Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 06/10/11

Date Revised: 08/03/17

SUPPLEMENT 304 TO THE 

AMS MASTER SOLICITATION

FOR PURCHASE OF PORK 

LOIN CHOPS, CENTER CUT, 

BONELESS, FROZEN FOR 

DISTRIBUTION TO FEDERAL 

FOOD AND NUTRITION 

ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

APPROVED

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)

Livestock, Poultry and Seed (LPS) Program

Food Safety and Commodity Specification (FSCS) Division

Room 2624 S-Bldg, Phone: (202) 692-0342

Supersedes: Supplement 304 April 2016 – Changes 

from previous requirements in blue

 

Effective: August 2017

100 OVERVIEW

110 This document provides additional program requirements for the purchase of Pork Loin 

Chops, Center Cut, Boneless, Frozen by the Department of Agriculture (USDA), including 

the applicable Federal Purchase Program Specification (FPPS) (Exhibit A).

200 INSTRUCTIONS TO POTENTIAL SUPPLIERS

210 The Pork Loin Chops, Center Cut, Boneless, Frozen shall be purchased on a competitive

bid basis from qualified suppliers who have met the requirements described in this Section. 

Interested suppliers may submit sample(s) and a technical proposal at any time during the 

purchase program. Suppliers should allow 10 working days, from USDA’s receipt of the

product sample(s) and technical proposal for notification of evaluation results. A supplier is 

deemed eligible upon notification of approval of the sample(s) and technical proposal by the 

FSCS Division.

220 Submission of sample(s) and a technical proposal is not binding on USDA. Actual 

purchases shall be described in the AMS Master Solicitation for Commodity Procurements 

and Solicitations.

230 Documentation Requirements

231 Technical Proposal Requirement

231.1 Include a detailed description of the Pork Loin Chops, Center Cut, Boneless, Frozen

offered and each of the production steps that are taken to meet or exceed the minimum 

product requirements set forth in the FPPS. (Plan/Do)
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 06/10/11

Date Revised: 08/03/17

231.2 Describe all the quality assurance methods used to verify conformance to all requirements. 

This shall include the monitoring and measurements taken during the process to verify 

conformance with each requirement. All measurement results shall be recorded and made 

available to AMS. (Check)

231.3 Identify all corrective actions to be taken if deviations from contractual and specification 

requirements occur during production, and all preventative actions to be taken to preclude 

a reoccurrence. (Act)

231.4 The technical proposal shall follow the format as shown in Exhibit C. Technical proposals 

should be brief and concise.

231.5 The technical proposal shall be preceded by the following, as required by the template:

231.5.1 Table of Contents listing the major areas as they appear in the technical proposal; and

231.5.2 List of attachments, forms provided with the technical proposal, if appropriate with the 

applicable document name and reference number.

232 The FSCS Division shall review each technical proposal to determine if the proposal is 

adequate and shall notify the supplier of the status of its technical proposal and its 

eligibility to bid.

233. Animal Welfare Requirements

233.1 All contractors and subcontractors shall meet the animal handling and welfare requirements 

set forth in the Federal Purchase Program Specification (FPPS) For Animal Handling and 

Welfare, effective August 2017 (Exhibit B).

300 INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSION OF TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

310 The following procedures establish the acceptable minimum requirements for the 

format and content of the technical proposal:

310.1 The Government has provided a technical proposal format which is to be used in preparing 

the technical proposal (see Exhibit C). The supplier shall submit the technical proposal as

an email file attachment to AMS (Darin.Doerscher@ams.usda.gov and 

Steve.Whisenant@ams.usda.gov). The technical proposal shall be saved in a non-portable 

document file format (not PDF; e.g., Microsoft Word). The technical proposal shall be 

submitted in its entirety. If the file size of the technical proposal is too large to send in a single

email, it may be divided and sent in multiple emails (i.e., Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, etc.). The

collection of attachments and appendices may be submitted as a separate document as well.

310.2 The technical proposal shall be submitted by an authorized agent of the company.
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 06/10/11

Date Revised: 08/03/17

310.3 While it is not the desire of the Government to penalize an offeror for non-compliance with 

formatting instructions, technical evaluators may have difficulty evaluating the technical 

proposal to the fullest extent possible if the proposal is not presented in the proper format. 

Technical evaluators shall not be required to search other subsections or sections of the 

offeror’s technical proposal for information requested in the evaluation.

320 Technical Proposal Revisions

321 Changes to a supplier’s technical proposal may be submitted at any time or at the request of 

the FSCS Division. All technical proposal revisions shall meet the following criteria:

321.1 Any changes to a technical proposal made by the supplier after its initial submittal shall be 

accomplished by submitting an entire technical proposal. A cover letter shall be submitted 

with the changes identified and an explanation of the need for the change. The supplier

shall include the revision date and the appropriate page number(s).

321.2 Changes from the original technical proposal shall be highlighted and deletions in

strikeouts.

400 QUALITY ASSESSMENT (QA) DIVISION

410 Once a supplier is notified by the FSCS Division that the technical proposal meets the 

applicable criteria, the QA Division shall contact the supplier to set up a pre-award onsite 

capability assessment audit of the facility’s processes, food defense plan, and quality 

control program used to produce the product(s) to determine the supplier’s ability to meet 

contractual requirements.

420 Pre-Award Onsite Capability Assessment Audit

421 Food Defense Assessment

421.1 The QA Division shall conduct a food defense audit that shall include, but is not limited to, a 

thorough evaluation of the potential contractors’ and subcontractors’ food defense plan. 

Documentation shall support the contractor’s or subcontractor’s food defense plan. If the 

report demonstrates that the food defense plan is inadequate, the applicant shall be 

notified by the Commodity Procurement Staff (CPS) that it is ineligible to bid. The applicant 

shall have an opportunity to correct identified deficiencies, modify its food defense plan and

contact QAD. Eligibility shall depend on whether the modifications demonstrate 

compliance with its food defense plan.

422 Documentation shall support:

422.1 the production of Pork Loin Chops, Center Cut, Boneless, Frozen that complies with the 

applicable specification and the potential contractor’s approved technical proposal, and

422.2 the contractor’s or subcontractor’s food defense plan. In addition, the audit shall consist of 

the review of records related to purchasing, receiving, production, quality control, inventory 

and shipping records, and interviews with management and production personnel.
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 06/10/11

Date Revised: 08/03/17

423 Upon completion of the onsite capability assessment, the auditor shall provide either a 

verbal or email notification of the audit findings to the FSCS Division to determine (based 

on the audit findings), supplier eligibility to bid. Supplier shall be notified by the FSCS 

Division and the official final report shall be sent once released from the QA Division.

423.1 If the audit findings demonstrate that the process or food defense plan is inadequate, the 

applicant shall be notified by CPS that it is ineligible to bid. The supplier shall have an 

opportunity to correct identified deficiencies, modify its process, and/or technical proposal, 

and resubmit to FSCS Division for further consideration.

423.2 Eligibility shall depend on whether the modifications demonstrate that:

423.2.1 the process is capable of delivering Pork Loin Chops, Center Cut, Boneless, Frozen in 

compliance with the FPPS,

423.2.2 the supplier is in compliance with its food defense plan,

423.2.3 includes the applicable assessment by USDA, and 

423.2.4 the supplier complies with other applicable contractual requirements.

430 Post-Award Assessment Audit

431 Eligible suppliers who receive contracts shall have their documented food defense plan, 

technical proposal, and supporting documentation readily available for review by AMS 

agents. Records may be maintained on hard copy or electronic media. However, records 

maintained as electronic media shall be made available in printed form immediately upon 

request by AMS agents.

432 The QA Division shall conduct an onsite audit of the contractor’s and subcontractor’s 

facility(s) and processes when production commences for the first contract awarded. 

Additional audits shall be conducted as determined by the FSCS Division, but not less than 

once per month for contractors or subcontractors with continuous or multiple contracts, or 

once per contract for intermittent contractors. At the discretion of the FSCS Division, more 

frequent audits may be conducted when audit deficiencies are detected.

440 Post-Award Actions

441 Any deviation from contractual requirements shall be immediately reported by the 

contractor to the Contracting Officer and FSCS Division. The Contracting Officer shall

notify the contractor regarding eligibility to continue to participate as a contractor.

442 The contractor shall assure that the delivered product complies with the provisions of the 

FPPS, the applicable assessment by USDA, and the contractor’s technical proposal 

approved by the FSCS Division.

450 The cost of all audit, product monitoring, and certification services performed by the AMS 

agents shall be borne by the contractor. This includes, but is not limited to, audits, 

examinations, supervision, official documentation, and related services.
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 06/10/11

Date Revised: 08/03/17

460 For questions concerning charges and the availability of AMS agents, contact USDA/AMS,

LPS Program’s QA Division field office or the Director of the QA Division, LPS Program,

AMS, USDA, Room 3953-S, STOP 0258, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, 

DC 20250-0258, telephone (202) 720-3271.

500 DOMESTIC ORIGIN CERTIFICATION CLAUSE

510 The contractor agrees to include this domestic origin certification clause in its entirety in all 

subcontracts for meat or meat products used in fulfilling any contracts awarded under this 

Supplement and Master Solicitation. The burden of proof of compliance is on the 

Contractor. All raw materials shall be shipped in containers labeled as “Domestic Only 

Product” on the principle display panel and the bill of lading accompanying the shipment 

shall contain the statement “Domestic Only Product.”

600 CERTIFICATE OF CONFORMANCE (COC)

610 In addition to the referenced payment documents required in the Master Solicitation,

please include a copy of the Contractor’s Certificate of Conformance (Exhibit D).

700 CONTRACTOR CHECKLOADING

710 The contractor shall perform checkloading examinations as described in the FPPS at 

the time of shipment and issue contractor’s certificate to accompany each shipment 

that includes all of the following information:

710.1 Purchase Order Number,

710.2 Sales Order and Sales Order Item Number,

710.3 Name of product,

610.4 Shipping Date,

710.5 Production lot number(s) and date each lot was produced,

710.6 Count of shipping containers and total projected net weight in each production lot,

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

applicable

710.8 Contractor certification that product conforms with the FPPS,

710.9 Count and projected net weight verified, and

710.10 Signature of company official responsible for checkloading.

800 EXHIBITS
APPROVED

FEDERAL PURCHASE 

PROGRAM SPECIFICATION 

(FPPS) FOR PORK LOIN 

CHOPS, CENTER CUT, 

BONELESS, 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

Supersedes: FPPS PLC January 2015 – Changes from 

previous requirements in blue

Effective: July 2017

Approved by CMS 

Date Issued: 04/26/13

Date Revised: 07/17/17

100 ITEM DESCRIPTION

110 Pork Loin Chops, Center Cut, Boneless, Frozen – This item is as described in 

the Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications (IMPS) Item Number 1413 PSO 

1. Individual boneless chops shall not be marinated and weigh four (4) oz. 

(114g) +/- one-half (1⁄2) oz. (14g), exhibit a tail length of ≤ one (1) in. (26mm) 

and be frozen prior to packaging.

200 APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS

210 IMPS for Fresh Pork - Series 400, effective November 2014. 

300 CHECKLIST OF REQUIREMENTS 

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

Service (FSIS) regulations. The contractor’s technical proposal, submitted to 

the FSCS Division, must adhere to the following AMS Checklist of

Requirements.

400 MATERIALS 

410 The contractor’s technical proposal must include procedures to address 

conformance with the following material requirements.

420 MEAT COMPONENT 

421 Pork derived from hog carcasses will be the only meat component allowed.

Pork derived from boar and sow carcasses is not permissible.

422 Domestic Origin – All pork will originate from U.S. produced livestock as defined 

in the Master Solicitation for Commodity Procurements and Supplement.

SUPPLEMENT 304 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 04/26/13

Date Revised: 07/17/17 2

423 Harvesting – Hogs will be harvested in facilities that comply with the 

following requirements: 

423.1 Humane Handling – Hogs will be humanely handled in accordance with all 

applicable FSIS regulations and AMS requirements. 

423.2 Non-Ambulatory Disabled Animals – Meat from carcasses of non-ambulatory 

disabled livestock will not be included in USDA Purchase Programs.

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

harvesting process. 

424 Pork – Pork must comply with the following requirements:

424.1 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. 

424.2 Handling – All pork 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 

pork. 

424.3 Lean Quality – Fresh-chilled pork must be reasonably uniform in color (slightly 

two-tone color is permissible) ranging from light pink to red. The pork muscles 

must not exhibit any evidence of pale, soft, and/or exudative conditions.

424.4 Objectionable Materials – Pork will be free of skin, bone, cartilage, organ 

tissue, significant glandular tissue, heavy connective tissue and foreign 

materials.

425 Mechanical Separation – Pork that is mechanically separated from bone with 

automatic deboning systems or advanced lean (meat) recovery (AMR) 

systems is not allowed.

500 PROCESSING 

510 The contractor’s technical proposal shall describe the necessary processing 

steps (including pictures) to comply with the items below.

511 Processing Date – Pork chops will be processed into finished product form no 

more than 30 days prior to shipment.

512 Pork chops will be produced as outlined in Section 100 – Item Descriptions

and as defined in IMPS Item Number 1413, PSO 1.

513 To facilitate portioning into chops, pork loins may be frozen and/or tempered, 

one time only.
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 04/26/13

Date Revised: 07/17/17 3

514 Weight – Individual pork chops shall weigh four (4) oz. (114g) +/- one-half 

(1⁄2) oz. (14g). 

515 Tail Length – Individual pork chops shall exhibit a tail length of ≤ one (1) in. 

(26 mm).

530 METAL DETECTION 

531 All products will 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 must identify and describe the equipment, 

location, detection procedure, sensitivity levels, frequency of equipment 

validation, and corrective action procedures. 

600 FINISHED PRODUCT LIMITATIONS 

610 The declared serving size, fat content and sodium level will be stated on the 

nutrition facts panel on each label according to FSIS nutritional labeling 

regulations. 

610 FAT

611 The fat content of the finished product will not exceed 10 percent.

611.1 ((Declared Fat (g) / Declared Serving Size (g; reference amount customarily 

consumed (racc))) X 100) ≤ 10 percent.

612 External (subcutaneous) fat thickness of individual pork loin chops will be an 

average of one-eighth (1⁄8) in. (3 mm) with the maximum thickness at any one 

point not to exceed one-quarter (1⁄4) in. (6mm).

620 SODIUM

621 Sodium level must not exceed 70mg per 100 gram basis

622 ((Declared Sodium Level (mg) X 100) / Declared Serving Size (g; racc)) ≤ 70. 

700 STATE OF REFRIGERATION

710 Pork chops will be frozen to an internal temperature of not higher than 0°F (-

17.8°C) within 72 hours from the time of final fabrication of the production lot.

800 PREPARATION FOR DELIVERY 

810 PACKAGING 

811 Four (4) pork chops shall be placed into a flexible immediate container and 

vacuum packaged to a net weight of one (1) pound.
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 04/26/13

Date Revised: 07/17/17 4

812 Individual pork chops shall be prepared in a manner (e.g. individually quick 

frozen (IQF) or inter-leaving) which prevents them from sticking together after 

they are packaged and packed. 

820 PACKING

821 Forty (40) immediate containers shall be placed into a shipping container to a 

net weight of 40 pounds.

830 LABELING

831 The shipping containers shall be in compliance with the National Motor Freight 

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

immediate and shipping containers shall be labeled to include all information 

required by FSIS regulations, be illustrated in the contractor’s technical 

proposal, and contain the following information:

832 Immediate Container Labels – Immediate container labels will be commercially 

labeled (e.g. “Brand X”) and contain the following information:

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

832.2 A nutrition facts panel based on actual nutritional analysis of the product.

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

and date. 

832.4 Safe handling instructions.

832.5 Ingredient declaration (including single ingredient products).

832.6 Cooking instructions.

833 Shipping Container Labels – Shipping container labels will contain the following 

information:

833.1 USDA shield at least 2 inches high and appearing on the top of the container or 

on the principal display panel.

833.2 Applicable purchase order number.

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

and date.
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 04/26/13

Date Revised: 07/17/17 5

833.4 A nutrition facts panel based on actual nutritional analysis of the product. 

833.5 Material number: 110380

833.6 Product Name: Pork Loin Chops, Boneless, Center Cut, Frozen

833.7 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 ______.

840 CLOSURE

841 Shipping containers will 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.

850 PALLETIZED UNIT LOADS 

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

with shrink wrap plastic, unless otherwise specified in the solicitation. 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.

900 DELIVERY UNIT 

910 Each delivery unit will consist of 950 cases and 38,000 pounds.

1000 DELIVERED PRODUCT 

1010 SIZE AND STYLE OF CONTAINER 

1011 Only one size and style of immediate and shipping containers may be offered in 

an individual shipping unit.

1020 TEMPERATURE 

1021 All products will not exceed 0°F at the time of shipment and delivery.

1030 SEALING 

1031 Sealing - 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) F 

1157-04 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.
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 04/26/13

Date Revised: 07/17/17 6

1100 PRODUCT ASSURANCE

1110 WARRANTY AND COMPLAINT RESOLUTION

1111 Warranty – The contractor will guarantee that the product complies with all 

contractual requirements required under the Master Solicitation and the 

Supplement.

1112 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).

1120 NON-CONFORMING PRODUCT

1121 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 non-conforming product, including 

vendor documentation of final disposition (e.g., diverted to commercial 

production, or destroyed).

1130 CONTRACTOR CHECKLOADING

1131 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:

1131.1 Purchase Order Number/Purchase Order Line Item Number;

1131.2 Sales Order Number/Sales Order Line Item Number;

1131.3 Destination of shipment;

1131.4 Name of Product and applicable Material Number;

1131.5 Shipping Date;

1131.6 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;

1131.7 Count of shipping containers and total projected net weight in each production 

 lot;

1131.8 Identity of car or truck (car numbers and letters, seals, truck license, etc.) as 

 applicable;
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 04/26/13

Date Revised: 07/17/17 7

1131.9 Contractor certification that product conforms with the applicable 

 specification (FPPS-PLC-2017);

1131.10 Count and projected net weight verified and;

1131.11 Signature of company official responsible for checkloading.
APPROVED

FEDERAL PURCHASE 

PROGRAM SPECIFICATION 

(FPPS) FOR ANIMAL 

HANDLING AND WELFARE

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

Supersedes: FPPS-AHW-2015 January 2015 – Changes 

from previous requirements in blue

Effective: August 2017

Approved by_______CMS 

Date Issued: 08/11/08 

Date Revised: 08/02/17

100 GENERAL 

101 This document is for use by the Department of Agriculture (USDA), AMS, LPS 

Program to ensure that the animal handling and welfare requirements for Federal 

nutrition assistance programs reflect industry best practices. 

110 PROGRAM APPROACH 

111 All animal harvest facilities that supply raw materials from bovine, porcine and 

ovine species for the production of AMS destined finished products must develop 

and implement a written program that is consistent with a systematic approach to 

humane animal handling and welfare as outlined in 69 FR 54625. The program will 

ensure proper animal handling and welfare techniques are conducted from the time 

the transportation conveyance enters the facility’s premises through the stunning 

and exsanguination of the animal. 

120 PROGRAM SUBMISSION 

121 The program will be submitted as a supporting document to the organization’s 

approved technical proposal and must address the requirements outlined in 

Section 200 – PROGRAM COMPONENTS. 

200 PROGRAM COMPONENTS 

201 The contractor must ensure that any facility that harvests animals has a: 

210 MANAGEMENT COMMITMENT 

211 Steering Committee (internal) which is ultimately accountable for animal handling 

and welfare initiatives within the organization. 

212 Mission Statement on animal handling and welfare that is distributed to all 

employees and conspicuously displayed at the premises. 

SUPPLEMENT 210 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT B
Approved by_______CMS 

Date Issued: 08/11/08 

Date Revised: 08/02/17 2 

220 TRAINING PROGRAM 

221 Training program on Animal Handling and Welfare that:

221.1 is provided to all employees interacting with animals; 

221.2 covers the North American Meat Institute (NAMI) Recommended Animal Handling 

Guidelines & Audit Guide: A Systematic Approach to Animal Welfare, dated June 

2017;

221.3 is facilitated by an employee that has earned and maintained a certification of 

animal handling and welfare training, such as that offered through the Professional 

Animal Auditor Certification Organization (PAACO) or an equivalent. 

221.4 is conducted no less frequently than once a year for each designated employee; 

and, 

221.5 requires signed documentation from each employee and confirmation by signature 

of the designated, certified trainer upon successful completion of training. 

230 QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN 

231 Written quality management plan (internal) which addresses all provisions of 

Chapter 3: Transportation Audit Guidelines, 7 Core Criteria and Chapter 4: Auditing 

Animal Handling and Stunning, 7 Core Criteria, of the NAMI Recommended Animal 

Handling Guidelines & Audit Guide: A Systematic Approach to Animal Welfare, 

dated June 2017, found at the following web site address: 

231.1 http://www.animalhandling.org/sites/default/files/forms/animal-handling-guidelinesJune152017.pdf

 

232 This internal quality management plan must also provide for routine assessment 

and monitoring of humane handling through the use of a numerical scoring system 

conducted by a trained employee. 

233 All animal harvest facilities that supply raw materials from bovine, porcine and 

ovine species for the production of AMS destined finished products must have a 

fully functioning back-up stunning device onsite wherever animal stunning is 

performed.

240 REGULATORY OVERSIGHT 

241 For all species, animals/carcasses that are inspected and passed by the Food 

Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) are eligible for AMS purchase programs. 

300 PROGRAM EVALUATION AND ELIGIBILITY 

301 The program will be audited (external) by AMS or a firm accredited by AMS. The 

accreditation of the firm will be conducted by the Quality Assessment Division 

(QAD) through the USDA ISO Guide 17065 Program. 
Approved by_______CMS 

Date Issued: 08/11/08 

Date Revised: 08/02/17 3 

302 Audit findings will be communicated to the establishment’s Food Safety and 

Inspection Service (FSIS) Inspector in Charge (IIC) or designee. 

310 AUDIT FORMAT 

311 Audits will be conducted utilizing the following format: 

312 TRANSPORTATION SEGMENT (CHAPTER 3: NAMI Recommended Animal 

Handling Guidelines & Audit Guide: A Systematic Approach to Animal Welfare,

dated June 2017) 

312.1 Audited organizations must pass Core Criteria 1 and 6 with a minimum scoring of 

excellent, Core Criteria 2 through 5 with a minimum scoring of acceptable and Core 

Criteria 7 must be adhered to with full compliance (zero tolerance) each time an 

audit is performed. 

313 ANIMAL HANDLING AND STUNNING SEGMENT (CHAPTER 4: NAMI 

Recommended Animal Handling Guidelines & Audit Guide: A Systematic Approach 

to Animal Welfare, dated June 2017) 

313.1 Audited organizations must adhere to Core Criteria 1, 2, 6 and 7 with full 

compliance (zero tolerance) and to Core Criteria 3, 4 and 5 with a minimum scoring 

of Acceptable each time an audit is performed.1/ 

313.2 The auditor shall inform FSIS and organization officials in writing of all audit 

findings, including any observations of missed stuns and/or animals regaining 

sensibility following stunning, upon completion of the audit during the exit interview. 

320 INITIAL AUDIT 

321 Initial audit must be performed prior to award of contracts. 

330 AUDIT FAILURE 

331 If an audit is failed for any of the Core Criteria, the organization is not eligible to 

provide product until such a time that corrective and preventative actions are 

approved by the Food Safety and Commodity Specification (FSCS) Division, 

implemented and proven effective. 

340 AUDIT FREQUENCY AND STATUS 

341 STANDARD - Until four (4) consecutive successfully passed audits are attained, an 

audit must be conducted within 3 months of the previous audit. 

1/Religious harvest (Kosher and Halal) shall be exempt from the AMS auditing of Core Criteria 1: Effective Stunning. 
Approved by_______CMS 

Date Issued: 08/11/08 

Date Revised: 08/02/17 4 

342 MONTHLY - If at any time an audit identifies any of the Core Criteria not meeting 

the pass requirements while in the STANDARD phase, auditing will be required to 

be conducted on a monthly basis once corrective and preventative actions have 

been approved by the FSCS Division, implemented and proven effective. This 

schedule will be for a period of time until four (4) successive audits are found to 

meet the passing requirements noted in SECTION 310 – AUDIT FORMAT; at 

which time audits shall be conducted on the STANDARD basis. 

343 If four successfully conducted audits are sequentially completed within a one year 

period while in STANDARD auditing phase, the facility may move to a SEMIANNUAL audit basis. 

344 SEMI-ANNUAL - Semi-annual audits may continue until such time that a failed 

audit is reported or a period of greater than six months has elapsed without any 

audits being performed; at which time the audits must resume as described for 

STANDARD audits. 

345 FOR-CAUSE – Any official enforcement actions issued by FSIS for missed stuns or 

for an animal regaining sensibility following stunning shall result in an immediate 

for-cause animal handling and welfare audit by AMS. Subsequent audit frequency 

will be determined by results of the AMS audit, as described above. 

400 FSCS DIVISION 

401 The FSCS Division can declare an organization’s Animal Handing and Welfare 

Program out of compliance at any time. 

402 The organization shall immediately notify the FSCS Division when any animal 

handling and welfare official enforcement action is issued by FSIS. 
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 06/10/11

Date Revised: 08/03/17

SUPPLEMENT 304 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT C

Cover Page:

Company Name

Company Address

Contact Person, including title, phone number, including emergency contact information, email address (must be authorized to represent the company).

Technical Proposal for: [Supplement Number] and [FPPS]

Table of Contents (all pages and attachments shall be numbered and identified – all

attachments shall be identified and referenced in the Technical Proposal).

The technical proposal should document a quality control program that includes procedures, 

records, forms, pictures, etc., which demonstrates conformance with the following checklist of 

requirements:

100 ITEM DESCRIPTION

200 APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS

300 CHECKLIST OF REQUIREMENTS

400 MATERIALS

420 MEAT COMPONENT

422 Domestic Origin of Meat Component 

423 Harvest (Slaughter)

423.1 Humane Handling

423.2 Non-Ambulatory Hogs

424 Pork

424.1 Traceability

424.2 Handling

424.3 Lean Quality

424.4 Objectionable Materials

425 Mechanical Separation

500 PROCESSING
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 06/10/11

Date Revised: 08/03/17

511 PROCESSING DATE

512 IMPS ACCORDANCE

513 FREEZING/TEMPERING

514 WEIGHT

515 TAIL LENGTH

530 METAL DETECTION

600 FINISHED PRODUCT LIMITATIONS

610 FAT

620 SODIUM

700 STATE OF REFRIGERATION

800 PREPARATION FOR DELIVERY

810 PACKAGING

820 PACKING

830 LABELING

840 CLOSURE

850 PALLETIZED UNIT LOADS

900 DELIVERY UNIT

1000 DELIVERED PRODUCT

1010 SIZE AND STYLE OF CONTAINER

1020 TEMPERATURE

1030 SEALING

1100 PRODUCT ASSURANCE

1110 WARRANTY AND COMPLAINT RESOLUTION

1120 NON-CONFORMING PRODUCT

1130 CONTRACTOR CHECKLOADING

Attachments or Appendixes - Please attach all referenced documents with the applicable 

document name and reference number.
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 06/10/11

Date Revised: 08/03/17

SUPPLEMENT 304 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT D

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE 

LIVESTOCK, POULTRY AND SEED PROGRAM

CERTIFICATE OF CONFORMANCE FOR

THE PROCUREMENT OF PORK LOIN CHOPS, 

CENTER CUT, BONELESS, FROZEN

CERTIFICATE OF CONFORMANCE

I certify the following:

(1) On [delivery date(s)], [Contractor’s name] furnished the (insert the appropriate commodity 

description) called for by Purchase Order Number via [Carrier] under Sales Order 

Number/Item number(s):

(2) The (insert the appropriate material name) is of the quality specified and conforms in all 

respects with the purchase order requirements, including [Contractor’s name] Technical 

Proposal as approved by the AMS, LPS Program, FSCS Division.

(3) Product identification, (i.e. production lot number(s)) is in the quantity shown on the 

attached acceptance document.

(4) Contractor assures all meat or meat products used in fulfilling this contract was produced 

in the United States as defined in the AMS Master Solicitation Section I.E.

Date:

Signature:

(Signed by an officer or representative authorized to sign offers)

Title: