Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 06/10/12

Date Revised: 08/01/22

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO 

THE AMS MASTER 

SOLICITATION PURCHASE 

OF CANNED MEAT FOR 

DISTRIBUTION TO FEDERAL

FOOD AND NUTRITION 

ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

APPROVED

 Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)

Livestock and Poultry (LP) Program

Standards and Specification Division (SSD)

Room 2628-S, Stop 0258

Phone: (202) 690-3148

Supersedes: Supplement 704 March 2020 – Changes 

from previous requirements in blue

 Effective: August 2022

100 OVERVIEW

110 This document provides additional program requirements for the purchase of 

Canned Meat by the Department of Agriculture (USDA), including the applicable 

Federal Purchase Program Specification (FPPS) (Exhibit A, A1, A2, and A3).

200 INSTRUCTIONS TO POTENTIAL SUPPLIERS

210 The canned meat commodities shall be purchased on a competitive bid basis from 

qualified contractors who have met the requirements described in this Supplement.

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

Additional procurement requirements shall be described in the AMS Master 

Solicitation for Commodity Procurements – Domestic Programs (MSCP-D) and 

Solicitations.

300 DOMESTIC ORIGIN CERTIFICATION CLAUSE

310 The contractor agrees to include the domestic origin certification clause at Section 

4A52.225-1 of the MSCP-D, in its entirety, in all subcontracts for meat or meat 

products used in fulfilling any contracts awarded under the MSCP-D and this 

Supplement. 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.”

320 Domestic origin verification requirements shall be included in the contractor’s or 

subcontractor’s technical proposal, if applicable. Otherwise, prior to any work 

performed under the contract or purchase order awarded, the Domestic Origin 

Certificate (refer to the MSCP-D) shall be presented to an AMS representative, the 

Contracting Officer, or agent thereof upon request.
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 06/10/12

Date Revised: 08/01/22

400 FOOD DEFENSE

410 Food Defense Requirements – Refer to Section 4A52.246-2 of the MSCP-D for 

Commodity Procurements.

420 Regardless of the contract compliance service utilized for the contract (see section 

600), the USDA, AMS, LP Quality Assessment Division (QAD) shall conduct a food 

defense audit on the contractor’s and/or subcontractor’s documented and 

operational Food Defense Plan for approval. 

430 A QAD-approved Food Defense Plan is required prior to the bid opening date for 

submitted bids to be considered.

500 ANIMAL WELFARE REQUIREMENTS

510 All harvesting activities shall comply with all applicable Food Safety and Inspection 

Service (FSIS) regulations and requirements, including 9 CFR § 381, and shall be done 

under FSIS inspection.

520 All contractors and subcontractors of beef and pork products shall meet the animal 

handling and welfare requirements set forth in the Federal Purchase Program 

Specification (FPPS) for Animal Handling and Welfare, effective March 2021 (Exhibit 

B).

The program shall be submitted to AMS, either as a supporting document to the 

contractor’s/subcontractor’s technical proposal, or as a stand-alone document. The 

program shall be audited by AMS.

600 AMS CONTRACT COMPLIANCE

610 The contractor may request to use either AMS’s QAD Grading-based Monitoring and 

Certification service or QAD Audit-based Verification service, for assessing contract 

compliance of the finished product. AMS will seek to honor the request but reserves 

the right to make a final determination Once an option is implemented, the contractor 

shall remain under that service until completion of the contract, at which time it may 

request a change in oversight option for any subsequent contract.

620 The cost of all audit, grading 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.

630 Questions concerning charges and the availability of AMS agents can be directed to 

a USDA/AMS, LP Program’s Quality Assessment Division (QAD) field office or to 

USDA, AMS, LP, QAD Business Operations Branch, 10809 Executive Center Drive, 

Suite 318, Little Rock, AR 72211-6022; phone: 501-312-2962 or email: 

QAD.BusinessOps@usda.gov

640 Option A: QAD Grading-Based Monitoring and Certification 
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 06/10/12

Date Revised: 08/01/22

640.1 Monitoring of production and processing and product certification shall be conducted 

through the direct continuous supervision of a USDA grader in accordance with the 

requirements listed in the FPPS and AMS/LP/QAD Policies and Procedures for 

certifying USDA commodity foods. A technical proposal is not required to be 

submitted when the contractor is operating under Option A. Beef and pork raw 

materials will be subjected to QAD audit-based verification and the beef and pork 

raw material supplier is required to submit a technical proposal. 

640.2 Pre-Production Onsite Plant Survey

640.2.1 QAD shall contact the contractor to set-up a pre-production plant survey and discuss 

production and certification requirements.

640.3 Post-Award Monitoring and Certification

640.3.1 The USDA grader shall be present at all times during production and processing of 

the commodity food. 

640.3.2 The USDA Grader may select samples for laboratory analyses or inspect the 

commodity at any point in transit and after delivery to point of destination.

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

the time of shipment and issue an acceptance document to accompany each 

shipment.

640.3.4 The AMS Grader shall be responsible for certification of compliance with the 

requirements of the FPPS for raw material, formulation, marinating, cooking, 

freezing, packaging and packing, metal detection, labeling and marking and net 

weight.

650 Option B: Audit-Based Verification

650.1 Verification of production and processing shall be conducted through routine audits 

performed by QAD according to the suppliers’ and contractor’s approved technical 

proposal (see section 1000 Technical Proposal Requirements) and the applicable 

FPPS.

650.1.1 Interested contractors may submit sample(s) and a technical proposal at any time 

during the purchase program. Contractors should allow 10 working days, from 

USDA’s receipt of the product sample(s) and technical proposal for notification of 

evaluation results. A contractor is deemed eligible upon notification of approval of the

sample(s) and technical proposal by the Standards and Specification Division.

650.1.2 Once a contractor is notified by the Standards and Specification Division that the 

technical proposal meets the applicable criteria, QAD shall contact the contractor to 

set up a pre-award onsite capability assessment audit. 

650.2 Pre-Award Onsite Capability Assessment Audit

650.2.1 QAD shall conduct an onsite capability assessment that shall consist of reviewing:
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 06/10/12

Date Revised: 08/01/22

650.2.2 Food Defense Requirements – Refer to Section 400 of this Supplement.

650.2.3 production of the commodity that complies with the applicable FPPS and approved 

technical proposal. 

650.2.4 records related to purchasing, receiving, production, quality control, inventory, 

shipping, and, 

650.2.5 interviews with management and production personnel.

650.2.6 Upon completion and if necessary (due to time constraints), QAD may provide the 

Standards and Specification Division either with a verbal or email notification of the 

audit findings. Standards and Specification Division shall notify the vendor of their 

status based on the audit findings as well as QAD and the Commodity Procurement 

Program (CP). The official final audit report shall be sent to the contractor once 

released from QAD. 

650.2.7 After bid opening, CP shall contact QAD and Standards and Specification Division to 

determine that vendors have met all requirements to deem the bids responsive or 

non-responsive.

650.2.8 Bids that are determined to be non-responsive bids, CP shall notify the contractor(s) 

directly.

650.3 Post-Award Assessment Audit

650.3.1 Contractors who receive contracts shall have their required documentation readily 

available for review upon request by Standards and Specification Division, QAD, or 

other AMS agents. Records may be maintained in hard copy or electronic media. 

However, records maintained as electronic media shall be made available in printed 

form immediately upon request.

650.3.2 QAD 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, and their frequency, shall be conducted as determined by the 

QAD, 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 QAD, more frequent audits may be conducted when audit 

deficiencies are detected. 

650.4 Post-Award Actions

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

contractor to the Contracting Officer and Standards and Specification Division. The 

Contracting Officer or Standards and Specification Division shall notify the contractor 

regarding eligibility to continue to participate as a contractor. 
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 06/10/12

Date Revised: 08/01/22

650.4.2 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 Standards and Specification Division.

650.4.3 In the instance that any non-conformance is cited by the USDA auditor, or when a 

complaint is received by commodity recipient agencies, the supplier or contractor 

shall submit a cause and effect analysis and corrective actions to address the nonconformance or complaint. 

700 CERTIFICATE OF CONFORMANCE

710 In addition to the referenced payment documents required in the MSCP-D, the 

contractor shall include a copy of the Contractor’s Certificate of Conformance. 

(Exhibit D).

800 PRODUCT SAMPLE FOR OPTION B

810 Potential contractors, that choose to operate under Option B, shall submit samples 

that are produced in accordance with their submitted technical proposal.

820 Contractor shall submit two cans, along with a legible product label which illustrates 

the ingredient statement, Nutrition Facts and allergen declaration (if applicable). 

900 CONTRACTOR CHECKLOADING

910 Under Option A and B, the contractor shall perform checkloading examinations 

as described in the FPPS at the time of shipment and issue an acceptance 

document to accompany each shipment that includes all the following 

information:

910.1 Purchase Order Number,

910.2 Sales Order and Sales Order Item Number,

910.3 Name of product,

910.4 Shipping Date,

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

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

lot,

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

applicable

910.8 Contractor certification that product conforms with the FPPS,

910.9 Count and projected net weight verified, and
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 06/10/12

Date Revised: 08/01/22

910.10 Signature of company official responsible for checkloading.

1000 TECHNICAL PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS FOR OPTION B

1010 Under Option B, the supplier(s) and contractor will submit a Technical Proposal that 

meets the following Requirements:

1010.1 Include a detailed description of the cooked products 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)

1010.2 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)

1010.3 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)

1010.4 The technical proposal shall follow the format as shown in Exhibit C for meat 

products. Technical proposals should be brief and concise.

1010.5 The technical proposal shall be preceded by the following, as required by the 

template:

1010.5.1 Table of Contents listing the major areas as they appear in the technical proposal; 

and

1010.5.2 List of attachments, forms provided with the technical proposal, if appropriate with 

the applicable document name and reference number.

1020 The Standards and Specification Division shall review each technical proposal to 

determine if the proposal is adequate and shall notify the contractor of the status of 

their technical proposal and their eligibility to bid.

1030 INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMISSION OF TECHNICAL PROPOSAL

1030.1 The following procedures establish the acceptable minimum requirements for 

the format and content of the technical proposal:

1030.1.1 The Government has provided a technical proposal format which is to be used in 

preparing the technical proposal (see Exhibit C and C1). The contractor shall submit 

the technical proposal as an email file attachment to AMS 

(TechnicalApprovals@usda.gov, Angelia.Gale@usda.gov , William.Stone@usda.gov

and Steve.Whisenant@.usda.gov). The technical proposal shall be saved in a nonportable 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
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 06/10/12

Date Revised: 08/01/22

separate document as well. 

1030.1.2 The technical proposal shall be submitted by an authorized agent of the company.

1030.1.3 While it is not the desire of the Government to penalize an offeror for noncompliance 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.

1040 Technical Proposal Revisions

1040.1 Changes to a contractor’s technical proposal may be submitted at any time or at the 

request of the Standards and Specification Division. All technical proposal revisions shall

meet the following criteria:

1040.2 Any changes to a technical proposal made by the contractor 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 contractor shall include the revision date and the appropriate page 

number(s).

1040.3 Changes from the original technical proposal shall be highlighted and deletions in

strikeouts. 

1100 EXHIBITS
APPROVED

FEDERAL PURCHASE 

PROGRAM SPECIFICATION 

(FPPS) FOR 

CANNED/POUCHED BEEF 

WITH JUICES AND 

CANNED/POUCHED PORK 

WITH JUICES

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)

Livestock and Poultry (LP) Program

Standards and Specification Division (SSD)

Room 2628-S, STOP 0258

Phone: (202) 690-3148

Supersedes: FPPS for Canned/Pouched Beef with Juices and 

Canned/Pouched Pork with Juices October 2019 – changes from 

previous requirements in blue

Effective: August 2022

Approved By: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 08/01/22

100 ITEM DESCRIPTION

110 Canned/Pouched Beef with Juices – This item consists of coarse ground beef 

cooked in its own juices for use in a variety of applications, including barbecue 

beef, pizza, soups, stews, spaghetti sauce, vegetable stir-fry, casseroles, and 

similar items.

120 Canned/Pouched Pork with Juices – This item consists of coarse ground pork 

cooked in its own juices for use in a variety of applications, including barbecue 

pork, pizza, soups, stews, spaghetti sauce, vegetable stir-fry, casseroles, and 

similar items.

130 Formula - Beef or pork with juices contains all meat with a small amount of salt 

for flavoring.

140 Fat/Sodium – Fat shall not exceed 15 g / 100 g basis. Sodium shall not exceed 

275 mg / 100 g basis.

150 Packaging/Packing - Individual cans/pouches of beef stew shall have a net 

weight of 24 ounces. Twenty-four cans/pouches shall be unitized to a net 

weight of 36 pounds.

200 CHECKLIST OF REQUIREMENTS

210 Canned/Pouched meat items shall be produced in accordance with Food 

Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) regulations. The contractor’s technical 

proposal, submitted to the FSTB, shall adhere to the following AMS Checklist of 

Requirements. A technical proposal is not required to be submitted when the 

contractor is operating under the QAD Grading-based Monitoring and 

Certification service option.

Exhibit A
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 08/01/22

300 MATERIALS

310 The contractor’s technical proposal shall include procedures to address 

conformance with the following material requirements:

320 MEAT COMPONENT

321 Beef or pork shall be the only meat component allowed. 

322 Domestic Origin – All beef and pork shall originate from U.S. produced livestock 

as described in the AMS Master Solicitation for Commodity Procurements – 

Domestic Programs (MSCP-D) and Supplement. 

323 Harvesting – Boneless meat shall be derived from livestock harvested at 

facilities that comply with the following harvest requirements.

323.1 Humane Handling – Livestock shall be humanely handled in accordance with 

all applicable FSIS regulations and AMS requirements.

323.2 Non-Ambulatory – Meat from carcasses of non-ambulatory disabled livestock 

shall not be included in USDA Purchase Programs.

323.3 Spinal Cord Removal – All spinal cord tissue shall be removed. For cattle, all 

spinal cord tissue shall be removed during the harvesting process.

324 Boneless Meat – Boneless meat shall comply with the following requirements:

324.1 Traceability – Contractors are responsible for providing sufficient product 

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

each production lot.

324.2 Handling – All boneless meat shall be maintained in excellent condition. The 

contractor’s technical proposal shall include detailed time and temperature 

controls necessary to maintain excellent condition of the boneless meat. Frozen 

boneless meat may be used provided it is processed into the final product 

within 90 days from the date of pack.

324.3 Pathogen Testing - Production lots of boneless meat associated with positive 

pathogen test results shall not be allowed.

324.4 Objectionable Materials – The following objectionable materials shall be 

excluded:

324.4.1 Beef - Major lymph glands (prefemoral, popliteal, and prescapular), thymus 

gland, sciatic (ischiatic) nerve, internal fat (kidney, pelvic, and heart fat). All 

bone, cartilage, shoulder tendon, elbow tendon, silver skin, sacrociatic 

ligament, opaque periosteum, serous membrane (peritoneum), tendinous ends 

Exhibit A
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 08/01/22

of shanks, gracilis membrane, patellar ligament (associated with the stifle joint), 

achilles tendon, back strap and abdominal tunic. 

324.4.2 Pork - Skin, bones, cartilages, organ tissue, heavy connective tissue, significant 

glandular tissue, spinal cord, and foreign materials.

324.5 Mechanically Separated – Boneless meat shall comply with the following:

324.5.1 Meat that is mechanically separated from bone with automatic deboning 

systems or advanced meat (lean) recovery (AMR) systems is not allowed. 

324.5.2 Finely Textured Meat – Low temperature rendered meat that is processed from 

fat boneless meat trimmings and is finely textured is not allowed.

324.6 Composition – These items shall contain all meat with a small amount of salt for 

flavoring.

330 NON MEAT COMPONENT

331 A small amount of salt shall be added for flavoring at a rate not to exceed the 

sodium requirement in Section 531. 

400 PROCESSING

410 PLATE AND BLADE SIZE

411 Beef with Juices – Boneless beef shall be ground by use of a standard feedscrew type grinder which shall have a plate with holes 0.5-inch in diameter and 

a knife with no more than three (3) blades. Immediately after grinding, meat 

shall be mechanically mixed and placed into cans/pouches. 

412 Pork with Juices – Boneless pork shall be ground by use of a standard feedscrew type grinder which shall have a plate with holes 1.5-inch in diameter and 

a knife with no more than three (3) blades. Immediately after grinding, meat 

shall be mechanically mixed and placed into cans/pouches. 

420 METAL DETECTION

421 All products shall be free of metal contaminants. Detection of stainless steel, 

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

The contractor's technical proposal shall identify and describe the equipment, 

location, detection procedure, sensitivity levels, frequency of equipment 

validation, and corrective action procedures.

500 FINISHED PRODUCT LIMITATIONS 

510 The declared fat and sodium content and the serving size (“referenced amounts 

customarily consumed” (racc)) shall be stated on the nutrition facts panel on 

each can/pouch label according to FSIS regulations.

Exhibit A
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 08/01/22

520 FAT CONTENT

521 The fat content shall not exceed 15 g / 100 g basis. The serving size shall not 

exceed the “racc” amount. Fat content shall be determined using the following 

formula:

521.1 (Total Fat ÷ Serving Size (racc)) x 100). 

521.2 Example: 4 g of Fat ÷ 56 g = 0.71 X 100 = 7.1 g of fat / 100 g.

530 SODIUM CONTENT

531 Sodium content shall not exceed 275 mg / 100 g basis 

531.1 (Declared Sodium Level (mg) X 100 ÷ Declared Serving Size (grams - racc) 

< 275).

600 PREPARATION FOR DELIVERY 

610 PACKAGING AND PACKING

611 Packaging1/– Individual cans/pouches shall have a net weight of 24 ounces. 

612 Packing – Twenty-four cans/pouches shall be unitized to a net weight of 36 

pounds. All cans/pouches shall be unitized by packing into new fiberboard 

shipping containers, placing on fiberboard trays with plastic shrink wrap or 

plastic shrink wrap only. Only one size and style of unitized containers may be 

offered in an individual shipping unit.

620 LABELING2/

621 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:

622 Immediate Container Labels – Immediate container labels shall contain the 

following information:

622.1 Product name.

622.2 Manufacturer name and address.

622.3 Ingredient declaration.

1/The contracting officer shall designate the packaging format (cans or pouches) permitted for 

each solicitation.

2/Commercial labeling (Brand “X”) of immediate and shipping containers is permissible.

Exhibit A
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 08/01/22

622.4 An allergen statement in a format which complies with the Food Allergen 

Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) for any product which 

contains milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, soy or 

wheat; Contains ______.

622.5 A traceability code that includes information regarding production 

establishment, production date and production lot. 

622.6 Nutrition Facts panel.

622.7 Labels must be contractor’s own retail (i.e. commercially available, off-the-shelf) 

label. Products offered in consumer and individual serving sizes shall include 2 

colors other than black and white (exclusive of package color). Distributor’s 

labels shall not be used. 

623 Shipping Containers – Shipping containers shall include the following 

information:

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

on the principle display panel. 

 

623.2 Applicable purchase order number.

623.3 A traceability code that is traceable to the establishment number, production lot 

and date.

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

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

each of the items. 

Exhibit A
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 08/01/22

623.6 Ingredient declaration.

623.7 An allergen statement in a format which complies with the Food Allergen 

630 

631 

632 

700

710

800

810

811

820

821

900

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 ______.

PALLETIZED UNIT LOADS

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 principle display panel to facilitate product identification and 

certification examinations.

DELIVERY UNIT

Each delivery unit shall consist of 1,000 shipping containers of 24-ounce

cans/pouches with a net weight of 36,000 pounds.

DELIVERED PRODUCT

SIZE AND STYLE OF CONTAINERS

Only one size and style of unitized containers shall be offered in an individual

shipping unit.

SEALING

Sealing - All products shall be delivered to AMS assigned destinations under

seal with tamper proof, tamper resistant, serially numbered, high security seals 

that meet the American Society for Testing and Materials Standard (ASTM) F 

1157-04 and/or the International Organization for Standards (ISO) 17712-2013

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

cable, high-security bolt, or equivalent.

PRODUCT ASSURANCE

Item Material Number

Pork with Juices, Canned (24 oz) or

Pork with Juices, Pouched (24 oz) 100139

Beef with Juices, Canned (24 oz) or

Beef with Juices, Pouched (24 oz) 100127

Exhibit A
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 08/01/22

910 WARRANTY AND COMPLAINT RESOLUTION

911 Warranty – The contractor shall guarantee that the product complies with all 

specification requirements, technical proposal declarations, and provisions 

required under the Master Solicitation and Supplement.

912 Complaint Resolution – Customer complaint resolution procedures shall be 

included in the technical proposal. These procedures shall include: a point of 

contact, investigation steps, intent to cooperate with AMS, and product 

replacement or monetary compensation. The procedures shall be used to 

resolve product complaints from recipient agencies or AMS.

920 NON-CONFORMING PRODUCT

921 The contractor shall include a plan and supporting documentation to assure 

that non-conforming product is not delivered under USDA contracts. The plan 

shall address 1) control and segregation of non-conforming product, 2) removal 

of any USDA markings, and 3) disposition of non-conforming product, including 

vendor documentation of final disposition (e.g., diverted to cooked product or 

destroyed).

922 Contractor shall be deemed ineligible to supply to USDA purchase programs 

(while under contract) should one of the following circumstances arise:

922.1 Contractor is subject to a Class I recall for Canned-Pouched Beef or Pork with 

Juices. 

922.2 Contractor’s supplier for any ingredient is subject to a Class I recall for that 

ingredient.

922.3 Contractor shall be ineligible until it:

922.31 Submits a written corrective action to the FSTB; 

922.32 The FSTB approves the written corrective action;

922.33 And the Quality Assessment Division verifies implementation of the written 

corrective action through an onsite audit.

930 CONTRACTOR CHECKLOADING

930.1 Under both the QAD Grading-based Monitoring and Certification option and the 

QAD Audit-based Verification service option, the Contractor shall 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:

930.1.1 Purchase Order Number/Purchase Order Line Item Number;

Exhibit A
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 08/01/22

930.1.2 Sales Order Number/Sales Order Line Item Number;

930.1.3 Destination of shipment;

930.1.4 Name of Product and applicable Material Number;

930.1.5 Shipping Date;

930.1.6 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;

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

 lot;

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

 applicable;

930.1.9 Contractor certification that product conforms with the applicable specification 

 (FPPS-CBP-2022);

930.1.10 Count and projected net weight verified and;

930.1.11 Signature of company official responsible for checkloading. 

940 AMS MONITORING AND PRODUCTION ASSESSMENT

941 The contractor has the option for using an AMS audit-based system or an AMS 

monitoring and production assessment system.

942 If the contractor uses the AMS monitoring and production assessment system, 

it shall be implemented in accordance with Sections 460 and 470 of 

Supplement 704.

943 The contractor’s technical proposal shall identify the AMS oversight option 

employed.

944 Product Standard Inspection – Contractor shall submit 5 product samples to 

FSTB prior to contract production. Samples shall be submitted to: 

USDA AMS LP FSTB

Room 2624 South Building

1400 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington DC 20250-3700

944 If approved, product samples shall be used as the product standard for 

subsequent review evaluations. 

945 AMS may request contractor to submit production samples throughout the 

Exhibit A
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 08/01/22

contract. Contractors should anticipate submitting up to 5 samples per lot of 

production. 

946 Submitted samples will be inspected against the approved first product sample 

and with the provisions of this FPPS for appearance, odor, flavor, and texture. 

947 In addition, AMS officials will select 20 samples at random during each facility 

audit and examine them as above. Failure to conform to the performance 

requirements or any appearance or palatability failure shall be cause for 

rejection of the lot.

948 The contractor may request to use either AMS’s QAD Grading-based 

Monitoring and Certification service or QAD Audit-based Verification service, for 

assessing contract compliance of the finished product.

949 If the contractor uses the AMS QAD Grading-based Monitoring and Certification 

service, it shall be implemented in accordance with Supplement 704.

950 The contractor’s technical proposal shall specify that the AMS QAD Auditbased Verification service option will be used.

Exhibit A
APPROVED

FEDERAL PURCHASE 

PROGRAM SPECIFICATION 

(FPPS) FOR 

CANNED/POUCHED 

BEEF STEW

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)

Livestock and Poultry (LP) Program

Standards and Specification Division (SSD)

Room 2628-S, STOP 0258

Phone: (202) 690-3148

Supersedes: FPPS for Canned/Pouched Beef Stew

October 2019 – changes from previous requirements in blue

Effective: August 2022

Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 08/01/22

100 ITEM DESCRIPTION

110 Canned/Pouched Beef Stew – This item shall contain discernible chunks of 

beef, carrots and potatoes in gravy. One additional vegetable is permitted. The 

product shall have a golden brown to brown, moderately thick, glossy gravy. 

The beef chunks shall be moist and tender. The vegetables shall be slightly 

soft to slightly firm. The odor, flavor, appearance shall be typical of beef stew in 

a beef flavored gravy.

120 Fat/Sodium - Fat shall not exceed 5 g per 100 g basis. Sodium level will not 

exceed 325 mg per 100 g basis.

130 Packaging/Packing - Individual cans/pouches of beef stew shall have a net 

weight of 24 ounces. Twenty-four cans/pouches shall be unitized to a net 

weight of 36 pounds.

200 CHECKLIST OF REQUIREMENTS

210 Beef stew shall be produced in accordance with Food Safety Inspection Service 

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

shall adhere to the following AMS Checklist of Requirements. A technical 

proposal is not required to be submitted when the contractor is operating under 

the QAD Grading-based Monitoring and Certification service option.

300 MATERIALS

310 The contractor’s technical proposal shall include procedures to address 

conformance with the following material requirements:

320 MEAT COMPONENT

Exhibit A1
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 08/01/22 2 

321 Whole muscle beef shall be the only meat component allowed and shall be 

processed so that all beef pieces shall measure at least one-half inch (1⁄2-in), in 

the finished product. 

322 Domestic Origin of Meat Component – Beef shall originate from U.S. produced 

livestock as described in AMS Master Solicitation for Commodity Procurements 

– Domestic Programs (MSCP-D) and Supplement.

323 Harvesting – Cattle shall be harvested in facilities that comply with the following 

requirements:

323.1 Humane Handling – All cattle destined to provide meat for this FPPS shall be 

humanely handled in accordance with all applicable FSIS regulations and AMS 

requirements.

323.2 Spinal Cord Removal – All spinal cord material shall be removed during the 

harvesting process.

324 Boneless Beef – Boneless beef shall comply with the following requirements:

324.1 Traceability – Contractors are responsible for providing sufficient product 

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

each production lot.

324.2 Handling – All boneless beef shall be maintained in excellent condition. The 

contractor’s technical proposal shall include detailed 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

90 days from the date of pack.

324.3 Pathogen Testing - Production lots of boneless beef associated with positive 

pathogen test results shall not be allowed.

324.5 Objectionable Materials - The following objectionable materials shall be 

excluded:

324.5.1 Major lymph glands (prefemoral, popliteal, and prescapular), thymus gland, 

sciatic (ischiatic) nerve, internal fat (kidney, pelvic, and heart fat). All bone, 

cartilage, shoulder tendon, elbow tendon, silver skin, sacrociatic ligament, 

opaque periosteum, serous membrane (peritoneum), tendinous ends of 

shanks, gracilis membrane, patellar ligament (associated with the stifle joint),

achilles tendon, back strap and abdominal tunic. 

325 Mechanically Separated – Boneless beef shall comply with the following:

325.1 Meat that is mechanically separated from bone with automatic deboning 

systems or advanced meat (lean) recovery (AMR) systems is not allowed. 

Exhibit A1
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 08/01/22 3 

325.2 Finely Textured Meat – Low temperature rendered meat that is processed from 

fat boneless meat trimmings and is finely textured is not allowed.

326 Fine ground beef or meatball/beef patty style beef is not allowed. 

330 VEGETABLE COMPONENT

331 Carrots and potatoes shall be the primary vegetables as listed on the ingredient 

statement. One additional vegetable is permitted. All vegetable pieces shall 

measure at least one-half inch (1⁄2-in), in the finished product. 

332 All vegetables and other significant ingredients (more than one percent) shall 

be derived from U.S. produced products.

333 Vegetables shall make up at least 25 percent of the net weight of the finished 

product as verified through drained weight of pieces of the specified size using

a 1⁄2 inch sieve.

334 The potato component shall be at least 15 percent of the net weight of the 

finished product, and the carrot component shall be at least 10 percent by 

weight of the finished product as determined by the drained weight of pieces of 

the specified size using a 1⁄2 inch sieve.

340 OTHER INGREDIENT COMPONENTS

341 Seasonings and ingredients used for flavoring and gravy shall be similar to 

those normally used for commercially marketed beef stew.

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

350 METAL DETECTION

351 All products shall be free of metal contaminants. Detection of stainless steel, 

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

The contractor's technical proposal shall identify and describe the equipment, 

location, detection procedure, sensitivity levels, frequency of equipment 

validation, and corrective action procedures.

400 FINISHED PRODUCT LIMITATIONS

410 The declared fat and sodium content and the serving size (“referenced amounts 

customarily consumed” (racc)) shall be stated on the nutrition facts panel on 

each can/pouch label according to FSIS regulations.

420 FAT CONTENT

Exhibit A1
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 08/01/22 4 

421 The fat content shall not exceed 5 percent (no more than 5 g per 100 g basis). 

Declared fat content shall be stated on the nutrition facts panel on each 

can/pouch label according to FSIS nutritional labeling regulations.

421.1 Percent fat = (Total fat ÷ Serving Size) x 100

430 SODIUM CONTENT

431 Sodium level shall not exceed 325 mg per 100 g basis. 

500 PREPARATION FOR DELIVERY

510 PACKAGING AND PACKING

511 Packaging1/ – Individual cans/pouches shall have a net weight of 24 ounces. 

512 Packing – Twenty-four cans/pouches shall be unitized to a net weight of 36 

pounds. All cans/pouches shall be unitized by packing into new fiberboard 

shipping containers, placing on fiberboard trays with plastic shrink wrap or 

plastic shrink wrap only. Only one size and style of unitized containers may be 

offered in an individual shipping unit.

520 LABELING2/

521 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:

522 Immediate Container Label – Immediate containers shall include the following 

information:

522.1 Product name. 

522.2 Manufacturer name and address.

522.3 Ingredient declaration.

522.4 An allergen statement in a format which complies with the Food Allergen

Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) for any product which 

contains milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, soy or 

wheat; Contains ______.

522.5 A traceability code that is traceable to the establishment number, production lot 

and date.

1/The contracting officer shall designate the packing orientation permitted for each solicitation.

2/All labeling illustrations shall be provided in the contractor’s technical proposal. 

Exhibit A1
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 08/01/22 5 

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

522.7 Labels must be contractor’s own retail (i.e. commercially available, off-the-shelf) 

label. Products offered in consumer and individual serving sizes shall include 2 

colors other than black and white (exclusive of package color). Distributor’s 

labels shall not be used. 

523 Shipping Containers – Shipping containers shall include the following 

information:

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

on the principal display panel.

 

523.2 Applicable purchase order number.

523.3 A traceability code that is traceable to the establishment number, production lot 

and date.

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

523.5 The product name – Canned Beef Stew or Pouched Beef Stew. 

523.6 Material number – 100526.

523.7 Ingredient declaration.

523.8 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 ______.

530 PALLETIZED UNIT LOADS

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

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

532 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 product identification and 

certification examinations.

Exhibit A1
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 08/01/22 6 

600

610

700

710

711

720 

721 

800

810

811

812

820

821

822

DELIVERY UNIT

Each delivery unit shall consist of 1,000 shipping containers of 24-ounce

cans/pouches with a net weight of 36,000 pounds.

DELIVERED PRODUCT

SIZE AND STYLE OF CONTAINERS

Only one size and style of unitized containers shall be offered in an individual

shipping unit.

SEALING

Sealing - All products shall be delivered to AMS assigned destinations under

seal with tamper proof, tamper resistant, serially numbered, high security seals 

that meet the American Society for Testing and Materials Standard (ASTM) F 

1157-04 and/or the International Organization for Standards (ISO) 17712-2013

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

cable, high-security bolt, or equivalent.

PRODUCT ASSURANCE

WARRANTY AND COMPLAINT RESOLUTION

Warranty – The contractor shall guarantee that the product complies with all

specification requirements, technical proposal declarations, and provisions

required under the Master Solicitation and Supplement.

Complaint Resolution – Customer complaint resolution procedures shall be 

included in the technical proposal. These procedures shall include: a point of 

contact, investigation steps, intent to cooperate with AMS, and product

replacement or monetary compensation. The procedures shall be used to 

resolve product complaints from recipient agencies or AMS.

NON CONFORMING PRODUCT

The contractor shall include a plan and supporting documentation to assure 

that non-conforming product is not delivered under USDA contracts. The plan 

shall address 1) control and segregation of non-conforming product, 2) removal

of any USDA markings, and 3) disposition of non-conforming product, including 

vendor documentation of final disposition (e.g., diverted to cooked product or 

destroyed).

Contractor shall be deemed ineligible to supply products for USDA purchase 

programs (while under contract) should one of the following circumstances

arise:

822.1 Contractor is subject to a Class I recall for Beef Stew

Exhibit A1
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 08/01/22 7 

822.2 Contractor’s supplier for any ingredient is subject to a Class I recall for that 

ingredient.

822.3 Contractor shall be ineligible until it:

822.31 Submits a written corrective action to the FSTB; 

822.32 The FSTB approves the written corrective action;

822.33 And the Quality Assessment Division verifies implementation of the written 

corrective action through an onsite audit.

900 CONTRACTOR CHECKLOADING

910 Under both the QAD Grading-based Monitoring and Certification option and the 

QAD Audit-based Verification service option, the contractor shall 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:

910.1 Purchase Order Number/Purchase Order Line Item Number;

910.2 Sales Order Number/Sales Order Line Item Number;

910.3 Destination of shipment;

910.4 Name of Product and applicable Material Number;

910.5 Shipping Date;

910.6 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;

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

 lot;

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

 applicable;

910.9 Contractor certification that product conforms with the applicable specification 

 (FPPS-BS-2022);

910.10 Count and projected net weight verified and;

910.11 Signature of company official responsible for checkloading

920 AMS MONITORING AND PRODUCTION ASSESSMENT

921 Product Standard Inspection – Contractor shall submit 5 product samples to 

Exhibit A1
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 08/01/22 8 

FSTB prior to contract production. Samples shall be submitted to:

USDA AMS LP FSTB 

Room 2624 South Building

1400 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington DC 20250-3700

922 If approved, product samples shall be used as the product standard for 

subsequent review evaluations. 

923 AMS may request contractor to submit production samples throughout the 

contract. Contractors should anticipate submitting up to 5 samples per lot of 

production. 

924 Submitted samples will be inspected against the approved first product sample 

and with the provisions of this FPPS for appearance, odor, flavor, and texture. 

925 In addition, AMS officials will select 20 samples at random during each facility 

audit and examine them as above. Failure to conform to the performance 

requirements or any appearance or palatability failure shall be cause for 

rejection of the lot 

926 The contractor may request to use either AMS’s QAD Grading-based 

Monitoring and Certification service or QAD Audit-based Verification service, for 

assessing contract compliance of the finished product.

927 If the contractor uses the AMS QAD Grading-based Monitoring and Certification 

service, it shall be implemented in accordance with Supplement 704.

928 The contractor’s technical proposal shall specify that the AMS QAD Auditbased Verification service option will be used.

Exhibit A1
APPROVED

FEDERAL PURCHASE 

PROGRAM SPECIFICATION 

(FPPS) FOR 

CANNED/POUCHED CHILI 

WITH BEANS

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)

Livestock and Poultry (LP) Program

Standards and Specification Division (SSD)

Room 2628-S, STOP 0258

Phone: (202) 690-3148

Supersedes: FPPS for Canned/Pouched Chili with Beans

October 2019 – changes from previous requirements in blue

Effective: August 2022

Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 06/11/19

Date Revised: 08/01/22

100 ITEM DESCRIPTION

110 Chili with Beans – This item consists of 25 percent beef with a mild chili 

flavored sauce with beans.

120 Fat/Sodium - Fat shall not exceed 6 g per 100 g basis. Sodium shall 

not exceed 305 mg per 100 g basis. 

130 Protein – Protein shall be 6 g per 100 g basis. 

140 Cans/Pouches/Cases - Individual cans/pouches of chili shall have a net

weight of 15 ounces. A case shall consist of 12 individual 15-ounce 

cans/pouches. 

200 CHECKLIST OF REQUIREMENTS

210 Canned/Pouched Chili with Beans shall be produced inaccordance with

Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) regulations. Contractor’s 

technical proposal shall be submitted to the FSTB and shall adhere to 

the following AMS Checklist of Requirements. A technical proposal is 

not required to be submitted when the contractor is operating under the 

QAD Grading-based Monitoring and Certification service option.

300 MATERIALS

310 Contractor’s technical proposal shall include procedures to

address conformance with the following requirements:

320 MEAT COMPONENT

321 Beef shall be the only meat component.

322 Domestic Origin of Meat Component – Beef shall originate from U.S. 

Exhibit A2
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 06/11/19

Date Revised: 08/01/22

2 

produced livestock as described in the AMS Master Solicitation for 

Commodity Procurements – Domestic Programs (MSCP-D) and 

Supplement.

323 Harvesting – Cattle shall be harvested in facilities that comply with the

following requirements:

323.1 Humane Handling – All cattle destined to provide meat for this FPPS shall 

be humanely handled in accordance with all applicable FSIS regulations

and AMS requirements.

323.2 Spinal Cord Removal – All spinal cord material shall be removed

during harvesting.

324 Boneless Beef – Boneless beef shall comply with the following requirements:

324.1 Traceability – Contractor shall provide product traceability information and 

shall have records verifying the source of raw materials used in each 

production lot.

324.2 Handling – All boneless beef shall be maintained in excellent condition. 

Contractor’s technical proposal shall include detailed time and temperature 

controls necessary to maintain excellent condition of the boneless beef. 

Frozen boneless beef may be used if processed into the final product 

within 90 days from the date of pack. 

324.3 Pathogen Testing - Production lots of boneless beef found positive for 

pathogens shall be excluded. 

324.4 Objectionable Materials - The following objectionable materials 

shallbe excluded:

324.4.1 Major lymph glands (prefemoral, popliteal, and prescapular), thymus 

gland, sciatic (ischiatic) nerve, internal fat (kidney, pelvic, and heart fat). 

All bone, cartilage, shoulder tendon, elbow tendon, silver skin, 

sacrosciatic ligament, opaque periosteum, serous membrane 

(peritoneum), tendinous ends of shanks, gracilis membrane, patellar 

ligament (associated with the stiflejoint), Achilles tendon, back strap and 

abdominal tunic. 

324.5 Mechanically Separated – Boneless beef shall comply with the following:

324.6 Beef that is mechanically separated from bone with automatic deboning 

systems or advanced meat (lean) recovery (AMR) systems shall be 

excluded. 

Exhibit A2
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 06/11/19

Date Revised: 08/01/22

3 

330 NON-MEAT COMPONENT

331 Domestic Origin – Significant ingredients (those that constitute more than 1 

percent of the product) shall come from U.S.-produced products.

332 Flavoring and Sauce – Seasonings and ingredients used for flavoring 

and sauce shall be like those used for commercially marketed mildflavored chili products.

333 Beans – Pinto beans, kidney beans, red beans, and/or pink beans shall be 

used in any combination.

334 Beans shall be U.S. No. 1 Grade.

335 Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) shall be excluded. 

400 PROCESSING

410 GRINDING

411 Fresh chilled or fresh frozen boneless beef shall be finely ground to no

larger than 3/16-inch prior to cooking/canning.

420 BONE COLLLECTOR / EXTRUDER SYSTEM

421 A bone collector/extruder system shall be used toremove bone,

cartilage, and heavy connective tissue during the finalgrind.

430 METAL DETECTION

431 All products shall be free of metal contaminants. Detection of stainless

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

is required. Contractor's technical proposal shall identify and describe the 

equipment, location, detection procedure, sensitivity levels, frequency of 

equipment validation, and corrective actions.

500 FINISHED PRODUCT LIMITATIONS

510 Declared fat and sodium content and the serving size (“referenced amounts

customarily consumed” (racc)) shall be on the nutrition facts panel on each 

can label according to FSISregulations.

521 FAT CONTENT

521 The fat content, as packaged, shall not exceed 6 grams / 100 grams of 

finished product. The calculation shall be as follows:

521.1 (Total Fat ÷ Serving Size (racc)) x 100).

Exhibit A2
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 06/11/19

Date Revised: 08/01/22

4 

521.2 Example: 3 g Fat ÷ 56 g = 0.054 X 100 = 5.4 g of fat / 100 g.

530 SODIUM CONTENT

531 Sodium shall not exceed 305 mg per 100 g basis. 

600 PREPARATION FOR DELIVERY

610 PACKAGING AND PACKING

611 Packaging/1 – Individual cans/pouches shall have a net weight of 15 

ounces. 

612 Packing – Can/pouches shall be packed 12 to a case and 3,264 cases to a 

truckload, for a total of 36,720 lbs. per truckload. 

620 LABELING/2

621 Shipping containers shall comply with the National Motor Freight 

Classification, or the Uniform Freight Classification, as applicable. 

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:

622 Immediate Containers – Commercially marked can/pouch labels shall 

contain the following:

622.1 Product name. 

622.2 Manufacturer name and address.

622.3 Ingredient declaration.

622.4 An allergen statement in a format which complies with the Food Allergen 

Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) for any product which 

contains milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, soy or 

wheat; Contains ______.

622.5 A traceability code that is traceable to the establishment number, production 

lot, and date.

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

/1 The contracting officer will designate the packaging format (cans or pouches) permitted for each 

solicitation.

/2 Commercial labeling (Brand “X”) of immediate and shipping containers is permissible.

Exhibit A2
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 06/11/19

Date Revised: 08/01/22

5 

622.7 Labels must be contractor’s own retail (i.e., commercially available, off-theshelf) label. Products offered in consumer and individual serving sizes shall 

include 2 colors other than black and white (exclusive of the package color). 

Distributor’s labels shall not be used. 

 623 Shipping Containers – Commercially marked shipping containers shall

include the following information:

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

container or on the principal display panel.

 

 623.2 Applicable purchase order number.

 623.3 A traceability code that is traceable to the establishment number, production 

 lot and date.

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

 623.6 The product name – Canned Chili with Beans or Pouched Chili with Beans. 

 623.7 Material number – 111180. 

 623.8 Ingredient declaration.

 623.9 An allergen statement in a format which complies with the Food Allergen 

Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) for any product which

contains milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, soy or

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

630 PALLETIZED UNIT LOADS

631 Product shall be stacked on new or well-maintained pallets and

palletized with shrink wrap plastic.

632 Pallet loads shall be stacked to minimize overhang of shipping

containers and to expose each shipping container’s principal display 

panel.

700 DELIVERY UNIT

Exhibit A2
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 06/11/19

Date Revised: 08/01/22

6 

710 Each delivery unit shall consist of 3,264 shipping containers with a net

weight of 36,720 pounds.

800 DELIVERED PRODUCT

810 SIZE AND STYLE OF CONTAINERS

811 Only one size and style of unitized containers shall be used in an

individual shipping unit.

820 SEALING

821 Products shall be delivered to AMS-assigned destinations under seal with 

tamper-proof, serially numbered, high-security seals that meet American 

Society for Testing and Materials Standard (ASTM) F 1157-04 and/or the 

International Organization for Standards (ISO) 17712-2013 Solicitation.

Seals shall be >1⁄8-inch diameter cable, high-security bolt, or equivalent.

900 PRODUCT ASSURANCE

910 WARRANTY AND COMPLAINT RESOLUTION

911 Warranty – Contractor shall guarantee product complies with all FPPS

requirements, technical proposal declarations, and provisions of the 

Master Solicitation andSupplement.

912 Complaint Resolution – Customer complaint resolution procedures shall

be included in the technical proposal and shall include point of contact, 

investigation steps, intent to cooperate with AMS, and product 

replacement or monetary compensation. Procedures shall be used to 

resolve product complaints from recipient agencies or from AMS. 

920 NON-CONFORMING PRODUCT

921 Contractor shall include a plan and supporting documentationto assure

non-conforming product is not delivered. The plan shall address control 

and segregation of non-conforming product, removal of USDA markings, 

and product disposition (e.g., diverted to cooked product or destroyed).

922 Contractor shall be deemed ineligible to supply products for USDA 

purchase programs (while under contract) should one of the following 

circumstances arise: 

922.1 Contractor is subject to a Class I recall for Chili with Beans;

922.2 Contractor’s supplier for any ingredient is subject to a Class I recall for that 

ingredient. 

Exhibit A2
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 06/11/19

Date Revised: 08/01/22

7 

922.3 Contractor shall be ineligible until it:

922.31 Submits a written corrective action to the FSTB; 

922.32 The FSTB approves the written corrective action;

922.33 And the Quality Assessment Division verifies implementation of the 

written corrective action through an onsite audit.

930 CONTRACTOR CHECKLOADING

931.1 Under both the QAD Grading-based Monitoring and Certification option 

and the QAD Audit-based Verification service option, the Contractor shall 

do checkloading examinations at shipment and issue a certificate

accompanying each shipment that includes the following:

931.1.1 Purchase order Number/Purchase Order Line Item Number;

931.1.2 Sales Order Number/Sales Order Line Item Number;

931.1.3 Shipment Destination;

931.1.4 Product Name and applicable MaterialNumber;

931.1.5 Shipping Date;

931.1.6 Production lot number(s) and production date(s) with shipping container 

and immediate container code(s) and code(s) giving traceability to 

establishment number, production lot, anddate;

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

production lot;

931.1.8 Identity of car or truck (car numbers and letters, seals, truck license, 

etc.) as applicable;

931.1.9 Contractor certification that product conforms with the FPPS; 

931.1.10 Count and projected net weight verified and;

931.1.11 Signature of company official responsible forcheckloading.

940 AMS MONITORING AND PRODUCTIONASSESSMENT

941 The contractor may request to use either AMS’s QAD Grading-based 

Monitoring and Certification service or QAD Audit-based Verification 

service, for assessing contract compliance of the finished product.

Exhibit A2
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 06/11/19

Date Revised: 08/01/22

8 

942 If the contractor uses the AMS QAD Grading-based Monitoring and 

Certification service, it shall be implemented in accordance with 

Supplement 704

943 The contractor’s technical proposal shall specify that the AMS QAD 

Audit-based Verification service option will be used.

944 Product Standard Inspection – Contractor shall submit 5 product 

samples to FSTB prior to contract production. Samples shall be 

submitted to: 

945 USDA AMS LP FSTB 

Room 0720 South Building

 1400 Independence Avenue

 SW Washington DC 20250-3700

946 If approved, product samples shall be used as the product standard 

for subsequent review evaluations. 

947 AMS may request contractor to submit production samples 

throughout the contract. Contractors should anticipate submitting up 

to 5 samples per lot of production. 

948 Submitted samples will be inspected against the approved first 

product sample and with the provisions of this FPPS for appearance, 

odor, flavor, and texture. 

949 In addition, AMS officials will select 20 samples at random during 

each facility audit and examine them as above. Failure to conform to 

the performance requirements or any appearance or palatability 

failure shall be cause for rejection of the lot.

Exhibit A2
APPROVED

FEDERAL PURCHASE 

PROGRAM SPECIFICATION 

(FPPS) FOR 

CANNED/POUCHED

CHILI WITHOUT BEANS

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)

Livestock and Poultry (LP) Program

Standards and Specification Division (SSD)

Room 2628-S, STOP 0258

Phone: (202) 690-3148

Supersedes: FPPS for Canned/Pouched Chili without Beans

October 2019 – changes from previous requirements in blue

Effective: August 2022

Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 08/01/22

100 ITEM DESCRIPTION

110 Chili (Chili Con Carne), without Beans – This item consists of 40 percent beef 

with a mild chili flavored sauce without beans.

120 Fat/Sodium - Fat shall not exceed 8 g / 100 g basis. A labeling claim of “less 

sodium” is required on both the immediate and shipping containers.

130 Cans/Pouches/Cases - Individual cans/pouches of chili shall have a net weight 

of 24 ounces. Twenty-four cans/pouches shall be unitized to a net weight of 36 

pounds. 

200 CHECKLIST OF REQUIREMENTS

210 Canned/Pouched Chili without Beans shall be produced in accordance with 

Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) regulations. The contractor’s technical 

proposal, submitted to the FSTB, shall adhere to the following AMS Checklist of 

Requirements. A technical proposal is not required to be submitted when the 

contractor is operating under the QAD Grading-based Monitoring and 

Certification service option.

300 MATERIALS

310 The contractor’s technical proposal shall include procedures to address 

conformance with the following material requirements:

320 MEAT COMPONENT

321 Beef shall be the only meat component allowed.

Exhibit A3
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 08/01/22 2 

322 Domestic Origin of Meat Component – Beef shall originate from U.S. produced 

livestock as described in the AMS Master Solicitation for Commodity 

Procurements – Domestic Programs (MSCP-D) and Supplement. 

323 Harvesting – Cattle shall be harvested in facilities that comply with the following 

requirements:

323.1 Humane Handling – All cattle destined to provide meat for this FPPS shall be 

humanely handled in accordance with all applicable FSIS regulations and AMS 

requirements.

323.2 Spinal Cord Removal – All spinal cord material shall be removed during the 

harvesting process.

324 Boneless Beef – Boneless beef shall comply with the following requirements:

324.1 Traceability – Contractors are responsible for providing sufficient product 

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

each production lot.

324.2 Handling – All boneless beef shall be maintained in excellent condition. The 

contractor’s technical proposal shall include detailed 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 

90 days from the date of pack.

324.3 Pathogen Testing - Production lots of boneless beef associated with positive 

pathogen test results shall not be allowed.

324.4 Objectionable Materials - The following objectionable materials shall be 

excluded:

324.4.1 Major lymph glands (prefemoral, popliteal, and prescapular), thymus gland, 

sciatic (ischiatic) nerve, internal fat (kidney, pelvic, and heart fat). All bone, 

cartilage, shoulder tendon, elbow tendon, silver skin, sacrociatic ligament, 

opaque periosteum, serous membrane (peritoneum), tendinous ends of 

shanks, gracilis membrane, patellar ligament (associated with the stifle joint), 

achilles tendon, back strap and abdominal tunic. 

324.5 Mechanically Separated – Boneless beef shall comply with the following:

324.5.1 Beef that is mechanically separated from bone with automatic deboning 

systems or advanced meat (lean) recovery (AMR) systems is not allowed.

324.5.2 Finely Textured Beef – Low temperature rendered beef that is processed from 

fat boneless meat trimmings and is finely textured is not allowed.

330 NON-MEAT COMPONENT

Exhibit A3
Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 08/01/22 3 

331 Domestic Origin – Significant ingredients (more than 1 percent) shall be derived 

from U.S. produced products.

332 Flavoring and Sauce – Seasonings and ingredients used for flavoring and 

sauce shall be similar to those normally used for commercially marketed mildflavored chili products.

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

400 PROCESSING

410 GRINDING

411 Fresh chilled or fresh frozen boneless beef shall be finely ground to no larger 

than 3/16-inch grind prior to the cooking/canning process.

420 BONE COLLLECTOR / EXTRUDER SYSTEM

421 A bone collector/extruder system shall be in operation to remove bone, 

cartilage, and heavy connective tissue during the final grind. 

430 METAL DETECTION

431 All products shall be free of metal contaminants. Detection of stainless steel, 

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

The contractor's technical proposal shall identify and describe the equipment, 

location, detection procedure, sensitivity levels, frequency of equipment 

validation, and corrective action procedures.

500 FINISHED PRODUCT LIMITATIONS

510 The declared fat and sodium content and the serving size (“referenced amounts 

customarily consumed” (racc)) shall be stated on the nutrition facts panel on 

each can label according to FSIS regulations. 

520 FAT CONTENT

521 The fat content, as packaged, shall not exceed 8 grams / 100 grams of finished 

product. The calculation shall be as follows: 

521.1 (Total Fat ÷ Serving Size (racc)) x 100).

521.2 Example: 4 g of Fat ÷ 56 g = 0.71 X 100 = 7.1 g of fat / 100 g.

530 SODIUM CONTENT

531 A labeling claim of “Less sodium” is required on both immediate and shipping 

containers. 

Exhibit A3
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 08/01/22 4 

600 PREPARATION FOR DELIVERY

610 PACKAGING AND PACKING

611 Packaging1/– Individual cans/pouches shall have a net weight of 24 ounces. 

612 Packing – Twenty-four cans/pouches shall be unitized to a net weight of 36 

pounds. All cans/pouches shall be unitized by packing into new fiberboard 

shipping containers, placing on fiberboard trays with plastic shrink wrap or 

plastic shrink wrap only. Only one size and style of unitized containers may be 

offered in an individual shipping unit.

620 LABELING2/

621 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:

622 Immediate Containers – Commercially marked can/pouch labels shall contain

the following information:

622.1 Product name.

622.2 Manufacturer name and address.

622.3 Ingredient declaration.

622.4 An allergen statement in a format which complies with the Food Allergen 

Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) for any product which 

contains milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, soy or 

wheat; Contains ______.

622.5 A traceability code that is traceable to the establishment number, production lot 

and date.

622.6 A claim of “Less sodium”.

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

622.8 Labels must be contractor’s own retail (i.e. commercially available, off-the-shelf) 

label. Products offered in consumer and individual serving sizes shall include 2 

colors other than black and white (exclusive of package color). Distributor’s 

labels shall not be used. 

1/The contracting officer shall designate the packaging format (cans or pouches) permitted for 

each solicitation.

2/Commercial labeling (Brand “X”) of immediate and shipping containers is permissible.

Exhibit A3
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 08/01/22 5 

623 Shipping Containers – Commercially marked shipping containers shall include 

the following information:

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

on the principal display panel.

 

623.2 Applicable purchase order number.

623.3 A traceability code that is traceable to the establishment number, production lot 

and date.

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

623.5 A labeling claim of “Less sodium”.

623.6 The product name – Canned Chili without Beans or Pouched Chili without 

Beans. 

623.7 Material number – 100138.

623.8 Ingredient declaration.

623.9 An allergen statement in a format which complies with the Food Allergen

Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) for any product which

contains milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, soy or wheat; 

e.g. Allergen: This product contains ______.

630 PALLETIZED UNIT LOADS

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

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

632 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 product identification and 

certification examinations.

700 DELIVERY UNIT

710 Each delivery unit shall consist of 1,000 shipping containers with a net weight of 

36,000 pounds.

Exhibit A3
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 08/01/22 6 

800 DELIVERED PRODUCT

810 SIZE AND STYLE OF CONTAINERS

811 Only one size and style of unitized containers shall be offered in an individual 

shipping unit.

820 SEALING

821 Sealing - All products shall be delivered to AMS assigned destinations under 

seal with tamper proof, tamper resistant, serially numbered, high security seals 

that meet the American Society for Testing and Materials Standard (ASTM) F 

1157-04 and/or the International Organization for Standards (ISO) 17712-2013

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

cable, high-security bolt, or equivalent.

900 PRODUCT ASSURANCE

910 WARRANTY AND COMPLAINT RESOLUTION

911 Warranty – The contractor shall guarantee that the product complies with all 

specification requirements, technical proposal declarations, and provisions 

required under the Master Solicitation and Supplement.

912 Complaint Resolution – Customer complaint resolution procedures shall be 

included in the technical proposal. These procedures shall include: a point of 

contact, investigation steps, intent to cooperate with AMS, and product 

replacement or monetary compensation. The procedures shall be used to 

resolve product complaints from recipient agencies or AMS.

920 NON-CONFORMING PRODUCT

921 The contractor shall include a plan and supporting documentation to assure 

that non-conforming product is not delivered under USDA contracts. The plan 

shall address 1) control and segregation of non-conforming product, 2) removal 

of any USDA markings, and 3) disposition of non-conforming product, including 

vendor documentation of final disposition (e.g., diverted to cooked product or 

destroyed).

922 Contractor shall be deemed ineligible to supply products for USDA purchase 

programs (while under contract) should one of the following circumstances 

arise:

922.1 Contractor is subject to a Class I recall for Chili without beans.

922.2 Contractor’s supplier for any ingredient is subject to a Class I recall for that 

ingredient.

922.3 Contractor shall be ineligible until it:

Exhibit A3
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 08/01/22 7 

922.31 Submits a written corrective action to the FSTB; 

922.32 The FSTB approves the written corrective action;

922.33 And the Quality Assessment Division verifies implementation of the written 

corrective action through an onsite audit.

930 CONTRACTOR CHECKLOADING

931 Under both the QAD Grading-based Monitoring and Certification option and the 

QAD Audit-based Verification service option, the Contractor shall 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:

931. Purchase Order Number/Purchase Order Line Item Number;

931.2 Sales Order Number/Sales Order Line Item Number;

931.3 Destination of shipment;

931.4 Name of Product and applicable Material Number;

931.5 Shipping Date;

931.6 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;

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

 lot;

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

 applicable;

931.9 Contractor certification that product conforms with the applicable specification 

 (FPPS-CWB-2022);

931.10 Count and projected net weight verified and;

931.11 Signature of company official responsible for checkloading. 

940 AMS MONITORING AND PRODUCTION ASSESSMENT

941 The contractor may request to use either AMS’s QAD Grading-based 

Monitoring and Certification service or QAD Audit-based Verification service, for 

assessing contract compliance of the finished product.

Exhibit A3
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 08/01/22 8 

942 If the contractor uses the AMS QAD Grading-based Monitoring and Certification 

service, it shall be implemented in accordance with Supplement 704.

943 The contractor’s technical proposal shall specify that the AMS QAD Auditbased Verification service option will be used.

944 Product Standard Inspection – Contractor shall submit 5 product samples to 

FSTB prior to contract production. Samples shall be submitted to: 

USDA AMS LP FSTB

Room 2624 South Building

1400 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington DC 20250-3700

945 If approved, product samples shall be used as the product standard for 

subsequent review evaluations. 

946 AMS may request contractor to submit production samples throughout the 

contract. Contractors should anticipate submitting up to 5 samples per lot of 

production. 

947 Submitted samples will be inspected against the approved first product sample 

and with the provisions of this FPPS for appearance, odor, flavor, and texture. 

948 In addition, AMS officials will select 20 samples at random during each facility 

audit and examine them as above. Failure to conform to the performance 

requirements or any appearance or palatability failure shall be cause for 

rejection of the lot.

Exhibit A3
APPROVED

FEDERAL PURCHASE 

PROGRAM SPECIFICATION 

(FPPS) FOR ANIMAL 

HANDLING AND WELFARE

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)

Livestock and Poultry (LP) Program 

Standards and Specification Division (SSD)

Room 2628-S, STOP 0258

 Phone: (202) 690-3148

Supersedes: FPPS-AHW-2020 November 2020 –

Changes from previous requirements in blue

Effective: March 2021

Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 08/11/08

Date Revised: 03/15/21

100 GENERAL

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

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.

Exhibit B
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 08/11/08

Date Revised: 03/15/21 2 

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

employees and conspicuously displayed at the premises.

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.

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 4: Transportation Audit Guidelines, 7 Core Criteria and Chapter 5: 

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

Recommended Animal Handling Guidelines & Audit Guide: A Systematic 

Approach to Animal Welfare, found at the following web site address: 

231.1 http://animalhandling.org/producers/guidelines_audits

 

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

Exhibit B
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 08/11/08

Date Revised: 03/15/21 3 

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. 

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 4: NAMI Recommended Animal 

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

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 5: NAMI 

Recommended Animal Handling Guidelines & Audit Guide: A Systematic 

Approach to Animal Welfare).

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 Standards and Specification (SS) 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 6: Effective Stunning.

Exhibit B
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 08/11/08

Date Revised: 03/15/21 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 SS 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. 

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 SS 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 oneyear 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 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 SS DIVISION

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

Program out of compliance at any time.

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

handling and welfare official enforcement action is issued by FSIS. 

Exhibit B
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 06/10/12

Date Revised: 08/01/22

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT C

Cover Page:

Company Name

Company Address

Contact Person, including title, phone number, including emergency contact information, 

e-mail address (shall be authorized to represent the company).

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

Table of Contents (all pages and attachments shall be number 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 CHECKLIST OF REQUIREMENTS

300 MATERIALS

320 MEAT COMPONENT

321 Species allowed

322 Domestic Origin

323 Harvest (Slaughter)

323.1 Humane Handling

323.2 Non-Ambulatory Cattle

323.3 Spinal Cord Removal

324 Boneless Meat

324.1 Traceability

324.2 Handling

324.3 Pathogen Testing

324.4 Objectionable Materials

324.5 Mechanically Separated
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 06/10/12

Date Revised: 08/01/22

324.6 Composition

330 NON-MEAT COMPONENT

400 PROCESSING

410 PLATE AND BLADE SIZE

420 METAL DETECTION

500 FINISHED PRODUCT LIMITATIONS

520 FAT CONTENT

530 SODIUM CONTENT

600 PREPARATION FOR DELIVERY

610 PACKAGING AND PACKING

620 LABELING

621 General

622 Immediate Container

623 Shipping Container

630 PALLETIZED UNIT LOADS

700 DELIVERY UNIT

800 DELIVERED PRODUCT

810 SIZE AND STYLE OF CONTAINER

820 SEALING

900 PRODUCT ASSURANCE

910 WARRANTY AND COMPLAINT RESOLUTION

920 NON-CONFORMING PRODUCT

930 CONNTRACTOR CHECKLOADING

940 AMS MONITORING AND PRODUCTION ASSESSMENT

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

document name and reference number.
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 06/10/12

Date Revised: 08/01/22

_________

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT C1 

Cover Page:

Company Name 

Company 

Address

Contact Person, including title, phone number, including emergency contact 

information, e-mail address (shall be authorized to represent the company).

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

Table of Contents (all pages and attachments shall be number 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

300 CHECKLIST OF REQUIREMENTS

320 Domestic Products

400 HARVESTING

410 Harvesting Activities

420 Humane Handling

500 PROCESSING

530 Not more than 90 days prior to first date of delivery period

543 Lot/Sub-Lot Definition

553 Frozen Meat

560 Organoleptic Requirements

570-575 Marination, Cooking Option, Size Reduction, Organoleptic Requirements, 

 Broth or Potable Water

580 Metal Detection

590 Commodity Defects

5000 Filling Cans/Pouches
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 06/10/12

Date Revised: 08/01/22

5010 Drain Weight

5020 Thermal Processing

5030 Reworked Commodity

5040 X-ray Examination

600 PACKAGING AND PACKING

700 LABELING

800 FINAL EXAMINATION OF PACKAGED AND PACKED COMMODITY

900 PALLETIZED LOADS

1000 SHIPMENT AND DELIVERY

1100 DESTINATION EXAM

1200 PRODUCT ASSURANCE AND COMPLAINT RESOLUTION

1240 AMS MONITORING AND PRODUCTION ASSESSMENT

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

document name and reference number.
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 06/10/12

Date Revised: 08/01/22

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT D 

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE 

LIVESTOCK AND POULTRY PROGRAM

CERTIFICATE OF CONFORMANCE FOR

THE PROCUREMENT OF CANNED MEAT PRODUCTS

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, LP Program, 

Standards and Specification 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: