduced sodium

110198 CHEESE BLND AMER SKMYEL REGSLC LVS-6/5LB Reduced fat, regular sodium

110199 CHEESE PROCESS REG LVS-6/5 LB Full fat, regular sodium

111111 CHEESE PROCESS LVS-12/2 LB Full fat, regular sodium