Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 06/10/12

Date Revised: 03/02/20

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO 

THE AMS MASTER 

SOLICITATION PURCHASE 

OF CANNED MEAT AND 

POULTRY FOR 

DISTRIBUTION TO FEDERAL 

FOOD AND NUTRITION 

ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

APPROVED

 Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)

Livestock and Poultry (LP) Program

Food Safety and Commodity Specification (FSCS) Division

Room 3953 S-Bldg., Phone: (202) 720-5705

Supersedes: Supplement 704 October 2019 – Changes 

from previous requirements in blue

 Effective: March 2020

100 OVERVIEW

110 This document provides additional program requirements for the purchase of 

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

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

and A4).

200 INSTRUCTIONS TO POTENTIAL SUPPLIERS

210 The canned meat and poultry 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.”
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 06/10/12

Date Revised: 03/02/20

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.

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 August 2017 

(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.
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 06/10/12

Date Revised: 03/02/20

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 

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. Poultry raw materials 

will be subjected to the QAD Grading-based certification process prior to being 

utilized to manufacture finished products.

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. Poultry raw materials will be subjected to the QAD grading-based certification 

process prior to being utilized to manufacture finished products.
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 06/10/12

Date Revised: 03/02/20

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 FSCS Division.

650.1.2 Once a contractor is notified by the FSCS 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:

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 

FSCS Division either with a verbal or email notification of the audit findings. FSCS 

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 FSCS 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 FSCS 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.
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 06/10/12

Date Revised: 03/02/20

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 FSCS Division. The Contracting Officer or 

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

as a contractor. 

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 FSCS 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,
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 06/10/12

Date Revised: 03/02/20

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

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 and C1 for poultry 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 FSCS 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.
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 06/10/12

Date Revised: 03/02/20

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, Terry.Lutz@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

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 FSCS 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 

Food Safety and Commodity Specification (FSCS) Division

Room 3953 S-Bldg, Phone: (202) 720-5705

Supersedes: FPPS for Canned/Pouched Beef with Juices and 

Canned/Pouched Pork with Juices March 2016 – changes from 

previous requirements in blue

Effective: October 2019

Approved By: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 10/22/19

100 ITEM DESCRIPTION

110 Canned/Pouched Beef with Juices (material # 100127) – 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 (material # 100139) – 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 FSCS Division, 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.

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 10/22/19

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 

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

achilles tendon, back strap and abdominal tunic. 

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 10/22/19

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.

520 FAT CONTENT

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 10/22/19

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.

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 10/22/19

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-theshelf) 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. 

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 10/22/19

623.6 Ingredient declaration.

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

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

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

e.g. Allergen: This product contains ______.

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 principle display panel to facilitate product identification and 

certification examinations.

700 DELIVERY UNIT

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

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

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) 

17712-2010 as required under the Master Solicitation. Seals shall be >1⁄8th-inch 

diameter cable, high-security bolt, or equivalent.

900 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

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 10/22/19

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 FSCS Division;

922.32 The FSCS Division 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;

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 10/22/19

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-2019);

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 

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

USDA AMS LP FSCSD

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 

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 10/22/19

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.

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A
APPROVED

FEDERAL PURCHASE 

PROGRAM SPECIFICATION 

(FPPS) FOR 

CANNED/POUCHED 

BEEF STEW

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)

Livestock and Poultry (LP) Program 

Food Safety and Commodity Specification (FSCS) Division

Room 3953 S-Bldg, Phone: (202) 692-0342

Supersedes: FPPS for Canned/Pouched Beef Stew

July 2019 – changes from previous requirements in blue

Effective: October 2019

Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 10/22/19

100 ITEM DESCRIPTION

110 Canned/Pouched Beef Stew (material # 100526) – 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 FSCS Division, 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:

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A1
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 10/22/19 2 

320 MEAT COMPONENT

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:

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A1
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 10/22/19 3 

325.1 Meat that is mechanically separated from bone with automatic deboning 

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

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

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A1
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 10/22/19 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. 

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A1
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 10/22/19 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-theshelf) 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 principle 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 principle display panel to facilitate product identification and 

certification examinations.

600 DELIVERY UNIT

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A1
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 10/22/19 6 

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

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

700 DELIVERED PRODUCT

710 SIZE AND STYLE OF CONTAINERS

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

shipping unit.

720 SEALING

721 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) 

17712-2010 as required under the Master Solicitation. Seals shall be >1⁄8th-inch 

diameter cable, high-security bolt, or equivalent.

800 PRODUCT ASSURANCE

810 WARRANTY AND COMPLAINT RESOLUTION

811 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.

812 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.

820 NON CONFORMING PRODUCT

821 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).

822 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

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

ingredient.

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A1
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 10/22/19 7 

822.3 Contractor shall be ineligible until it:

822.31 Submits a written corrective action to the FSCS Division;

822.32 The FSCS Division 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-2019);

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 

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

USDA AMS LP FSCSD

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A1
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 10/22/19 8 

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.

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A1
APPROVED

FEDERAL PURCHASE 

PROGRAM SPECIFICATION 

(FPPS) FOR 

CANNED/POUCHED

CHILI WITHOUT BEANS

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)

Livestock and Poultry (LP) Program 

Food Safety and Commodity Specification (FSCS) Division

Room 3953 S-Bldg, Phone: (202) 720-5705

Supersedes: FPPS for Canned/Pouched Chili without Beans

June 2019 – changes from previous requirements in blue

Effective: October 2019

Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 10/22/19

100 ITEM DESCRIPTION

110 Chili (Chili Con Carne), without Beans (material # 100138) – This chili 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 FSCS Division, 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.

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. 

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A2
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 10/22/19 2 

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

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

derived from U.S. produced products.

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A2
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 10/22/19 3 

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. 

600 PREPARATION FOR DELIVERY

610 PACKAGING AND PACKING

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A2
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 10/22/19 4 

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-theshelf) 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 – Commercially marked shipping containers shall include 

the following information:

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.

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A2
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 10/22/19 5 

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.

800 DELIVERED PRODUCT

810 SIZE AND STYLE OF CONTAINERS

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A2
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 10/22/19 6 

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) 

17712-2010 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:

922.31 Submits a written corrective action to the FSCS Division;

922.32 The FSCS Division approves the written corrective action;

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A2
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 10/22/19 7 

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-2019);

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.

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

Certification service, it shall be implemented in accordance with Supplement 

704.

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A2
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 04/01/09

Date Revised: 10/22/19 8 

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 

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

USDA AMS LP FSCSD

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.

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A2
APPROVED

FEDERAL PURCHASE 

PROGRAM SPECIFICATION 

(FPPS) FOR 

CANNED/POUCHED CHILI 

WITH BEANS

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)

Livestock and Poultry (LP) Program 

Food Safety and Commodity Specification (FSCS) Division

Room 3953 S-Bldg., Phone: (202) 720-5705

Supersedes: FPPS for Canned/Pouched Beef with Juices 

and Canned/Pouched Pork with Juices July 2019 –

changes from previous requirements in blue

Effective: October 2019

Approved by DBJ

Date Issued: 06/11/2019

Date Revised: 10/22/2019

100 ITEM DESCRIPTION

110 Chili with Beans (material # 111180) – 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. Sodium shall not 

exceed 305 mg per 100 g. 

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

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 FSCS Division 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.

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Date Revised: 10/22/2019

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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 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. 

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A3
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Date Revised: 10/22/2019

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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.

520 FAT CONTENT

521 Fat shall not exceed 6 g per 100 g, calculated as follows:

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

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A3
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Date Issued: 06/11/2019

Date Revised: 10/22/2019

4 

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. 

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.

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A3
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 06/11/2019

Date Revised: 10/22/2019

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

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A3
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Date Issued: 06/11/2019

Date Revised: 10/22/2019

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) 17712-2010 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 complieswith 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. 

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A3
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 06/11/2019

Date Revised: 10/22/2019

7 

922.3 Contractor shall be ineligible until it:

922.31 Submits a written corrective action to the FSCS Division;

922.32 The FSCS Division 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 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.

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A3
Approved by DBJ 

Date Issued: 06/11/2019

Date Revised: 10/22/2019

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 FSCSD prior to contract production. Samples shall be 

submitted to: 

945 USDA AMS LP FSCSD

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.

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A3
1 

Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/15/2013

Date Revised: 03/02/20

FEDERAL PURCHASE 

PROGRAM SPECIFICATION 

(FPPS) FOR CANNED 

BONED CHICKEN WHITE 

MEAT 

APPROVED

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) 

Livestock and Poultry (LP) Program

Food Safety and Commodity Specification (FSCS) Division

Room 3932 S-Bldg, Phone: 202-690-3148

Supersedes: Canned Boned Chicken White Meat October 

2019 – Changes from previous requirements in blue

 Effective: March 2020

100 ITEM DESCRIPTION

101 This item consists of chicken white meat only with broth or water for use in a variety 

of applications, including barbecue chicken, pizza, soups, stews, spaghetti sauce, 

vegetable stir-fry, casseroles, buffalo style dip, and other similar items.

110 Canned Boned White Chicken (110940) – Shall be packaged in a 401 x 204 size 

metal can and 24 cans shall be unitized. A purchase unit shall consist of 1800

shipping containers totaling 33,750 pounds.

120 Pouch Boned White Chicken (110477) – Shall be packaged in a 10-ounce foil pillow 

pouch and packed 36 pouches in each fiberboard shipping container. A purchase 

unit shall consist of 1600 shipping containers totaling 36,000 pounds. 

130 Canned Boned White Chicken (100877) – Shall be packaged in a 404 x 700 size 

metal can and 12 cans shall be unitized. A purchase unit shall consist of 1000

shipping containers totaling 37,500 pounds.

200 APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS

210 The following documents are incorporated as part of this USDA, AMS, FSCS 

Division FPPS-Canned Boned Chicken White Meat – March 2020: 

210.1 AMS/LP Program/Quality Assessment Division (QAD) Policies and Procedures.

210.2 Poultry Products Inspection Regulations (9 CFR § 381).

210.3 Regulations Governing the Voluntary Grading of Poultry Products and Rabbit

Products (7 CFR § 70) and the U.S. Classes, Standards, and Grades for Poultry 

(AMS 70.200 et seq., 9 CFR § 381.170 to 172).

210.4 AMS Master Solicitation for Commodity Procurements – Domestic Programs 

(MSCP-D). 

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A4
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Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/15/2013

Date Revised: 03/02/20

300 CHECKLIST OF REQUIREMENTS

310 Domestic Products – Refer to Section 4A52.225-1 of the MSCP-D. 

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

400 HARVESTING

410 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. 

420 Humane Handling – All poultry shall be humanely handled in accordance with FSIS 

Directive 6100.3.

500 PROCESSING

510 All processing activities shall comply with all applicable FSIS regulations and 

requirements, including 9 CFR § 381, and shall be done under FSIS inspection.

511 Performance Standards – Product shall be produced under FSIS pathogen 

reduction standards, as specified in 9 CFR § 381. 

520 The commodity shall not be processed or packaged more than 90 days prior to the 

first date of the delivery period for each sales order.

530 AMS Monitoring and Production Assessment 

530.1 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. 

 

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

service, it shall be implemented in accordance with Section 640 of Supplement 

704. 

530.3 If the contractor uses the AMS QAD Auditing-based Verification it shall be 

implemented in accordance with Section 650 of Supplement 704. The 

contractor’s technical proposal shall specify that the AMS QAD Audit based 

Verification service option shall be used. 

540 Inspection for contract and FPPS compliance shall be in accordance with the 

Regulations Governing the Voluntary Grading of Poultry Products and Rabbit 

Products (7 CFR § 70) and the U.S. Classes, Standards, and Grades for Poultry 

(AMS 70.200 et seq.). The Contractor shall be responsible for certification of 

compliance with the requirements of this FPPS for chilled chicken carcasses and 

parts; preparation, formulation, cooking; thermal-processing; packaging and 

packing; labeling and marking; and checkloading.

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A4
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Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/15/2013

Date Revised: 03/02/20

540.1 As stated in Supplement 704 to the AMS Master Solicitation (Section 600) contract 

compliance shall be done through either AMS’s QAD Grading-based Monitoring and 

Certification service or QAD Audit-based Verification service.

541 AMS Certification – USDA/AMS, LP Program’s QAD field office or the Director of 

QAD, LP Program, AMS, USDA, Room 3932-S, STOP 0258, 1400 Independence 

Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-0258, telephone (202) 720-5705. 

542 Lot Definition – A lot is the amount of packaged commodity produced during a 

processing shift.

542.1 Sub-Lot – Contractor shall clearly identify sub-lot size and maintain the identity and 

traceability of each sub-lot.

550 Chicken from Other Plants – Frozen and/or chilled chicken and chicken parts may 

be transferred or obtained from other processing plants provided it: 

550.1 has been processed, handled, and identified in accordance with this FPPS, and 

550.2 complies with the organoleptic and other applicable requirements of this FPPS as 

evidenced by USDA certification. USDA certification may occur either at the plant 

of origin or at the receiving plant.

551 Type, class, and specific name of the product, part, boneless part or meat; harvest 

date or date placed in frozen storage; as applicable; and the USDA-assigned plant 

number shall be shown on each shipping container.

551.1 Under Option A for QAD Grading-Based Monitoring and Certification meat may be 

certified for contract compliance at the origin plant (Grader certification) or at the 

receiving plant with Grader oversight.

551.2 Under Option B for QAD Audit-Based Verification meat shall come from an eligible 

supplier with contract compliance at the origin plant (Grader certification).

551.2.1 Contact william.stone@usda.gov, terry.lutz@usda.gov or 

technicalapprovals@usda.gov on questions concerning technical proposals or 

supplier eligibility. 

551.1 Meat – The commodity shall be all white meat prepared from freshly harvested 

ready-to-cook chickens: 

551.1.1 AMS 70.201 broiler or fryer (c), or

551.1.2 AMS 70.201 mature chickens (f), (g) weighing 4.0 pounds or more without neck and 

giblets. 

551.1.3 A truckload shall contain only one class of chicken (broiler or mature hen).

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A4
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Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/15/2013

Date Revised: 03/02/20

552 The chilled chicken and chicken parts shall maintain an internal product 

temperature between 26 °F (-3.3 °C) and 40 °F (4.4 °C) during transit, from plant 

origin to destination. 

553 Frozen meat may be used when: 

553.1 produced from freshly harvested chickens;

553.2 packaged to protect against quality deterioration during frozen storage and 

identified so the time in storage and the class, kind, and specific deboned chicken 

product can be determined; 

553.3 held not more than 180 days in frozen storage, and

553.4 product shows no evidence of thawing and refreezing or freezer deterioration. 

554 Unacceptable Meat – Mechanically separated (comminuted), finely ground, flaked, 

or finely chopped chicken white meat.

560 Organoleptic Requirements – The chilled ready-to-cook chicken and chicken parts 

used to produce cooked chicken parts shall be examined on a continuous basis for 

organoleptic requirements shown in Table 1. Any chicken or chicken part that does 

not comply with the organoleptic requirements shall be rejected for use under this 

FPPS.

561 Bone and Other Defects – Tables 3-4. 

561.1 Bone or Hard Bone-like Material – Regardless of the kind and number of defects 

found, any sample with bone or hard bone-like material greater than 0.40 inch shall 

be cause for the rejection of the product the sample represents. 

561.2 If the sample has more defects than the maximum tolerance for the sample plan

(QAD Policy and Procedures), the product the sample represents shall be rejected.

570 Meat may be marinated prior to cooking according to the FSIS regulations on the 

level of phosphates. 

571 Three Cooking Options – Cooked with water without pressure, pressure cooked or,

steam cooked.

572 Size Reduction – Meat shall be reduced in size to a minimum of 0.75-inch cubes. 

Boneless meat may also be used from ready-to-cook chicken after cooking.

573 Cooked meat may be held at 40 °F (4.4 °C) or lower for not more than 5 days from 

time of cooking until canned, or the chilled cooked meat may be frozen and held at 

an internal product temperature of 0 °F (-17.8 °C) or lower for not more than 180 

days from date of packaging.

574 Organoleptic Requirements for Cooked Meat – Table 2. 

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A4
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Date Issued: 04/15/2013

Date Revised: 03/02/20

575 Broth or potable water shall be used in the commodity. 

575.1 Broth used shall be a flavorful broth from the un-pressurized cooking of not less 

than two or more than four batches of poultry in the same broth. A continuous 

cooking method may be used, provided water is added during the cooking operation 

and the process results in a broth equivalent to that described in the preceding 

sentence. Broth from one batch of pressure-cooked poultry may be used. 

575.1.2 Broth produced by cooking only fat and bones shall not be used. Broth shall be 

maintained at a temperature of 160 °F (71.1 °C) or higher or shall be chilled to and 

maintained at a temperature of 40 °F (4.4 °C) or lower within 4 hours of preparation. 

Broth may not be held for more than 48 hours unless the broth is frozen or dried. 

575.2 Broth shall be free from bitter, rancid, metallic, cardboardy, soapy, scorched, burnt, 

overcooked, stale, and other off-odors or off-flavors foreign to properly processed 

chicken broth. 

575.3 Other methods of preparing broth or handling the broth shall be approved by the 

Director of QAD, in writing. Approvals shall be granted on an individual plant basis 

after a review of the process and when the resulting method is found acceptable by 

supervisory personnel of QAD. 

576 Sodium Requirement – The sodium content of the cooked commodity shall be no 

more than 300 mg per 100g basis as evidenced by the Nutrition Facts Panel.

580 Metal Detection – The commodity shall be examined by a metal detection device 

capable of detecting metallic contaminants including, but not limited to, stainless 

steel shavings, metal clips, metal fragments from cutting equipment, and pieces of 

metal according to QAD policies and procedures. 

590 Samples for organoleptic requirements, defects, and drained weight may be drawn 

either online from a lot or sublot (Option I – Table 5) or drawn from a lot or sublot 

(Option 2 – Table 6).

591 Commodity Defects – The supplier may select one of the two options for the 

examination of commodity defects. Once an option is selected, the supplier may not 

change options until the end of the contract. Samples of commodity with more 

defects than the maximum tolerance for either option shall result in the rejection of 

the lot or sublot the samples represent.

591.1 Option I – Examination prior to thermal processing. 

591.1.1 Samples shall be randomly selected online prior to canning or thermal processing 

and examined for the defects shown in Table 3.

591.1.2 Samples and sampling frequency shall be determined in accordance with LP

Program QAD procedures.

591.2 Option II – Examination after thermal processing.

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A4
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Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/15/2013

Date Revised: 03/02/20

591.2.1 After drained weight determination, the samples shall be examined for the

defects shown in Table 4. 

591.2.2 Samples and sampling frequency shall be determined in accordance with LP

Program’s QAD procedures.

592 Filling Cans/Pouches – Cans/pouches may be filled by first adding the meat to each 

can and then adding water or filling with a mixture of meat and water.

592.1 12.5-oz Cans (110940) –Twelve and one-half ounces (354 g) net weight of contents 

of can shall be packed in 401 x 204 size metal cans. 

592.2 10-oz Pouches (110477) – Ten ounces (283.5 g) net weight of contents of pouch 

shall be packed in ten-ounce pouches. 

592.3 50-oz Cans (100877) – Fifty ounces (1417.5 g) net weight of contents of can shall

be packed in 404 x 700 size metal cans. 

593 Drain Weight – Shall be determined in accordance with LP Program’s QAD

procedures. 

593.1 12.5-oz Cans/10-oz Pouches (110940 and 110477) – Filled cans/pouches from a lot 

or sublot shall be not less than 7.5 oz. of white meat on a drained-weight basis.

593.2 50-oz Cans (100877) – Filled cans from a lot or sublot shall be not less than 30.0 

oz. of white meat on a drained-weight basis.

594 Thermal Processing – Cans/Pouches shall be hermetically sealed and thermalprocessed in accordance with FSIS regulations. The exterior of the can/pouch shall 

be dry, clean, and free from rust, fat, and grease before packing into shipping 

containers.

595 Reworked Commodity – Sample cans/pouches examined by the AMS Grader or

product rejected for defects exceeding the maximum tolerances and drained weight 

may be reworked and incorporated into formulated batches of product, prior to 

thermal processing, provided:

595.1 The defects are removed from the product;

595.2 The product is incorporated at a maximum of 5 percent of the formulated batch; and

595.3 Product removed from cans/pouches shall be reworked into a batch within 72 

hours. 

596 X-ray Examination – X-ray equipment may be used to examine product to be 

reworked provided:

596.1 The equipment and x-ray examination procedures are found to be in compliance 

with FSIS regulations and procedures; and

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A4
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Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/15/2013

Date Revised: 03/02/20

596.2 A certified third party or an AMS Grader monitors the x-ray and rework procedure. 

596.3 The supplier may remove product cans/pouches from a lot or sublot suspected of

containing defects after the x-ray examination and the balance of the lot or sublot 

may be reoffered for acceptance. Product containing defects may be reworked 

once.

600 PACKAGING AND PACKING

610 Packaging – All packaging material shall comply with FSIS regulations (9 CFR § 

381.144 Packaging Materials). 

610.1 Cans – Shall be equivalent in construction to those in commercial (retail, consumer) 

use. 

610.2 Pouches – Shall be foil, 4-ply, pillow pouch, hermetically sealed utilizing an 

ultrasonic seal and a secondary seal that may be an ultrasonic seal or a heat seal.

620 Packing – Only one size and style of containers may be offered in an individual 

shipping unit.

620.1 12.5-oz Cans (110940) – 24 cans shall be packed per shipping container, or two (2) 

12 can fiberboard trays together with plastic shrink wrap or plastic shrink wrap only. 

620.2 10-oz Pouches (110477) – 36 pouches shall be packed per shipping container.

620.3 50-oz Cans (100877) – 12 cans shall be packed per shipping container.

630 Shipping containers shall be closed by commercially accepted methods and 

 materials. Steel or wire straps shall not be used for final closure. 

630.1 Staples shall not be used for final closure of shipping containers. Adhesive or 

 staples cannot be used to fasten the top portion of telescope-style containers to the 

 bottom portion. Staples may be used to manufacture and to assemble the 

 fiberboard shipping containers, provided the staples are fastened into the container 

 and tightly clenched to eliminate sharp edges prior to packing the commodity into 

 the shipping containers. 

700 LABELING

710 Shipping containers shall comply with the National Motor Freight Classification, or 

the Uniform Freight Classification, as applicable. Both immediate (packaging 

material) and shipping containers shall be labeled to include all information 

required by FSIS regulations.

720 Material Code 100877 Only – CN Labeling information or a Product Formulation 

Statement demonstrating product contribution to the National School Lunch 

Program meal pattern requirements is required. For more information on the CN 

Labeling Program, see the section for Food Manufacturers/Industry on the FNS 

website: 

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A4
8 

Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/15/2013

Date Revised: 03/02/20

http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnlabeling/child-nutrition-cn-labeling-program

730 Nutrition Facts, Ingredients and Allergen Statements shall be on shipping 

containers. The ingredient statement, even for single ingredient foods, shall be 

included as a statement separate from the name of the product, e.g. Ingredients: 

_____________. The allergen statement shall be provided in the 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 ______. For additional 

guidance refer to the applicable FSIS Compliance Guidelines. 

740 Commercial (retail, consumer) labeled immediate (packaging material) and shipping 

containers shall be used. 

741 Commercial Labeling Requirements

741.1 Labels shall be the processor’s own commercial label. 

741.2 Traceable Product – The processor shall establish a product identification and 

record system that clearly links product by place and time of manufacture to specific 

USDA contracts and destinations. When the company uses the same commercial 

label for the product certified as complying with this FPPS and commercial product, 

the identification system shall differentiate between USDA and non-USDA products. 

An alpha numeric code may be used for information that is in addition to FSIS 

labeling requirements. The required product identification and record system, 

including codes, shall be reviewed by USDA/AMS before production begins for the 

contract(s).

742 Material Code 110940 and 110477 Only (100877 Optional)

742.1 Shall include, at a minimum, two (2) colors, in addition to black and white, and

742.2 Shall incorporate a graphic (photo or illustration) depicting the product/contents on 

the principal display panel.

750 Unacceptable Labeling 

751 Commercial labels that do not have a processor traceability system and code.

752 Distributor Commercial Labels

753 Two or more different commercial labels in the same purchase unit.

760 Free Along Side (FAS) Vessel Deliveries 

761 FAS vessel deliveries that are not source loaded in a seavan are required to show 

the final destination’s overseas address as provided in the Sales Order/Item 

Number. The address shall be clearly printed on at least two sides of each panel.

800 FINAL EXAMINATION OF PACKAGED AND PACKED COMMODITY

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A4
9 

Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/15/2013

Date Revised: 03/02/20

810 Packaging Defects – Cans/pouches in a delivery unit shall be examined for 

immediate container defects according to the United States Standards for Condition 

of Food Containers.

820 Packing Defects – Shipping containers in a delivery unit shall be examined for 

condition, labeling, and marking defects according to the United States Standards 

for Condition of Food Containers.

830 Tolerance for Defects – If samples of packaged commodity or the shipping 

containers in a delivery unit have more defects than the maximum tolerance for the 

applicable QAD sample plan, the delivery unit shall be rejected.

840 A delivery unit shall consist of: 

840.1 Canned Boned White Chicken (110940) – 33,750 pounds.

840.2 Pouch Boned White Chicken (110477) – 36,000 pounds.

840.3 Canned Boned White Chicken (100877) – 37,500 pounds.

850 The quality, quantity, weight, packaging, and packing, of the commodity shall be 

evidenced by a Certificate of Conformance that verifies the designated commodity 

to be shipped meets the requirements of the MSCP-D, Solicitation, and this FPPS.

851 A bill of lading shall also be included for acceptance of the designated commodity. 

851.1 Refer to Section 4A52.247-3 of the MSCP-D. 

900 PALLETIZED UNIT LOADS

910 All products shall be stacked on new or well-maintained pallets and palletized with 

shrink wrap plastic, unless otherwise specified in the Solicitation. Pallet loads shall 

be stacked in a manner that minimizes the overhang of the shipping containers over 

the edges of the pallets and exposes each shipping container’s principal display 

panel to facilitate certification examinations.

920 Size and Style of Container – Only one size and style of shipping container shall be 

used in any one delivery unit.

1000 SHIPMENT AND DELIVERY

1010 Refer to Section 4A52.247 of the MSCP-D. 

1020 Loading and Sealing of Vehicles, Delivery Notification, and Split Deliveries

1021 Refer to Section 4A52.247 of the MSCP-D.

1030 Certificate of Conformance and Bill of Lading shall accompany each delivery unit. 

1100 DESTINATION EXAMINATION

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A4
10

Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/15/2013

Date Revised: 03/02/20

1110 The cost of a destination examination, before or after delivery, by an AMS Grader 

on accepted product shall be for the account of USDA. Costs for destination 

examinations of rejected delivery units shall be for the account of the contractor. 

The origin AMS Grader shall make arrangements for destination examination prior 

to delivery.

1200 PRODUCT ASSURANCE AND COMPLAINT RESOLUTION

1210 Product Assurance – Contractor shall guarantee that the product complies with all 

FPPS requirements and provisions set forth in the MSCP-D and Solicitation.

1220 Waiver and/or Contract Amendment Requests – The contractor shall submit all 

waiver and/or Contract Amendment requests directly to the Commodity 

Procurement Program (CPP) Contracting Officer for review and determination. Full 

list of CPP contacts can be found at: 

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

ffContactList.pdf 

1230 Complaint Resolution – Customer complaint resolution procedures shall be the 

responsibility of the contractor. 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.

1300 CONTRACTOR CHECKLOADING

1310 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 the following information:

1311.1 Purchase Order Number/Purchase Order Line Item Number;

1311.2 Sales Order Number/Sales Order Line Item Number;

1311.3 Destination of shipment;

1311.4 Name of Product and applicable Material Number;

1311.5 Shipping Date;

1311.6 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;

1311.7 Count of shipping containers and total projected net weight in each production 

lot;

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A4
11

Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/15/2013

Date Revised: 03/02/20

1311.8 Identity of car or truck (car numbers and letters, seals, truck license, etc.) as 

applicable;

1311.9 Contractor certification that product conforms to all aspects of the FPPS to include 

but not limited to raw material preparation, formulation, fabrication, cooking, sealing 

and cooling, defect criteria, packaging and packing, labeling net weight, and 

checkloading (FPPS-Canned Boned Chicken White Meat-2019);

1311.10 Count and projected net weight verified and;

1311.11 Signature and title of the company official responsible for checkloading.

1400 AMS MONITORING AND PRODUCTION ASSESSMENT

1401 The contractor has the option for using an AMS audit-based system or an AMS 

monitoring and production assessment system.

1402 If the contractor uses the AMS monitoring and production assessment system, it shall 

be implemented in accordance with Supplement 704.

1403 The contractor shall identify the AMS oversight option employed.

1404 Product Standard Inspection – Contractor shall submit 5 product samples to FSCSD 

prior to contract production. Samples shall be submitted to: 

USDA AMS LP FSCSD

Room 2624 South Building

1400 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington DC 20250-3700

1405 If approved, product samples shall be used as the product standard for subsequent 

review evaluations. 

1406 AMS may request contractor to submit production samples throughout the contract. 

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

1407 Submitted samples will be inspected against the approved first product sample and 

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

1408 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.

1409 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.

1410 If the contractor uses the AMS QAD Grading-based Monitoring and Certification 

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

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A4
12

Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/15/2013

Date Revised: 03/02/20

1411 The contractor’s technical proposal shall specify that the AMS QAD Audit-based 

Verification service option will be used.

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A4
13

Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/15/2013

Date Revised: 03/02/20

TABLE 1

Organoleptic Requirements for Chilled Ready-To-Cook Chicken and Chicken Parts

Organoleptic 

Requirements:

Meat shall: (a) not be rancid; have a fruity, sulfide-like, 

cardboardy, tallowy, oily, metallic, chlorine-like, or other 

foreign or off-odors; not contain foreign materials (e.g.,

glass, paper, rubber, metal, plastic, wood); or show 

evidence of mishandling or deterioration; and (b) have a 

bright color and show no evidence of dehydration or 

thawing and refreezing.

 TABLE 2 

 Organoleptic Requirements for Cooked Commodity

Organoleptic

Requirements:

The commodity shall be free of skin and foreign materials 

(e.g., glass, paper, rubber, plastic, metal, wood); and odors 

which are not characteristic of properly cooked and 

handled poultry meat; for example, rancid, metallic, stale, 

sour, or scorched.

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A4
14

Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/15/2013

Date Revised: 03/02/20

TABLE 3 

Commodity Defects – Option I

Defects – Meat

Bone:

Other:

Skin Defect:

A defect for meat is the presence of:

Bone or hard bone-like material in a sample greater than 

0.40 inch (1.02 cm).

Bone or hard-bone-like material in a sample less than or 

equal to 0.40 inch (1.02 cm).

Dark colored (due to blood) vein or artery more than 1 inch 

(2.54 cm) in length; or 

Bruises, blood clots, and moderate discolorations that exceed 

an area equivalent to a circle with a diameter of 0.30 inch 

(0.76 cm); or 

Presence of Dark Meat – No Tolerance

Presence of skin 

 

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A4
15

Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/15/2013

Date Revised: 03/02/20

TABLE 4 

Thermal-Processed Commodity Defects - Option II

Defects Tolerance

Meat: Dark Meat

Presence of Bone or hard bone-like material * 

greater than 0.40 inch (1.02 cm) in a sample. 

Rejected

Bones:

Bone or hard bone-like material * less than or equal 

to 0.40 inch (1.02 cm) in a sample. 

6 bones permitted 

per lot

3 bones permitted 

per sublot

Other: Dark colored (due to blood) vein or artery more than

1 inch (2.54 cm) in length.

Bruises, blood clots, and moderate discolorations 

that exceed an area equivalent to a circle with a

diameter of 0.30 inch (0.76 cm). 

10 defects permitted 

per lot

5 defects permitted 

per sublot

Skin: Presence of skin. 1 defect permitted 

per sublot

* Bone or hard bone-like material is material that does not break up or disintegrate when 

subjected to pressure from a spatula, flat side of a knife, or fork. 

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A4
16

Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 04/15/2013

Date Revised: 03/02/20

TABLE 5

 Samples Drawn Online From a Lot or Sublot - Option I

12.5 oz (354g) cans/pouches 50 oz (1.42-kg) cans

Lot or

Sublot

Organoleptic

Requirements and 

Defects

Drained

Weight

Lot or

Sublot

Organoleptic

Requirements and 

Defects

Drained

Weight

Lot

5 cans/pouches per

Sampling interval 24 cans/ 

pouches

Lot

1 can per

Sampling interval 6 cans

Sublot*

5 cans/pouches per

Sampling interval 12 cans/ 

pouches

Sublot*

1 can per

Sampling interval 3 cans

 TABLE 6 

 Samples Drawn From a Lot or Sublot - Option II

12.5 oz. (354 g) cans/pouches 50 oz. (1.42 kg) cans

Total No. of

Cans/ 

Pouches

Drained

Weight

Organoleptic

Requirements 

and Defects

Total

No. of

Cans

Drained

Weight

Organoleptic

Requirements 

and Defects

Number of

Cans/Pouches

Number of Cans

Lot

Total = 32 First 24 First 24 +8 

Lot

Total =

8 cans

First 6 cans First 6 + 2 cans

Sublot

*

Total = 16 First 12 First 12 + 4 

Sublot

*

Total = 4

cans

First 3 cans First 3 + 1 can

* The total number of samples drawn from all sublots in a lot must be equal to or greater than 

those specified for a lot.

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT A4
APPROVED

FEDERAL PURCHASE 

PROGRAM SPECIFICATION 

(FPPS) FOR ANIMAL 

HANDLING AND WELFARE

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)

Livestock, Poultry and Seed (LPS) Program 

Food Safety and Commodity Specification (FSCS) Division

Room 2628 S-Bldg, Phone: (202) 692-0342

Supersedes: FPPS-AHW-2015 January 2015 – Changes 

from previous requirements in blue

Effective: August 2017

Approved by_______CMS

Date Issued: 08/11/08

Date Revised: 08/02/17

100 GENERAL

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

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

nutrition assistance programs reflect industry best practices.

110 PROGRAM APPROACH

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

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

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

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

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

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

and exsanguination of the animal. 

120 PROGRAM SUBMISSION

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

approved technical proposal and must address the requirements outlined in 

Section 200 – PROGRAM COMPONENTS. 

200 PROGRAM COMPONENTS

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

210 MANAGEMENT COMMITMENT

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

and welfare initiatives within the organization.

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

employees and conspicuously displayed at the premises.

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT B
Approved by_______CMS 

Date Issued: 08/11/08

Date Revised: 08/02/17 2 

220 TRAINING PROGRAM 

221 Training program on Animal Handling and Welfare that:

221.1 is provided to all employees interacting with animals;

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

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

2017;

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

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

Animal Auditor Certification Organization (PAACO) or an equivalent.

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

and,

221.5 requires signed documentation from each employee and confirmation by signature 

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

230 QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

conducted by a trained employee.

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

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

functioning back-up stunning device onsite wherever animal stunning is performed.

240 REGULATORY OVERSIGHT

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

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

300 PROGRAM EVALUATION AND ELIGIBILITY

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

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

(QAD) through the USDA ISO Guide 17065 Program. 

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

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

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT B
Approved by_______CMS 

Date Issued: 08/11/08

Date Revised: 08/02/17 3 

310 AUDIT FORMAT

311 Audits will be conducted utilizing the following format:

312 TRANSPORTATION SEGMENT (CHAPTER 3: NAMI Recommended Animal 

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

dated June 2017) 

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

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

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

audit is performed.

313 ANIMAL HANDLING AND STUNNING SEGMENT (CHAPTER 4: NAMI 

Recommended Animal Handling Guidelines & Audit Guide: A Systematic Approach 

to Animal Welfare, dated June 2017) 

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

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

of Acceptable each time an audit is performed.1/

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

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

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

320 INITIAL AUDIT

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

330 AUDIT FAILURE

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

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

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

implemented and proven effective.

340 AUDIT FREQUENCY AND STATUS

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

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

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

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT B
Approved by_______CMS 

Date Issued: 08/11/08

Date Revised: 08/02/17 4 

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

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

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

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

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

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

time audits shall be conducted on the STANDARD basis.

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

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

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

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

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

STANDARD audits.

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

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

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

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

400 FSCS DIVISION

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

Program out of compliance at any time.

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

handling and welfare official enforcement action is issued by FSIS. 

SUPPLEMENT 704 TO AMS MASTER SOLICITATION EXHIBIT B
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 06/10/12

Date Revised: 03/02/20

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: 03/02/20

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: 03/02/20

_________

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

550-552 Chicken from Other Plants

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
Approved by: DBJ

Date Issued: 06/10/12

Date Revised: 03/02/20

5000 Filling Cans/Pouches

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: 03/02/20

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 AND POULTRY

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, 

FSCS Division.

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

on the attached acceptance document.

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

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

Date:

Signature:

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

Title: