Approved by: CMS

Date Issued: 02/2015

Date Revised: 06/2011

SUPPLEMENT 210 TO THE 

AMS MASTER SOLICITATION

 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

 Effective: February 2015

PURCHASE OF MISCELLANEOUS BEEF ITEMS FOR DISTRIBUTION TO FEDERAL 

FOOD AND NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

This document provides additional program requirements for the purchase of Frozen Beef 

Roasts and Diced Beef by the Department of Agriculture (USDA), including the applicable 

Federal Purchase Program Specification (FPPS) (Exhibit A and A1).

100 INSTRUCTIONS TO POTENTIAL SUPPLIERS

110 The frozen beef roasts and diced beef will be purchased on a competitive bid basis from 

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

Interested suppliers may submit a production plan at any time during the purchase

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

production plan for notification of evaluation results. A supplier is deemed eligible upon 

notification of approval of the production plan by the Food Safety and Commodity 

Specification (FSCS) Division.

120 Submission of a production plan is not binding on USDA. Actual purchases will be 

described in the AMS Master Solicitation and Solicitations.

130 Documentation Requirements

131 Production Plan Requirement

131.1 Include a description of the quality control program that includes procedures, records, 

form, pictures, etc. that demonstrates conformance to the requirements set forth in 

the FPPS.

131.2 The production plan shall follow the format as shown in Exhibit B. Production plans 

should be brief and concise.

131.3 The production plan shall be preceded by the following, as required by the template:

131.3.1 Table of Contents listing the major areas as they appear in the production plan; and

131.3.2 List of attachments, forms provided with the production plan, if appropriate with the 

applicable document name and reference number.
Approved by: CMS

Date Issued: 02/2015

Date Revised: 06/2011

132 The FSCS Division will review each production plan to determine if the plan is 

adequate and will notify the supplier of the status of their production plan and their 

eligibility to bid.

133. Animal Welfare Requirements

133.1 All contractors and subcontractors must meet the animal handling and welfare 

requirements set forth in the Federal Purchase Program Specification (FPPS) for 

Animal Handling and Welfare, effective January 2015 (Exhibit C).

200 INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSION OF PRODUCTION PLAN

210 The following procedures establish the acceptable minimum requirements for 

the format and content of the production plan:

210.1 The Government has provided a production plan format which is to be used in 

preparing the production plan ( Exhibit B). The supplier shall submit the production 

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

and Steve.Whisenant@ams.usda.gov). The production plan shall be saved in a nonportable document file format (not PDF; e.g., Microsoft Word). The production plan

must be submitted in its entirety. If the file size of the production plan 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.

210.2. The production plan must be submitted by an authorized agent of the company.

210.3 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 

production plan to the fullest extent possible if the plan is not presented in the proper 

format. Technical evaluators will not be required to search other subsections or 

sections of the offeror’s production plan for information requested in the evaluation.

220 Production Plan Revisions

221 Changes to a supplier’s production plan may be submitted at any time or at the request 

of the FSCS Division. All production plan revisions must meet the following criteria:

221.1 Any changes to a production plan made by the supplier after its initial submittal shall 

be accomplished by submitting an entire production plan. A cover letter must 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).

221.2 Changes from the original production plan shall be highlighted and deletions in

strikeouts.

300 ASSESSMENT BY THE QUALITY ASSESSMENT (QA) DIVISION

310 Once a supplier is notified by the FSCS Division that the production plan meets the 

applicable criteria, the Quality Assessment (QA) Division will contact the supplier to 
Approved by: CMS

Date Issued: 02/2015

Date Revised: 06/2011

set up a pre-award onsite capability assessment audit of the facility’s processes, food 

security plan, and quality control program used to produce the product(s) to 

determine the supplier’s ability to meet contractual requirements.

311 Eligible suppliers who receive contracts must have a QA Division agent present 

during the production of the frozen beef roasts and/or diced beef. The QA Division

agent will monitor and verify the production based on the Contractor’s approved 

production plan and the FPPS. The contractor must provide a copy of the approved 

production plan and have the supporting documentation readily available for review 

by the QA Division agent. Records may be maintained on hard copy or electronic 

media but will be made available in printed form immediately upon request by AMS or 

its agents.

320 Pre-Award Onsite Capability Assessment Audit

321 Food Defense Assessment

321.1 The QA Division will conduct a food defense audit that will include, but is not limited 

to, a thorough evaluation of the potential contractors’ and subcontractors’ food 

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

defense plan. If the report demonstrates that the food defense plan is inadequate, 

the applicant will be notified by the FSCS Division that they are ineligible to bid. The

applicant will have an opportunity to correct identified deficiencies, modify their food 

defense plan and resubmit a brief description for further consideration. Eligibility will 

depend on whether the modifications demonstrate compliance with their food defense 

plan.

322 Slaughter Requirement

322.1 The QA Division will conduct monthly Harvesting (slaughter) audits based on the 

requirements stated in the attached FPPS and the company’s approved production 

plan. The audit will review the humane handling and adherence to the nonambulatory disabled animals. Documentation must support the contractor’s or 

subcontractor’s adherence to meeting the harvesting requirements as set forth in the 

FPPS.

323 Documentation must support:

323.1 the production of the beef item that complies with the applicable specification and the 

potential contractor’s approved production plan, and

323.2 the contractor’s or subcontractor’s food security plan. In addition, the audit will consist 

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

inventory and shipping records, and interviews with management and production 

personnel.

324 Upon completion of the onsite capability assessment, the auditor will 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 will be notified by the 
Approved by: CMS

Date Issued: 02/2015

Date Revised: 06/2011

FSCS Division and the official final report will be sent once released from the Quality 

Assurance (QA) Division.

324.1 If the audit findings demonstrate that the process or food security plan is inadequate, 

the applicant will be notified by the FSCS Division that they are ineligible to bid. The 

supplier will have an opportunity to correct identified deficiencies, modify their 

process, food security plan, and/or production plan, and resubmit for further 

consideration.

324.2 Eligibility will depend on whether the modifications demonstrate that:

324.2.1 the process is capable of delivering frozen beef roasts and diced beef in compliance 

with the FPPS,

324.2.2 the supplier is in compliance with their food security plan,

324.2.3 includes the applicable assessment by USDA, and 

324.2.4 the supplier complies with other applicable contractual requirements.

330 Post-Award Assessment Audit

331 Eligible suppliers who receive contracts must have their documented food security

plan, production plan, and supporting documentation readily available for review by 

the FSCS Division or AMS agents. Records may be maintained on hard copy or 

electronic media. However, records maintained as electronic media will be made 

available in printed form immediately upon request by the FSCS Division or AMS 

agents.

332 The Quality Assurance (QA) Division will 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 will 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.

340 Post-Award Actions

341 Any deviation from contractual requirements will be immediately reported by the 

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

FSCS Division will notify the contractor regarding eligibility to continue to participate 

as a contractor.

342 Contractor will assure that the delivered product complies with the provisions of the 

FPPS, the applicable assessment by USDA, and the contractor’s production plan 

approved by the FSCS Division.

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

AMS agents must be borne by the contractor. This includes, but is not limited to, 
Approved by: CMS

Date Issued: 02/2015

Date Revised: 06/2011

audits, examinations, supervision, official documentation, and related services.

351 Questions concerning charges and the availability of AMS agents can 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.

400 DOMESTIC ORIGIN CERTIFICATION CLAUSE

410 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 will be shipped in containers labeled as 

“Domestic Only Product” on the principle display panel and the bill of lading 

accompanying the shipment will contain the statement “Domestic Only Product.”

500 CERTIFICATE OF CONFORMANCE (COC)

510 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).

511 A variation in quantity the frozen beef roasts under this contract will not be accepted 

unless the variation has been caused by conditions of loading, shipping, or 

packaging, or allowances in manufacturing processes, then only to the extent, if any, 

specified below:

511.1 the permissible variation shall be limited to 60 pounds decrease; contractor will 

submit an invoice for the actual pounds that were delivered as evidence by the Goods 

Receipt entered by the recipient agency. Payment will only be made if the delivery 

unit that is not less than 39,940 pounds and not exceed 40,000 pounds. This 

decrease shall apply to the total quantity of each purchase order item number without

regard to destination. (Split destinations will be combined to determine the total 

pounds delivered under the awarded solicitation item number).

600 CONTRACTOR CHECKLOADING

610 Contractor will 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:

610.1 Purchase Order Number,

610.2 Sales Order and Sales Order Item Number,

610.3 Name of product,

610.4 Shipping Date,

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

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

lot,
Approved by: CMS

Date Issued: 02/2015

Date Revised: 06/2011

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

applicable

610.8 Contractor certification that product conforms with the FPPS,

610.9 Count and projected net weight verified, and

610.10 Signature of company official responsible for checkloading.

700 EXHIBITS
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 01/13/15

SUPPLEMENT 210 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A

APPROVED

FEDERAL PURCHASE 

PROGRAM SPECIFICATION 

(FPPS) FOR FRESH BEEF 

ROUND ROASTS, 

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

Effective: January 2015

100 ITEM DESCRIPTION

110 Fresh Beef Round Roasts, Boneless, Frozen – This item consists of beef round 

roasts that weigh 2-3 pounds, inclusive, individually vacuum packaged and frozen, 

derived from USDA Select, Choice, or Prime beef carcasses.

200 APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS

210 Institutional Meat Purchase Specification (IMPS) for Fresh Beef - Series 100, effective 

November 2014.

300 CHECKLIST OF REQUIREMENTS

310 Beef round roasts must be produced in accordance with Food Safety and Inspection 

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

production plan, submitted to the FSCS Division, must adhere to the following 

checklist requirements.

320 MATERIALS

321 The contractor’s production plan must describe a documented quality control program 

that includes procedures, records, forms, pictures, etc., that demonstrate 

conformance with the following Checklist of Requirements.

330 MEAT COMPONENT

331 Beef shall be the only meat component allowed. Roasts shall be intact muscles 

portioned from any combination of the following IMPS items:

167D – Beef Round, Sirloin Tip (Knuckle), Peeled, 2-Piece

169A – Beef Round, Top (Inside), Cap Off

171C – Beef Round, Eye of Round (Individual Muscle (IM))

171D – Beef Round, Outside Round, Side Muscle Removed (IM)

171E – Beef Round, Outside Round, Side Roast (IM)
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 01/13/15

332 Domestic Origin of Meat Component – Beef must originate from U.S. produced 

livestock as defined in the Master Solicitation and Supplement.

333 Grade – USDA Select, Choice or Prime.

334 Harvesting – Cattle will be harvested in facilities that comply with the following 

requirements:

334.1 Humane Handling – All cattle shall be humanely handled in accordance with all 

applicable FSIS regulations and AMS requirements.

334.2 Pathogen Intervention Steps – The harvest process must include at least two 

pathogen intervention steps. One of the intervention steps must be a critical control 

point (CCP) in the establishment’s FSIS recognized harvest process Hazard Analysis 

Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan.

334.3 Spinal Cord Removal – Remove all spinal cord material during the harvesting 

process.

334.4 Carcass Testing – Routinely test carcasses for Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli O157 

(including O157:H7 and O157:Non-Motile (NM); herein referred to as E. coli

O157:H7) at CCP to verify effectiveness of interventions.

335 Boneless Beef – Only fresh-chilled boneless beef that complies with the requirements 

of the previous sub-sections (334.1-334.4) of this section and the following additional 

requirements and has never been previously frozen will be allowed:

335.1 Traceability – Contractor is responsible for providing sufficient product traceability and 

must have records to verify the source of raw materials used in each production lot.

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

contractor’s production plan will include time and temperature controls necessary to 

maintain excellent condition of the boneless beef.

335.3 Objectionable Materials – The following objectionable materials shall be excluded:

335.3.1 Major lymph glands (prefemoral and popliteal), and the sciatic (ischiatic) nerve (lies 

medial to the outside round).

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

periosteum, tendinous ends of shanks, gracilis membrane, patellar ligament 

(associated with the stifle joint), and achilles tendon.

336 Mechanically Separated – Beef that is mechanically separated from bone with 

automatic deboning systems or advanced meat (lean) recovery (AMR) systems is not 

allowed.

340 NON-MEAT COMPONENT

341 Seasonings and Other Ingredients – Seasonings and other ingredients are not 

allowed in the manufacture of this beef item.
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 01/13/15

350 FAT LIMITATIONS

351 Peeled/Denuded (≥90% lean exposed). Remaining “flake” fat not to exceed 1/8-inch 

(3mm) in depth.

360 STATE OF REFRIGERATION

361 Product 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 lot.

370 PREPARATION FOR DELIVERY

371 The contractor will assure that all packaging, packing, labeling, closure, marking, and 

palletization comply with the National Motor Freight Regulations and FSIS regulations 

and the requirements listed below.

380 PACKAGING

381 All roasts will be individually vacuum packaged prior to freezing.

390 PACKING

391 Each individual roast shall weigh 2-3 pounds.

392 Sixteen (16) individually packaged roasts shall be snuggly packed in a 40 ± 2 pound 

(net weight) shipping container.

400 CLOSURE

410 Shipping containers shall be strapped or taped.

420 LABELING

421 Both immediate and shipping containers will be labeled to include all information 

required by FSIS regulations. Labels will be illustrated in the contractor’s production 

plan and contain the following information:

421.1 Immediate Container

421.2 A traceability code that is traceable back to establishment number, production lot, and 

date.

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

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

422 Shipping Container

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

the principal display panel.

 
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 01/13/15

422.2 Applicable purchase order number.

422.3 A traceability code that is traceable back to establishment number, production lot, and 

date.

422.4 Material number: 100166.

422.5 Product Name “Beef Round Roasts, Boneless, Frozen”.

422.6 Ingredient declaration (including single ingredient products).

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

422.8 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 ______.

430 PALLETIZED UNIT LOADS

431 All products 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.

440 DELIVERY UNIT

441 The delivery unit shall consist of a 1000 shipping containers and be 40,000 pounds 

(net weight). A tolerance of minus 60 pounds is permissible.

450 DELIVERED PRODUCT

460 SIZE AND STYLE OF CONTAINER

461 Only one size and style of shipping container may be used in any one delivery unit.

470 TEMPERATURE

471 Product temperature will not exceed 0°F at the time of shipment and delivery.

480 SEALING

481 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 
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 01/13/15

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.

500 PRODUCT ASSURANCE

510 WARRANTY AND COMPLAINT RESOLUTION

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

specification requirements, production plan declarations, and provisions set forth in 

the Master Solicitation and Supplement.

512 Complaint Resolution – Customer complaint resolution procedures will be included in 

the production plan. These procedures will include: a point of contact, investigation 

steps, intent to cooperate with AMS, and product replacement or monetary 

compensation. The procedures will be used to resolve product complaints from 

recipient agencies or AMS.

600 NON-CONFORMING PRODUCT

610 The contractor must include a plan to assure that non-conforming product is not 

delivered under USDA contracts. 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 notification in writing to the FSCS Division 

of final disposition (e.g., diverted to commercial production, cooked or destroyed).

620 CONTRACTOR CHECKLOADING

620.1 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:

620.1.1 Purchase Order Number/Purchase Order Line Item Number;

620.1.2 Sales Order Number/Sales Order Line Item Number;

620.1.3 Destination of shipment;

620.1.4 Name of Product and applicable Material Number;

620.1.5 Shipping Date;

620.1.6 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;

620.1.7 Count of shipping containers and total projected net weight in each production lot;

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

applicable;

620.1.9 Contractor certification that product conforms with the applicable specification 

(FPPS-BR-2015);
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 01/13/15

620.1.10 Count and projected net weight verified and;

620.1.1 Signature of company official responsible for checkloading.

700 AMS MONITORING AND PRODUCTION ASSESSMENT

710 An AMS Quality Assessment (QA) Division agent must be present during the 

production of the finished product. The QA Division agent will monitor and verify the 

processing steps, quality assurance activities, and any corrective actions to assure 

that all requirements outlined in the approved production plan are complied with. The 

QA Division agent will be conducting the monitoring and production verification in 

accordance with the Monitoring and Evaluation Protocol for Conformity Assessment 

of FPPS requirements and applicable QA Division instructions. Any deviations to 

contractual requirements will be reported to the contractor and Contracting Officer. 

The Contracting Officer will make all determinations as to the acceptability of the 

product relative to findings documented by the QA Division agent.
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 01/13/15

SUPPLEMENT 210 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A1

APPROVED

FEDERAL PURCHASE 

PROGRAM SPECIFICATION 

(FPPS) FOR DICED BEEF, 

FROZEN

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

Effective: January 2015

100 ITEM DESCRIPTION

110 Diced Beef – This item may be prepared from any portion of the carcass which yields 

product that meets finished product limitations.

120 Dices shall be of a size equivalent to not less than a 1⁄2-inch cube and not more than a 

3⁄4-inch cube with no individual surface being more than 1.0-inch in length.

130 Fat content shall not exceed 10 grams per 100 gram basis.

200 APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS

210 Institutional Meat Purchase Specification (IMPS) for Fresh Beef - Series 100, effective 

November 2014.

300 CHECKLIST OF REQUIREMENTS

310 Diced Beef must be produced in accordance with Food Safety and Inspection Service 

(FSIS) regulations and the AMS Checklist of Requirements. The contractor’s 

production plan, submitted to the FSCS Division, must adhere to the following 

checklist requirements.

320 MATERIALS

321 The contractor’s production plan must describe a documented quality control program 

that includes procedures, records, forms, pictures, etc., that demonstrate 

conformance with the following Checklist of Requirements.

330 MEAT COMPONENT

331 Diced Beef may be prepared from any portion of the carcass which yields product that 

meets the end-item requirements by either hand or mechanical dicing (grinding is not 

permitted).
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 01/13/15

332 Shank, detached cutaneous muscles, and heel meat shall be excluded.

333 Dices shall be of a size equivalent to not less than a 1⁄2-inch cube and not more than a 

3⁄4-inch cube with no individual surface being more than 1.0-inch.

334 To facilitate dicing, boneless beef cuts may be frozen and/or tempered, one time only.

335 Domestic Origin of Meat Component – Beef must originate from U.S. produced 

livestock as defined in the Master Solicitation and Supplement.

336 Grade – USDA Select, Choice or Prime.

337 Harvesting – Cattle will be harvested in facilities that comply with the following 

requirements:

337.1 Humane Handling – All cattle shall be humanely handled in accordance with all 

applicable FSIS regulations and AMS requirements.

337.2 Pathogen Intervention Steps – The harvest process must include at least two 

pathogen intervention steps. One of the intervention steps must be a critical control 

point (CCP) in the establishment’s FSIS recognized harvest process Hazard Analysis 

Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan.

337.3 Spinal Cord Removal – Remove all spinal cord material during the harvesting 

process.

337.4 Carcass Testing – Routinely test carcasses for Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli O157 

(including O157:H7 and O157:Non-Motile (NM); herein referred to as E. coli

O157:H7) at CCP to verify effectiveness of interventions.

338 Boneless Beef – Only fresh-chilled boneless beef that complies with the requirements 

of the previous sub-sections (337.1-337.4) of this section and the following additional 

requirements will be allowed:

338.1 Traceability – Contractor is responsible for providing sufficient product traceability and 

must have records to verify the source of raw materials used in each production lot.

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

contractor’s production plan 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

338.3 Objectionable Materials – The following objectionable materials shall be excluded:

338.3.1 Major lymph glands (prefemoral and popliteal), and the sciatic (ischiatic) nerve (lies 

medial to the outside round).

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

periosteum, tendinous ends of shanks, gracilis membrane, patellar ligament 

(associated with the stifle joint), and achilles tendon.
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 01/13/15

338.4 Mechanically Separated – Beef that is mechanically separated from bone with 

automatic deboning systems or advanced meat (lean) recovery (AMR) systems is not 

allowed.

340 FINISHED PRODUCT LIMITATIONS

341 Fat - Surface and/or seam fat shall not exceed 1⁄8-inch at any point. The maximum 

surface fat thickness at any one point is evaluated by visually determining the areas 

on the edges of either side of the dice which have the thickest amount of fat and 

measuring the thickness of fat in these areas. The maximum seam fat thickness at 

any one point is evaluated by visually determining the areas of fat between layers of 

lean on any side of the dice which have the thickest deposits of fat and measuring the 

width in these areas. The resulting fat content shall not exceed 10 grams per 100 

gram basis.

342 Dimensions - Dices shall be of a size equivalent to not less than a 1⁄2-inch cube and 

not more than a 3⁄4-inch cube with no individual surface being more than 1.0-inch.

343 Objectionable Materials - Dices shall be free of objectionable materials listed in 

Section 339.3.

344 Dices not meeting these requirements shall not exceed 10 percent, by weight, of the 

finished product.

360 STATE OF REFRIGERATION

361 Product 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 lot.

370 METAL DETECTION

371 All product shall be free of metal contaminates. Detection of stainless steel, ferrous, 

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

contractor's production plan must identify and describe the equipment, location, 

detection procedure, sensitivity levels, frequency of equipment validation, and 

corrective action procedures. 

400 PREPARATION FOR DELIVERY

410 The contractor’s production plan will assure that all packaging, packing, labeling, 

closure, marking, and palletization comply with the National Motor Freight Regulations 

and FSIS regulations and the requirements listed below.

420 PACKAGING

421 Product shall be bulk packaged without use of plastic liner material directly into leakproof shipping containers with fiberboard that is wax impregnated, have a moisture 

barrier coating, or have plastic laminated interior panels.

430 PACKING
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 01/13/15

431 Diced Beef shall be packed to a net weight of 60 pounds.

440 CLOSURE

441 Shipping containers will be closed by strapping or taping.

450 LABELING

451 Shipping containers will be labeled to include all information required by FSIS 

regulations. Shipping container labels will be illustrated in the contractor’s production 

plan and contain the following information:

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

principal display panel.

451.2 Applicable purchase order number.

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

date.

451.4 Material Number: 110196

451.5 The product name “Diced Beef, Frozen”

451.6 Ingredient declaration (including single ingredient products).

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

451.8 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 ______.

460 PALLETIZED UNIT LOADS

461 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.
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 01/13/15

470 DELIVERY UNIT

471 The delivery unit shall be 700 shipping containers with a net weight of 42,000 pounds. 

No tolerance will be allowed.

500 DELIVERED PRODUCT

510 SIZE AND STYLE OF CONTAINER

511 Only one size and style of shipping container may be used in any one delivery unit.

520 TEMPERATURE

521 Product temperature will not exceed 0°F at the time of shipment and delivery.

480 SEALING

481 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.

500 PRODUCT ASSURANCE

510 WARRANTY AND COMPLAINT RESOLUTION

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

specification requirements, production plan declarations, and provisions set forth in 

the Master Solicitation and Supplement.

512 Complaint Resolution – Customer complaint resolution procedures will be included in 

the production plan. These procedures will include: a point of contact, investigation 

steps, intent to cooperate with AMS, and product replacement or monetary 

compensation. The procedures will be used to resolve product complaints from 

recipient agencies or AMS.

600 NON-CONFORMING PRODUCT

610 The contractor must include a plan to assure that non-conforming product is not 

delivered under USDA contracts. 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 notification in writing to the FSCS Division 

of final disposition (e.g., diverted to commercial production, cooked or destroyed).

620 CONTACTOR CHECKLOADING

621.1 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:

621.1.1 Purchase Order Number/Purchase Order Line Item Number;
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 01/13/15

621.1.2 Sales Order Number/Sales Order Line Item Number;

621.1.3 Destination of shipment;

621.1.4 Name of Product and applicable Material Number;

621.1.5 Shipping Date;

621.1.6 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;

621.1.7 Count of shipping containers and total projected net weight in each production lot;

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

applicable;

621.1.9 Contractor certification that product conforms with the applicable specification 

(FPPS-DB-2015);

621.1.10 Count and projected net weight verified and;

621.1.11 Signature of company official responsible for checkloading.

700 AMS MONITORING AND PRODUCTION ASSESSMENT

710 An AMS Quality Assessment (QA) Division agent must be present during the 

production of the finished product. The QA Division agent will monitor and verify the 

processing steps, quality assurance activities, and any corrective actions to assure 

that all requirements outlined in the approved production plan are complied with. The 

QA Division agent will be conducting the monitoring and production verification in 

accordance with the Monitoring and Evaluation Protocol for Conformity Assessment 

of FPPS requirements and applicable QA Division instructions. Any deviations to 

contractual requirements will be reported to the contractor and Contracting Officer. 

The Contracting Officer will make all determinations as to the acceptability of the 

product relative to findings documented by the QA Division agent.
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 01/13/15

SUPPLEMENT 210 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT B

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).

Production Plan for: [Supplement Number] and [Specification]

Table of Contents (all pages and attachments must be number and identified – any 

attachments must be identified and referenced in the Production Plan).

The production plan 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

320 MATERIALS

330 MEAT COMPONENT

331 IMPS Items

332 Domestic Origin Of Meat Component 

333 Grade

334 Harvest (Slaughter)

334.1 Humane Handling

Non-Ambulatory Cattle

334.2 Pathogen Intervention Steps

334.3 Spinal Cord Removal

334.4 Carcass Testing 

335 Boneless Beef

335.1 Traceability

335.2 Handling

336 Mechanically Separated

340 NON-MEAT COMPONENTS

370 PREPARATION FOR DELIVERY

380 PACKAGING

390 PACKING

400 CLOSURE

420 LABELING

430 PALLETIZED UNIT LOADS

440 DELIVERY UNIT

450 DELIVERED PRODUCT

460 SIZE AND STYLE OF CONTAINER

470 TEMPERATURE

480 SEALING

500 PRODUCT ASSURANCE

510 WARRANTY AND COMPLAINT RESOLUTION

511 Warranty
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 06/12/08

Date Revised: 01/13/15

512 Complaint Resolution

600 NON-CONFORMING PRODUCT

700 AMS MONITORING AND PRODUCTION ASSESSMENT

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

document name and reference number.
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 08/11/08

Date Revised: 01/13/15

SUPPLEMENT 210 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT C

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-2014 June 2014 – Changes 

from previous requirements in blue

Effective: January 2015

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.
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 08/11/08

Date Revised: 01/13/15

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 AMI Recommended Animal Handling Guidelines and Audit Guide 2013 

Edition;

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 AMI Recommended Animal Handling 

Guidelines and Audit Guide 2013 Edition, found at the following web site address: 

231.1 http://animalhandling.org/ht/d/sp/i/26752/pid/26752

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 NON-AMBULATORY AND U.S. SUSPECTS

241 CATTLE

242 Written protocol in-place and enforced that precludes the receipt of or having nonambulatory, disabled cattle on the harvest facility premise. In the event that animals 

become non-ambulatory or disabled at any time while present at the harvest facility, 

the animal will be humanely euthanized and the carcass removed from the premise in 

a timely manner through contracted services or other means.

243 HOGS AND SHEEP

244 Written protocol in-place and enforced that ensures all animals designated by Food 

Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) as U.S. Suspects (9 CFR 301.2) that are 

slaughtered are appropriately segregated during the harvest and production 

processes and precluded from inclusion in any products purchased by AMS.
Approved by CMS

Date Issued: 08/11/08

Date Revised: 01/13/15

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 65 Program. Alternatively, at the option of the 

organization, the audits can be performed by QAD auditors.

302 Audit findings thought to be in conflict with Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) 

regulations will be communicated to the establishment’s FSIS Inspector in Charge 

(IIC) or designee.

310 AUDIT FORMAT

311 AMS or the AMS accredited auditing firm will conduct audits utilizing the following 

format:

312 TRANSPORTATION SEGMENT (CHAPTER 3: AMI RECOMMENDED ANIMAL

HANDLING GUIDELINES AND AUDIT GUIDE 2013 EDITION)

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: AMI 

RECOMMENDED ANIMAL HANDLING GUIDELINES AND AUDIT GUIDE 2013

EDITION)

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.

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: 01/13/15

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.

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 SEMI-ANNUAL 

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 forcause 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: 02/11/2015

Date Revised: 06/2011

SUPPLEMENT 210 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 BEEF ROASTS OR 

DICED BEEF, 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] Production 

Plan 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: