USDA COMMODITY REQUIREMENTS

CPS1

CANNED PINK SALMON 

FOR USE IN INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS

Effective Date: 09/01/2011
USDA COMMODITY REQUIREMENTS

CPS1

CANNED PINK SALMON 

FOR USE IN INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS

Table of Contents

Part 1 COMMODITY SPECIFICATIONS______________________________________ 1

Section 1.1 COMMODITIES _____________________________________________________ 1

Section 1.2 WARRANTY ________________________________________________________ 1

Section 1.3 QUALITY ASSURANCE ______________________________________________ 1

Part 2 CONTAINER AND PACKAGING REQUIREMENTS ______________________ 2

Section 2.1 GENERAL __________________________________________________________ 2

Section 2.2 COMMERCIAL PACKAGING_________________________________________ 2

Section 2.3 CONTAINERS AND MATERIALS _____________________________________ 2

Section 2.4 UNITIZATION / PALLETIZATION ____________________________________ 2
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Part 1 COMMODITY SPECIFICATIONS

Section 1.1 COMMODITIES

A. Fish Flesh/Product Characteristics

(1) Species and style

a. Specie – Oncorhynchus gorbuscha (Pink)

b. Style – Regular (skin and bones included)

(2) Product Characteristics

a. Color shall be pink to buff

b. Texture shall be moderately firm to slightly soft

c. Color of oil will be pink to light yellow

d. Sodium content shall not exceed 270 mg/63 g serving as declared on the Nutrition 

Facts panel on the can label

e. Objectionable Material – The Contractor must assure that all heads, gills, tails, 

viscera, blood marks, bruising, collar cartilage, and fins have been excluded

(3) Domestic Origin of Fish Flesh – In accordance with the Master Solicitation for 

Commodity Procurements (MSCP), Part 3, Section A, 1.(a), only pink salmon produced 

in the United States will be used. United States produced pink salmon must be 

manufactured from pink salmon landed by American flagged vessels, and be completely 

processed in the United States, its territories, possessions, Puerto Rico, or the Trust 

Territories of the Pacific Islands and shall meet the following specie and style:

B. Products will be produced by facilities operating in accordance with the applicable Food and 

Drug Administration (FDA) regulations and the U.S. Department of Commerce Seafood 

Inspection Program, Continuous Inspection or Lot Inspection Program. For information 

regarding Seafood Inspection, use the following link: 

http://www.seafood.nmfs.noaa.gov/ServicesBrochure.pdf

Section 1.2 WARRANTY

The Contractor will guarantee that the salmon is from current crop year, and 100 percent 

harvested (U.S. flag vessel), processed, and packed in the United States. Contractor shall provide

to the Contracting Officer a statement on company letterhead attesting to this guarantee.

The Contractor will guarantee the product’s best if used by date to be five calendar years from 

the production date. This must be clearly identified on the primary container—see Section 2.5 

(A)(1) below. 

Section 1.3 QUALITY ASSURANCE

A. All canned pink salmon will be produced under the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) 

Type I inspection, which may include Integrated Quality Assurance (IQA) or HACCP Quality 

Management Program (HACCP-QMP). Contractors must declare the type of NMFS inspection 

program they are operating under in their technical proposal.
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B. Contractors shall notify the Government immediately of lots that fail to meet contract 

requirements.

C. 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 Contracting Officer of final disposition (e.g., diverted to 

commercial production, cooked product or destroyed).

Part 2 CONTAINER AND PACKAGING REQUIREMENTS

Section 2.1 GENERAL

This part provides the container specifications and packaging materials requirements used under 

this contract. 

Section 2.2 COMMERCIAL PACKAGING

A. Individual cans of salmon shall have a net weight of 14.75 ounces.

B. Contractors shall supply commercial brand products only and shall certify at the 

time of submission of an offer that the commercial product being delivered has a 

history of successful distribution and use in commercial channels and is sold on the 

commercial market with an established level of consumer acceptance. 

C. Container and packaging requirements are those used in the current commercial 

shipping practices for export.

Section 2.3 CONTAINERS AND MATERIALS

A. All containers and packaging shall be constructed to meet the requirements of the 

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for safe contact with the packaged product. 

The contractor shall obtain and maintain documentation from the container or 

packaging material manufacturer to verify that the containers and packaging 

materials used in this contract were in compliance with the Government’s regulatory 

requirements for safe contact with food products as required in the Master 

Solicitation, Part 3, Section A, Number 3. 

B. Questions concerning the containers and materials should be directed to:

USDA/FSA/DACO

Room 5755 – South Bldg, STOP 0551

1400 Independence Avenue SW

Washington, DC 20250-0551

ATTN: Packaging

Section 2.4 UNITIZATION / PALLETIZATION

A. Unitization 

(1) Unless otherwise specified by the Government, all shipments of packaged products shall 

be unitized (palletized and stretch wrapped). 

(2) Twenty-four (24) cans will be unitized to a net weight of 22.125 pounds per case. All 

cans will be unitized into cases by packing into new fiberboard shipping containers, 
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placing on fiberboard trays with plastic shrink wrap, or plastic shrink wrap only. Only 

one size and style of unitized cases may be offered in an individual delivery unit.

B. Palletization 

.

(1) Pallets shall be 

a. New or well maintained.

b. Suitable for use in the shipment of food products.

c. Constructed to facilitate the safe handling and transportation of the packaged product, 

as a unit, without loss or damage.

d. 48 X 40 inches, four-way or partial four-way, and reversible or nonreversible flush 

stringer.

(2) Plastic stretch wrap shall be:

a. Constructed of a plastic film which is to be stretched a minimum of 50 percent beyond 

its original length when stretched around the pallet load.

b. Applied as tightly as possible around all tiers of the palletized shipping containers. The 

shipping containers shall be held firmly in place by the stretch wrap.

(3) Pallet loads shall be:

e. Stacked in such a way as to minimize the amount that shipping containers overhang the 

edges of pallets.

f. Blocked and braced or otherwise loaded into the conveyance in a manner that prevents 

shifting during transit.

C. Shipping containers shall be marked to show the maximum safe stacking height. It is the 

responsibility of the contractor in cooperation with the shipping container manufacturer to 

determine the safe stacking height. 

Section 2.5 LABELING 

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

required by USDC regulations. All other marking and labeling shall be in 

accordance with good commercial practices.

(1) Immediate containers (cans) – Commercially marked cans shall include the following:

a. A code that is traceable to production establishment, production lot and date, and 

back to the source of the harvested salmon.

b. A Nutrition Facts panel.

c. A best if used by date in accordance with the Contractor’s guarantee as addressed in 

Section 1.2 above.

d. With permission from the contracting officer, and depending on the program for

which salmon is purchased, the contractor may print “NOT FOR RETAIL SALE” on 

the principal display panel of the food label.

(2) Shipping Containers – Commercially marked shipping containers shall include a traceability 

code that identifies the establishment number, production date and production lot.

(3) If the contractor purchases packaging and container components from a foreign country 

and/or the package and container is manufactured in a foreign country, the package and 

container SHALL NOT display country of origin labeling. Phrases similar, but not limited to, 

“Made in [Name of Foreign Country]” or “Product of [Name of Foreign Country]” are 

strictly prohibited. 
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(4) The manufacturer’s lot code/lot identification shall be shown on the commercial bill of 

lading.