APPROVED

FEDERAL PURCHASE 

PROGRAM SPECIFICATION 

(FPPS) FOR FULLY 

COOKED, BONELESS, 

THINLY SLICED ROAST 

BEEF, FROZEN

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)

Livestock, Poultry and Seed (LPS) Program 

Food Safety and Commodity Specification (FSCS) Division

Room 2628 S-Bldg, Phone: (202) 692-0342

Effective: February 2015

Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 06/16/10

Date Revised: 02/09/15

100 ITEM DESCRIPTIONS

110 Item - Roast Beef, Fully Cooked, Boneless, Thinly Sliced – Thinly sliced (not 

shaved) roast beef shall have a whole muscle appearance and be shingle 

layered. The full intact slices shall be round, or oval shaped with a diameter 

of 4.0 to 4.5 inches.

120 Meat Component - Any combination of the following boneless round cuts 

shall comprise no less than 80 percent of the product formulation:

121 Beef Round Inside

122 Beef Round Outside (Heel Out)

123 Eye of Round

130 All boneless round cuts shall be derived from carcasses graded U.S.D.A. 

Select, Choice, or Prime.

140 Non-meat Component - Non-meat components will comprise no more than 

20 percent of the product formulation. The weight of the finished cooked 

product shall not exceed the green weight of the fresh uncooked product by 

greater than 10 percent.

150 Fat - Fat content will not exceed 5 grams per 100 gram basis.

160 Sodium - Sodium content will not exceed 520 milligrams per 100 gram 

basis.

170 Packing - Twenty (20) 2-pound or eight (8) 5-pound immediate containers 

(packages) will be packed in a 40-pound (net weight) shipping container.

180 Delivery Unit - Each delivery unit will consist of 1,000 cases (40,000 

pounds).
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 06/16/10

Date Revised: 02/09/15 2

200 CHECKLIST OF REQUIREMENTS 

201 All items must be produced in accordance with Food Safety and Inspection 

Service (FSIS) regulations and the AMS Checklist of Requirements. The 

contractor’s technical proposal, submitted to the FSCS Division, must 

adhere to the following checklist of requirements. 

210 MATERIALS

211 MEAT COMPONENT 

211.1 Boneless cuts of the beef round will be the only meat component allowed 

and shall comply with the following requirements. 

211.1.1 Domestic Origin of Meat Component – All beef will be derived from cattle 

originating from U.S. produced livestock as described in the Master 

Solicitation and Supplement. 

211.1.2 Harvesting (Slaughtering) – Cattle will be harvested in facilities that 

comply with the following requirements: 

211.1.2.1 Humane Handling – All cattle will be humanely handled in accordance with 

all applicable FSIS regulations and AMS requirements. 

211.1.2.2 Spinal Cord Removal – All spinal cord tissue will be removed during the 

harvesting process. 

211.2 Traceability – Contractors are responsible for providing sufficient product 

traceability and must have records to verify the source of raw materials used

in each lot of product. 

211.3 Handling – All boneless beef must be maintained in excellent condition. 

The contractor’s technical proposal shall include detailed production 

scheduling that addresses time and temperature controls necessary to 

maintain excellent condition of the boneless beef. Frozen boneless beef 

may be used provided it is processed into the final product within 60 days 

from the date of pack.

211.4 Grade – All boneless round cuts shall be derived from beef carcasses 

graded U.S.D.A. Select, Choice, or Prime. The contracting officer shall 

specify grade designation within the invitation. If no grade designation is 

specified, boneless round cuts from any of the aforementioned grades may 

be utilized.

211.5 Objectionable Materials – The following objectionable materials shall be 

excluded:
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 06/16/10

Date Revised: 02/09/15 3

211.5.1 Major lymph glands (prefemoral and popliteal), and the sciatic (ischiatic) 

nerve (lies medial to the outside round).

211.5.2 All bone, cartilage, silver skin on the outside round, sacrociatic ligament, 

opaque periosteum, gracilis membrane, and achilles tendon.

211.6 Pathogen Testing – Boneless beef previously tested and found positive 

for any pathogen will not be allowed.

212 NON-MEAT COMPONENTS 

212.1 Domestic Origin of Non-Meat Component – Significant ingredients (more 

than 1 percent) will be derived from U.S. produced products.

212.2 Seasoning and Ingredient – Seasonings and other ingredients will be 

used to produce finished product with a mild flavor profile suitable for 

institutional or family feeding systems.

212.3 Product Formula – The production formula may include water, dextrose, 

salt, sodium phosphate, caramel coloring and an antimicrobial agent.

212.4 Binder Agents –Binder agents such as carrageenan, modified food starch, 

and isolated soy protein may be used.

212.5 Curing Agents – Curing agents such as sodium nitrite, sodium 

erythorbate, and sodium ascorbate are not allowed.

212.6 MSG – Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is not allowed. 

220 PROCESSING 

221 PROCESSING DATE 

221.1 Roast beef will be processed no more than 30 days prior to shipment.

222 CASING DIAMETER / DIMENSION

222.1 Roast beef will be stuffed and processed within high oxygen and high 

moisture barrier poly “cook-n-ship” casings with a diameter of 4.0 to 4.5 

inches. Roast beef then shall be peeled from its casing, sliced and 

repackaged (see Section 251).

223 PRODUCT COOKING

223.1 Roast beef will be fully cooked in accordance with FSIS regulations.
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 06/16/10

Date Revised: 02/09/15 4

224 METAL DETECTION

224.1 All roast beef must be free of metal contamination. Detection of stainless 

steel, ferrous, and non-ferrous (e.g., lead, copper, and aluminum) metals is 

required. The equipment, location, detection procedure, sensitivity levels, 

frequency of equipment validation, and corrective action procedures will be 

identified and described in the contractor’s technical proposal.

230 FINISHED PRODUCT LIMITATIONS 

231 FAT

231.1 The contractor will target production to maintain a process average for fat 

content to be 5.0 percent or less. 

232 SODIUM

232.1 Sodium level must not exceed 520 milligrams per 100 gram basis

233 MICROBIAL

233.1 The contractor will have a documented plan to comply with the 

current FSIS Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes requirements 

for ready-to-eat foods. Product tested positive for any pathogen will 

not be allowed as rework or delivery to USDA.

234 PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

234.1 Sliced roast beef shall be intact slices and appear as being derived from 

intact whole muscle cuts.

240 STATE OF REFRIGERATION

240.1 Roast beef must comply with the following holding time and temperature 

requirements:

241 HOLDING TIME 

241.1 After processing and prior to freezing, roast beef will be refrigerated for a 

minimum of 24 hours. 

242 HOLDING TEMPERATURE 

242.1 Roast beef will have an internal temperature not to exceed 40°F prior to 

placement in the freezer.
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 06/16/10

Date Revised: 02/09/15 5

243 72 HOURS TEMPERATURE 

243.1 Roast beef must be 0°F or below within 72 hours after placement into the 

freezer.

250 PREPARATION FOR DELIVERY 

251 PACKAGING 

251.1 Sliced roast beef will be packaged into bags or thermoformed packaging 

and vacuum sealed to a net weight of 2 or 5 pounds as declared in the 

contracting officer’s invitation. All packages will be closed by heat seal. 

252 PACKING

252.1 Twenty (20) 2-pound or eight (8) 5-pound packages will be snugly packed 

into a new shipping container to a net weight of 40 pounds.

253 CLOSURE

253.1 Shipping containers will be closed by strapping, taping or gluing.

254 LABELING1/

254.1 The shipping containers will be in compliance with the National Motor 

Freight Classification, or the Uniform Freight Classification, as applicable. 

Both immediate and shipping containers will be labeled to include all 

information required by FSIS regulations.

254.1.1 Immediate Container Labels – Immediate container labels will contain the 

following information:

254.1.1.1 A traceability code that is traced back to establishment number, production 

lot, and date.

254.1.1.2 A “Best-If-Used-By” date that is 180 calendar days from the date of 

production.

254.1.1.3 Nutrition facts panel based on actual nutritional analysis of the product.

254.1.1.4 The product name “Roast Beef, Fully Cooked, Boneless, Thinly Sliced”

2/.

254.1.1.5 A label qualifier stating, “10% of Weight is Added Ingredients” or an 

appropriate variation, thereof (e.g. Contains up to 10%...).

1/All labeling illustrations must be provided in the contractor’s technical proposal.

2/If binders exceed 0.1 percent of the product formula, the product will need to be descriptively labeled.
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 06/16/10

Date Revised: 02/09/15 6

254.1.2 Shipping Container Labels – Shipping container labels will contain the 

following information: 

254.1.2.1 USDA shield at least 2 inches high and appearing on the top of the 

container or on the principal display panel.

254.1.2.2 Applicable purchase order number.

254.1.2.3 A traceability code that is traced back to establishment number, production 

lot, and date.

254.1.2.4 Nutrition facts panel based on actual nutritional analysis of the product.

254.1.2.5 The appropriate product name and material number listed in the table below 

for each of the items.

Item Material Number

Roast Beef, Fully Cooked, Boneless, Thinly Sliced, 2

lb. 110098

Roast Beef, Fully Cooked, Boneless, Thinly Sliced, 5 

lb. 110096

254.1.2.6 The product name “Roast Beef, Fully Cooked, Boneless, Thinly Sliced”

/3.

254.1.2.7 A label qualifier stating, “10% of Weight is Added Ingredients” or an 

appropriate variation, thereof (e.g. Contains up to 10%...).

254.1.2.8 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 or 

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

3/If binders exceed 0.1 percent of the product formula, the product will need to be descriptively labeled
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 06/16/10

Date Revised: 02/09/15 7

255 PALLETIZED UNIT LOADS

255.1 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.

260 DELIVERY UNIT 

260.1 Each delivery unit will consist of 1,000 cases equaling 40,000 pounds.

270 DELIVERED PRODUCT 

270.1 SIZE AND STYLE OF CONTAINER 

270.1.1 Only one size and style of immediate and shipping containers may be 

offered in an individual shipping unit.

270.2 TEMPERATURE 

270.2.1 All products will not exceed 0°F at the time of shipment and delivery.

270.3 SEALING 

270.3.1 All products must 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)

F1157-04 and/or the International Organization for Standards (ISO) 17712-

2010 as required under the Master Solicitation. Seals shall be 1⁄8th-inch 

diameter cable, high-security bolt, or equivalent.

280 PRODUCT ASSURANCE

281 WARRANTY AND COMPLAINT RESOLUTION

281.1 Warranty – The contractor will guarantee that the product complies with all 

contractual requirements required under the Supplement.

281.2 Complaint Resolution – The contractor’s technical proposal must provide 

steps taken to resolve complaints received on the product (i.e. point of 

contact, cause and effect analysis, corrective and preventative actions 

taken, and product replacement).
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 06/16/10

Date Revised: 02/09/15 8

282 NON-CONFORMING PRODUCT

282.1 The contractor must have documented procedures that assure 

nonconforming product identification, segregation, and disposition in order 

to prevent misuse and that nonconforming product is not delivered to USDA. 

The plan must address 1) control and segregation of non-conforming 

product, 2) removal of any USDA markings, and 3) disposition of nonconforming product, including vendor notification in writing to the FSCS

Division of final disposition (e.g., diverted to commercial production, cooked 

or destroyed).

290 CONTRACTOR CHECKLOADING

290.1 Contractor will perform checkloading examinations at the time of shipment 

 and issue a contractor’s certificate to accompany each shipment that 

 includes all of the following information:

290.1.1 Purchase Order Number/Purchase Order Line Item Number;

290.1.2 Sales Order Number/Sales Order Line Item Number;

290.1.3 Destination of shipment;

290.1.4 Name of Product and applicable Material Number;

290.1.5 Shipping Date;

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

 shipping container and immediate container code(s) and the code used 

 that provides traceability to establishment number, production lot and date;

290.1.7 Count of shipping containers and total projected net weight in each 

 production lot;

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

 applicable;

290.1.9 Contractor certification that product conforms with the applicable 

 specification (FPPS-SRB-2015);

290.1.10 Count and projected net weight verified and;

290.1.11 Signature of company official responsible for checkloading.