APPROVED

FEDERAL PURCHASE 

PROGRAM SPECIFICATION 

(FPPS) FOR PACIFIC 

SEAFOOD ITEMS, FROZEN

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)

Livestock and Poultry (LP) Program 

Standards and Specification Division (SSD)

Room 2628-S, STOP 0258

Phone: (202) 690-3148

Supersedes: FPPS for Pacific Seafood Items, Frozen

July 2021 – Changes from previous 

requirements in blue

Effective: July 2022

Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 07/13/21 

Date Revised: 07/07/22

100 ITEM DESCRIPTION

110 Pacific Seafood Items, Frozen

110.1 Pacific Rockfish (Ocean Perch) fillet portions shall be derived from wild 

caught Pacific Rockfish (Sebastes spp.), Pacific Whiting fillet portions shall be 

derived from wild caught Pacific Whiting (Merluccius productus) and Pacific 

Salad Shrimp processed product shall be derived from wild caught Pacific 

Pink Shrimp (Pandalus jordani). 

120 Fillet Portion Weight – The weight for fillet portions shall be 2.0 ounces to 7.0 

ounces for Pacific Rockfish and, 3.0 ounces to 7.0 ounce for Pacific Whiting.

130 Packing – Individually quick frozen (IQF) fillet portions shall be packed in a 2-

pound primary package. Twenty 2-pound primary packages shall be packed

in a 40-pound (net weight) shipping container. Individually quick frozen (IQF) 

shrimp shall be packed in a 2-pound primary package. Twenty 2-pound 

primary packages shall be packed in a 40-pound (net weight) shipping 

container. 

140 Delivery Unit – Each delivery unit shall consist of 900 shipping containers with 

a net weight of 36,000 pounds.

200 CHECKLIST OF REQUIREMENTS

201 All processing facilities used in fulfilling USDA contracts shall be a United 

States Department of Commerce (USDC) Approved Establishment. For 

information regarding Seafood Inspection, see the following web site address: 

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/topic/seafood-commerce-certification
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 07/13/21

Date Revised: 07/07/22 2

210 MATERIALS

211 FISH AND SHELLFISH FLESH

211.1 Domestic Origin of Seafood - Only wild caught Pacific Rockfish (Sebastes 

spp.), Pacific Whiting (Merluccius productus) and Pacific Pink Shrimp 

(Pandalus jordani) produced in the United States (U.S.) shall be used. U.S. 

produced Pacific seafood shall be wild caught fish and shellfish harvested in 

U.S. waters on U.S. flagged fishing vessels and processed on U.S. flagged 

processing vessels or in processing facilities based in the U.S. or U.S. 

Territories. 

211.1.1 Vessel Trip Registration (VTR) Number – The VTR Number(s) associated 

with all fish and shellfish used to fulfill USDA contracts shall be provided on 

bills of lading, shipping bills, packing lists, or other documentation with each 

shipment of raw materials used to produce Pacific seafood.

211.1.2 If VTR Numbers are not available, processor must be able to provide full 

traceability back to the US vendor or boat where the fish or shellfish was 

purchased which demonstrates domestic origin of raw materials.

211.2 Practically boneless fillet portions shall be processed from either fresh fish

fillets; fresh headed and gutted fish; or from individually quick frozen (IQF) 

practically boneless fish fillets. The practically boneless Pacific seafood fillet 

portions shall be glazed or individually vacuum packed and stored in a

commercial freezer at 0°F or below. Portions processed from practically 

boneless frozen fish fillets shall remain frozen, then individually glazed or 

vacuum packed.

211.3 Objectionable Materials – The contractor shall identify and develop a strategy 

and have a written quality plan to effectively remove all bones, skin (for 

skinless fillet portions), organs, tails, fins, shells and foreign materials.

211.4 Fillet portions and shrimp with added ingredients in any processing manner

are not permitted. This includes, but is not limited to, preservatives and 

additives deriving from natural or artificial sources through methods such as 

injecting or soaking.

212 FINISHED PRODUCT REQUIREMENTS

212.1 Portion Weight – During production, target portion weight for fillets portions

shall be:

212.1.1 2.0 ounces to 7.0 ounces for Pacific Rockfish. Quality assurance plans shall 

apply upper and lower specification limits of 2.0 and 7.0 ounces respectively. 

212.1.2 3.0 ounces to 7.0 ounces for Pacific Whiting. Quality assurance plans shall 

apply upper and lower specification limits of 3.0 and 7.0 ounces respectively.
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 07/13/21

Date Revised: 07/07/22 3

212.1.3 Pacific Salad Shrimp shall be peeled, tail-off and fully cooked - this form shall 

have the shell removed and shall include 250-350 or 350-500 count per 

pound.

212.2 Fillet Portions and Shrimp shall be fabricated to meet the following 

requirements:

212.2.1 Pacific Rockfish fillet portions shall be practically boneless and skinless.

212.2.2 Pacific Whiting fillet portions shall be practically boneless and skin-on.

212.3 Individual fillet portions and shrimp shall be IQF and glazed or vacuum 

packaged so the fillets and shrimp tails do not stick together.

213 PREPARATION/COOKING METHODS

213.1 Handling, preparation and cooking/serving instructions for the end user shall

be declared and appear on the individual bags (primary packages).

214 METAL DETECTION

214.1 Metal Detection - All product shall be free of metal contaminants. Detection 

of stainless steel, ferrous, and non-ferrous (e.g., lead, copper, and aluminum) 

metals is required. 

215 STATE OF REFRIGERATION

215.1 Fish fillet portions processed from chilled (not previously frozen) fish fillets or 

chilled headed and gutted fish shall be subjected to a freezing process and 

then stored at 00F or below immediately after processing. Fish fillet portions 

processed from individually quick frozen (IQF) practically boneless fish fillets 

shall remain frozen during processing and then stored at 00F or below 

immediately after processing. Shrimp shall be individually quick frozen (IQF) 

and then stored at 00F or below immediately after processing

215.2 Pacific seafood items shall be stored, shipped, and delivered at temperatures 

that do not exceed 0oF.

220 PREPARATION FOR DELIVERY

221 PACKAGING AND PACKING

221.1 Packaging – The 2-pound primary packages shall be closed by heat seal, 

may be commercially marked and may be re-sealable. All primary packages 

shall function as a tamper evidence indicator to provide added assurance of 

product integrity through the method of sealing or closure.

221.2 Packing –Twenty 2-pound primary packages shall be packed in a 40-pound 

(net weight) shipping container.
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 07/13/21

Date Revised: 07/07/22 4

221.3 Shipping Container - The shipping containers (cases) shall be in compliance 

with the National Motor Freight Classification or Uniform Freight 

Classification.

221.4 Style and Size of Container – Only one size and style of primary package and 

shipping container may be offered in an individual shipping unit.

221.5 Shipping containers shall be closed by strapping, taping or gluing. When 

strapping is used, the initial closure (usually the bottom of container) shall be 

secured by the gluing or taping method.

222 LABELING

222.1 Processor shall meet all labeling laws. Both primary and shipping containers 

shall be labeled to include all information required by USDC regulations and 

contain the required information listed below. 

222.2 Primary package – The following information shall be on each bag:

222.2.1 Product name.

222.2.2 Manufacturer name and address.

222.2.3 Ingredient declaration.

222.2.4 An allergen statement in a format which complies with the Food Allergen 

Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) for any product which 

contains milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, soy and/or 

wheat; e.g. Allergen: This product contains ______.

222.2.5 A traceability code that includes information regarding production 

establishment, production date(s), production code(s) and production lot.

222.2.6 Nutrition Facts panel.

222.2.7 Cooking instructions for fillet portions and heating/serving instructions for pink

shrimp.

222.2.8 Safe handling instructions.

222.2.9 Labels for the 2-pound packages shall include at least one color, other than 

black and white, exclusive of the package color. 

222.3 Shipping Container –The following information shall be on each case:

222.3.1 USDA Shield – The Shield shall be at least 2 inches high and shall appear on 

top or on the principal display panel of each shipping container or on a label 

affixed to the shipping container.
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 07/13/21

Date Revised: 07/07/22 5

222.3.2 The applicable purchase order number.

222.3.3 A traceability code that includes information regarding production

establishment, production date(s), production code(s) and production lot.

222.3.4 Nutrition facts panel (optional).

222.3.5 Handling, preparation and cooking/heating/serving instructions (optional).

222.3.6 Material Number1/

222.3.6.1 111452 for Pacific Rockfish 2.0 – 7.0-ounce fillet portions

222.3.6.2 111451 for Pacific Whiting 3.0 – 7.0-ounce fillet portion.

222.3.6.3 111453 for Pacific Salad Shrimp 250-350 count per pound.

222.3.6.4 111454 for Pacific Salad Shrimp 350-500 count per pound.

222.3.7 Product name1/

222.3.7.1 Pacific Rockfish Fillet Portions, Frozen.

222.3.7.2 Pacific Whiting Fillet Portions, Frozen.

222.3.7.3 Pacific Salad Shrimp, Fully Cooked, Frozen.

222.3.8 An allergen statement in a format which complies with the Food Allergen

Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) for any product which 

contains milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, soy and/or

wheat; e.g. Allergen: This product contains ______.

223 PALLETIZED UNIT LOADS

223.1 All product shall be stacked on new or well-maintained pallets and palletized 

with shrink wrap plastic, unless otherwise specified in the invitation. Pallet 

loads shall be stacked in a manner that minimizes the overhang of the 

shipping containers over the edges of the pallets and exposes each shipping 

container’s principal display panel to facilitate certification examinations.

230 PRODUCT ASSURANCE

1/The contracting officer shall designate the species and Material Number for each solicitation.
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 07/13/21 

Date Revised: 07/07/22 6 

231 QUALITY ASSURANCE

231.1 All processors and processing facilities used to fulfill USDA contracts shall be 

a USDC/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Seafood 

Inspection (SI) Approved Establishment. NOAA SI Approved Establishments 

must meet all pertinent Federal requirements applicable to processing fish 

and fishery products. 

232 DELIVERED PRODUCT 

232.1 Delivery Unit - Each delivery unit shall consist of 900 shipping containers with 

a net weight of 36,000 pounds.

232.2 Sealing – All products shall be delivered to AMS assigned destinations under 

seal with tamper proof, tamper resistant, serially numbered, high security 

seals that meet the American Society for Testing and Materials Standard 

(ASTM) F 1157-04 and/or the International Organization for Standards (ISO) 

17712-2013 as required under this Supplement. Seals shall be >1⁄8 inch 

diameter cable, high-security bolt, or equivalent. 

233 WARRANTY AND COMPLAINT RESOLUTION

233.1 Warranty – The contractor shall guarantee that the product complies with all 

contractual requirements.

233.2 Complaint Resolution – Customer complaint resolution procedures shall be 

developed by the contractor and shall provide the steps taken to resolve 

complaints received on the product, i.e., point of contact, cause and effect 

analysis, product replacement, monetary compensation and corrective and 

preventative actions taken.

240 NON-CONFORMING PRODUCT

241.1 The contractor shall develop a plan to assure that non-conforming product is 

not delivered under USDA contracts. The plan shall address 1) control and 

segregation of non-conforming product, 2) removal of any USDA markings, 

and 3) disposition of non-conforming product. 

250 ACCEPTANCE AND CERTIFICATION

251 A USDC Seafood Inspector shall certify acceptable product and set forth on 

either a 1) Lot Inspection Certificate, 2) Certificate of Inspection, or 3) 

Memorandum Report of Inspection and Certificate of Loading, as appropriate, 

the following:

252.1 Purchase Order Number/Purchase Order Line Item Number;

252.2 Sales Order Number/Sales Order Line Item Number;

252.3 Destination of shipment;
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 07/13/21

Date Revised: 07/07/22 7

252.4 Name of Product and applicable Material Number;

252.5 Shipping Date;

252.6 Production lot number(s) and date each lot was produced along with shipping

container and primary package code(s) and the code used that provides 

traceability to establishment number, production lot and date. The lot(s) listed 

on this certificate conforms to the USDA Food Purchase Program 

Specification (FPPS);

252.7 Count of shipping containers and total projected net weight in each production 

lot;

252.8 Count of shipping containers and total projected net weight per delivery unit;

252.9 Identity of car or truck (car numbers and letters, seals, truck license, etc.) as

applicable;

252.10 Count and projected net weight verified.