Agricultural Marketing Service

Commodity Procurement Program

P.O. Box 419205, Mailstop 8718

Kansas City, MO 64141-6205

USDA COMMODITY REQUIREMENTS 

RP6

RICE PRODUCTS

FOR USE IN DOMESTIC PROGRAMS

Effective Date: October 2019

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

RP6

RICE PRODUCTS

FOR USE IN DOMESTIC PROGRAMS

Table of Contents

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

Section 1.1 COMMODITIES................................................................................................... 1

Section 1.2 FUMIGATION...................................................................................................... 2

Section 1.3 INSPECTION........................................................................................................ 2

Part 2 CONTAINER AND PACKAGING REQUIREMENTS................................................ 3

Section 2.1 COMMERCIAL PACKAGING AND LABELING............................................. 3
RP 6 Page 1 of 4

Part 1 COMMODITY SPECIFICATIONS

Section 1.1 COMMODITIES

A. Product Requirements

Rice products delivered shall meet the specifications of the class and grade 

offered as defined in the “United States Standards for Milled Rice,” in effect on 

the date the solicitation is issued. The standards are available at:

https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/rice-pulses. Rice products shall be 

a US No. 2 or better well milled rice, unless so specified.

(1) Rice products, excluding Brown rice products, produced and delivered 

shall be enriched.

(2) Rice products of special grades “parboiled light” or “parboiled” which 

meets class and grade specifications of U.S. No. 1 will only be acceptable 

for those items specifying “parboiled.” “Parboiled light” or “parboiled” 

shall not be substitutable for other classes of rice.

(3) Enriched rice products (including “parboiled light” or “parboiled”) shall 

comply with the standards for enriched rice established by the FDA, in the 

Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Chapter 1, Part 137, Subpart B, 

Section 137.350, which is available at: 

https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfCFR/CFRSearch.cf

m, except that the optional enrichment ingredients will not be included.

(4) Rice coated with talc and/or glucose, is not acceptable and will be rejected 

if delivered. No specialty, including but not limited to aromatic rice, will 

be acceptable unless specified in the solicitation.

B. Brown Rice shall be U.S. No. 1 long grain, medium grain, or short grain brown 

rice for processing, as defined in the “United States Standards for Brown Rice for 

Processing,” which is available at https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/ricepulses, in effect on the date the solicitation is issued. Total broken kernels shall 

not exceed 4 percent.

C. Parboiled brown rice shall be U.S. No. 1 long grain brown rice or U.S. No. 1 

medium grain brown rice. Total broken kernels shall not exceed 4 percent.

D. All rice products for delivery to destinations in the State of Hawaii shall be U.S. 

No. 1 Medium Grain only.

E. The Government will accept delivery of rice products grading better than the 

specified contract grade, but no adjustment in contract price will be made for rice 

products better than the contract grade.

F. Product shall not be manufactured more than 30 days prior to shipping. 

Manufactured date is defined as the calendar date on which the rice is milled. 

Contractors are responsible for maintaining manufacturing information.
RP 6 Page 2 of 4

Section 1.2 FUMIGATION

A. Rice products shall be fumigated in a quantity and manner which will effect

a kill in all stages of weevil or other insect infestation. Infestation includes, 

but is not limited to, visual signs of insect eggs, insect larva, and adult 

insects. All fumigant must be applied according to the Environmental 

Protection Agency (EPA) label. The vendor’s Fumigation Management Plan 

shall be made available to AMS Commodity Procurement Programs upon 

request.

B. At time of checkloading, the contractor shall submit documentation from a 

licensed fumigator certifying that the rice products were fumigated in accordance 

with this requirement. The Fumigation Certificate shall cite the fumigant, actual 

date the rice was fumigated and the fumigator’s license number. Failure to 

provide documentation at checkloading will result in product non-conformance.

Section 1.3 INSPECTION

A. Inspection of the product shall be performed by FGIS. Procedures and fee 

schedule for this service may be obtained at https://www.ams.usda.gov/gradesstandards/rice-pulses (See Service Provider Information).

The applicant is responsible for providing all applicable contract documents and 

specifications to FGIS. The quality, weight, and packaging of the product shall be 

evidenced by commodity inspection certificates issued by FGIS. The FGIS

certificate must cite the Contract/WBSCM Purchase Order (PO), PO Item Number, 

Sales Order (SO) Number and SO Item Number or Purchase Requisition (PR) and 

PR Item Number. Contractors are required to notify the Government immediately 

of lots that fail to meet contract requirements.

B. Enrichment

The FGIS certificate will also cite whether or not the rice is enriched. Testing of 

the product for enrichment, if applicable to the commodity, shall be performed by 

FGIS. FGIS shall verify the presence of enrichment for each inspected lot. 

Enrichment results will be shown in the factor section of the certificate.

Applicant statements in regard to enrichment will not be accepted by FGIS.

C. Citations

The FGIS certificate must cite the Contract/WBSCM Purchase Order (PO), PO 

Item Number, Sales Order (SO) Number and SO Item Number or Purchase 

Requisition (PR) and PR Item Number. Contractors are required to notify the 

Government immediately of lots that fail to meet contract requirements.

D. Shipping

Contractors shall not ship the product unless informed by FGIS that the 

containers and markings meet the Acceptable Quality Level (AQL) of the “U.S. 

Standards for Condition of Food Containers,” which are available at: 
RP 6 Page 3 of 4

http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_04/7cfr42_04.html. Notice by FGIS

that a designated lot scheduled for shipment does not meet the AQL will 

constitute rejection to the contractor of such lot. Except with respect to shipments 

that do not meet the AQL standards, the contractor may ship the product prior to 

receipt of the commodity testing and analysis results (when required) in which 

event the contractor assumes all risks and liabilities that arise with respect to the 

failure of the shipped product to meet contract specifications.

E. If the product fails to meet contract specifications on one or more factors on the 

first inspection, the contractor may arrange with FGIS subsequent inspections of 

the commodity. The inspections may be conducted at origin or a subsequent point 

of delivery if the provisions of Title 7 CFR 68.44 through 68.63 issued under the 

Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, as amended, with respect to retest, appeal, 

and new inspections can be met. When subsequent inspections of the product are 

made, the results of the last inspection will be used as the basis for payment under 

the contract.

F. Checkloading

All rice shall undergo checkloading. Checkloading shall be performed by FGIS

or their authorized designee(s). FGIS checkloading shall include the process of 

performing a stowage examination on a carrier, computing the number of filled 

rice containers loaded aboard the carrier, observing the condition of the rice 

containers loaded aboard the carrier, witnessing the sealing the carrier, if 

practicable, and certifying the results.

Contractors have the option of requesting that FGIS include the manufacturing 

date in the “Applicant states” portion of the Grading certificate. 

FGIS checkloading, including witnessing sealing the carrier, does not release the 

contractor from, or take the place of the seal requirements, cited in the Master 

Solicitation for Commodity Procurements, Seals on Transportation Conveyances.

Part 2 CONTAINER AND PACKAGING REQUIREMENTS

Section 2.1 COMMERCIAL PACKAGING AND LABELING

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

printed on the principal display panel of the food label.

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

the commercial bill of lading.
RP 6 Page 4 of 4

(3) 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.

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

DISTRIBUTION PROGRAMS.”

(5) All primary packaging labels must include a minimum of one

color other than black or white. Black ink only labels will not be 

accepted. Labels shall cite any enrichment ingredients.

C. Container, packaging and unitization requirements shall comply with 

Section 4A52.211-3, 4A52.211-4, and 4A52.211-6 in the Master Solicitation 

for Commodity Procurement-Domestic Programs which is available at 

https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/MSCP.pdf.