APPROVED

FEDERAL PURCHASE 

PROGRAM SPECIFICATION 

(FPPS) FOR SALMON

FILLET PORTIONS, FROZEN

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)

Livestock and Poultry (LP) Program 

Food Safety and Commodity Specification (FSCS) Division

Room 2633 S-Bldg, Phone: (202) 692-0342

Supersedes: FPPS SF dated December 2016 – changes from 

previous requirements in blue

Effective: February 2019

Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 04/28/16

Date Revised: 02/12/19

100 ITEM DESCRIPTION

110 Salmon Fillet Portions, Skin-On, Practically Boneless, Frozen

110.1 U.S. Grade A

110.1.1 The Frozen Salmon Fillet Portions shall meet the requirements of U.S. Grade 

A as defined in the U.S. Standard for Grades of Fish Fillets.

110.2 Salmon fillet portions shall be derived from wild caught Coho salmon 

(Oncorhynchus kisutch) or Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka). The 

contracting officer will designate the species within each purchase solicitation.

120 Portion Weight – The weight for salmon fillet portions shall be 4.0 ounces.

130 Packing – Four individually vacuum packaged fillet portions shall be packed in

a 1-pound primary package. Forty 1-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 vessels and 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-commercecertification#seafood-inspection

210 MATERIALS
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 04/28/16

Date Revised: 02/12/19 2

210.1 Contractors’ technical proposal shall describe in detail the necessary 

processing steps, supported with digital images, to comply with the 

requirements below.

211 FISH FLESH

211.1 Domestic Origin of Fish Flesh - Only wild caught Coho salmon 

(Oncorhynchus kisutch) or Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) produced 

in the United States (U.S.) shall be used. U.S. produced salmon shall be wild 

caught fish 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. 

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

salmon fillets; fresh headed and gutted salmon; individually quick frozen (IQF) 

practically boneless salmon fillets; previously frozen bone-in salmon fillets or 

previously frozen headed and gutted salmon. The practically boneless 

salmon fillet portions shall be optionally glazed, individually vacuum packed, 

and stored in commercial freezer at 0°F or below. Portions processed from 

frozen salmon fillets shall remain frozen, then individually vacuum packed.

211.3 The frozen raw material used to process practically boneless salmon portions 

shall have been stored at temperatures of 0°F or below for no more than 12 

months.

211.4 U.S. Grade A – United States Standards for Grades of Fish Fillets, Part 263, 

Subpart A. The frozen salmon fillet portions shall be graded in accordance 

with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Seafood 

Inspection Manual, Part 5, Chapter 1, General Fillets.

211.5 Fillet portions – The practically boneless salmon fillet portions shall be graded 

in accordance with the U.S. Grade A requirements as specified in the U.S. 

Standard for Grades of General Fish Fillets.

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

and have a written quality plan that shall meet the requirements of the U.S. 

Standard for Grades of Fish Fillets and the USDA Federal Purchase Program 

Specification.

211.7 Salmon injected with added ingredients is prohibited.

211.8 The tail end fillet portions shall not exceed 15% of the total fillet portions in the 

lot. 

212 FINISHED PRODUCT REQUIREMENTS
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 04/28/16

Date Revised: 02/12/19 3

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

shall be 4.0 ounces. Quality assurance plans shall apply upper and lower

specification limits of 4.5 and 3.5 ounces, respectively. Compliance will be 

determined using the acceptance number associated with the corresponding 

sample size for the lot using the acceptance number in the 50 CFR Sampling 

Plan. The contractors’ technical proposal shall describe the quality assurance 

steps taken to insure this requirement is met.

212.2 Individual fillet portions shall be vacuum packaged.

213 PREPARATION/COOKING METHODS

213.1 Handling, preparation and cooking 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. The contractor's technical proposal shall identify and 

describe the equipment, location, detection procedure, sensitivity levels, 

frequency of equipment validation, and corrective action procedures. 

215 STATE OF REFRIGERATION

215.1 Salmon fillet portions processed from chilled (not previously frozen) salmon 

fillets or chilled headed and gutted fish shall be subjected to a freezing 

process and then stored at 00F or below immediately after processing. 

Salmon fillet portions processed from individually quick frozen (IQF) 

practically boneless salmon fillets shall remain frozen during processing and 

then stored at 00F or below immediately after processing. 

Salmon fillet portions processed from previously frozen bone-in fillets or 

previously frozen head and gutted salmon shall be subjected to a re-freezing 

process and then stored at 00F or below immediately after processing.

215.2 Salmon fillet portions 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 1-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.
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 04/28/16

Date Revised: 02/12/19 4

221.2 Packing –Forty 1-pound primary packages shall be packed in a 40-pound (net 

weight) shipping container.

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.

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, be 

illustrated in the contractor’s technical proposal and contain the required 

information listed below. Both the primary package and shipping container 

labels must be submitted to USDC for approval using the NOAA Form 89-819 

along with the approved USDA Federal Purchase Program Specification.

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.

222.2.8 Safe handling instructions.

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 CMS

Date Issued: 04/28/16

Date Revised: 02/12/19 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.

222.3.5 Handling, preparation and cooking instructions (optional).

222.3.6 USDC Inspection Mark and Grade – The Processed Under Federal 

Inspection “PUFI” mark along with the Grade A Shield.

222.3.7 Material Number – 110750.

222.3.8 Product name – Salmon Fillet Portions, Frozen.

222.3.9 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

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. NOAA SI Approved Establishments must comply with 

the following regulatory requirements that are applicable to the firm:
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 04/28/16

Date Revised: 02/12/19 6

231.2 21 CFR Part 101 - Labeling

21 CFR Part 110

21 CFR Part 117 Subparts A, B and F

21 CFR Part 123

NOAA SI Approved Establishments Requirements

50 CFR Part 260

231.3 To meet the requirements of a USDC/NOAA Approved Establishment, 

processors of fish and fishery products may participate in one of three 

USDC/NOAA Inspection Systems:

231.4 USDC/NOAA HACCP Quality Management Program (HACCP QMP);

A Systems Audit based service which requires firms to be subjected to 

announced and unannounced systems audits on a quarterly frequency 

interval to substantiate overall compliance with all pertinent regulations and to 

meet quality requirements. 

231.5 USDC/NOAA Integrated Quality Assurance (IQA) Program; 

A reduced inspection service which requires that firms assume greater 

verification and documentation responsibility and NOAA SI performs 

verification checks of the facility, QA system and product quality results.

231.6 USDC/NOAA Resident Inspector (RI) Program; 

A continuous inspection service whereby USDC Inspection personnel are 

present during all hours of production to fulfill USDA contracts.

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) 

17712-2010 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. The contractor’s technical proposal 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.
Approved by CMS 

Date Issued: 04/28/16 

Date Revised: 02/12/19 7 

240 NON-CONFORMING PRODUCT

241.1 The contractor shall include a plan and supporting documentation 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, including vendor documentation of final disposition (e.g., diverted to 

commercial production, cooked or destroyed).

250 ACCEPTANCE AND CERTIFICATION

251 Contractor or agents of the contractor shall have full access to the USDC 

Seafood Inspection Services Portal (SISP) to request certification of product 

from USDC:

https://seafoodinspection.nmfs.noaa.gov/customer/customerlogin.html

The contractor shall provide the information accurately and in a timely 

manner. Data accuracy and timeliness are essential to the certification 

process; errors or delays when making requests can lead to significant delays 

or the rejection of certification requests by the USDC Seafood Inspector.

252 The 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;

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;
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 04/28/16

Date Revised: 02/12/19 8

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.