PCR-V-009

11 March 2011

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SECTION C

This document covers thermostabilized vegetarian chili packaged in a polymeric tray for use 

by the Department of Defense as a component of operational rations.

C-1 ITEM DESCRIPTION

PCR-V-009, VEGETARIAN CHILI, PACKAGED IN A POLYMERIC TRAY, SHELF 

STABLE

C-2 PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS

 A. Product standard. A sample shall be subjected to first article (FA) or product 

demonstration model (PDM) inspection as applicable, in accordance with the tests and 

inspections of Section E of this Performance-based Contract Requirements (PCR) document. 

The approved sample shall serve as the product standard. Should the contractor at any time 

plan to, or actually produce the product using different raw material or process 

methodologies from the approved product standard, which result in a product non 

comparable to the product standard, the contractor shall submit a replacement FA or PDM 

for approval. In any event, all product produced must meet all requirements of this document 

including product standard comparability.

 B. Commercial sterility. The packaged food shall be processed until commercially sterile.

 C. Shelf life. The packaged product shall meet the minimum shelf life requirement of 36 

months at 80°F.

 D. Appearance.

(1) General. The finished product shall be a uniform mixture of black beans and

kidney beans in a chili sauce. The finished product shall be free from foreign materials.

(2) Black beans. The black beans shall have a cooked bean color and shall be

practically free of broken beans, mashed beans, and loose skins.

(3) Kidney beans. The kidney beans shall be light red class kidney beans and shall 

have a cooked bean color. The kidney beans shall be practically free of broken beans, 

mashed beans, and loose skins.

(4) Sauce. The sauce shall be an opaque, tomato-based chili sauce. The sauce shall be 

a red to reddish-brown color and shall contain pieces of tomato and flecks of spices.
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 E. Odor and flavor. The packaged food shall have an odor and flavor of cooked beans in a 

tomato-based chili sauce. The sauce shall elicit a sensation of mild to medium heat. The 

packaged food shall be free from foreign odors and flavors.

 F. Texture.

(1) Black beans. The black beans shall be slightly soft to slightly firm.

(2) Kidney beans. The kidney beans shall be slightly soft to slightly firm.

(3) Sauce. The sauce shall be moderately thick.

 G. Net weight. The average net weight shall be not less than 94 ounces (2665 grams). The 

net weight of beans in an individual polymeric tray shall be not less than 92 ounces (2608

grams). 

 H. Drained weight. The average drained weight of beans shall be not less than 50.0 ounces 

(1417 grams). The drained weight of beans in an individual tray shall be not less than 48.0 

ounces (1361 grams). 

 I. Palatability and overall appearance. The finished product shall be equal to or better than 

the approved product standard in palatability and overall appearance.

 J. Analytical requirements.

(1) Protein content. The protein content shall be not less than 5.5 percent.

(2) Fat content. The fat content shall be not greater than 5.0 percent.

(3) Salt content. The salt content shall be not less than 0.5 percent and not greater 

than 1.5 percent.

 K. Vegetarian requirement. This product shall contain no ingredients, major or trace, and/or 

processing aids derived from the flesh, skin, blood, entrails, or bones of animals. This 

includes, but is not limited to oils, fats, fatty acids, and their esters (palmitic, stearic, oleic, 

and pelargonic acids), flavorings, gelling agents, coagulants, (rennet derived from calves or 

pepsin derived from swine which are used in cheese manufacture), binders, emulsifiers 

(mono/di-glycerides, sodium or magnesium stearate, polysorbate, sorbitans, monstearate, 

glycerin), fatty alcohol, aldehydes, and ketones, lactones, glycerol, amino acids, hydrolyzed 

proteins, enzymes, and enzyme modified products. Furthermore, these products shall contain 

no ethyl alcohol, or ingredients derived from or containing methyl alcohol. Milk and eggs, 
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and ingredients derived from them such as yogurt, or cheese (produced without animal based 

rennet or pepsin), are allowed.

C-3 MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

THE FOLLOWING IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS IS NOT A MANDATORY 

CONTRACT REQUIREMENT.

 A. Ingredients. Water, black beans, kidney beans, crushed tomatoes, textured soy flour (soy 

flour, caramel color), contains 2 percent or less of the following: modified food starch with 

erythorbic acid, natural flavors, brown sugar (sugar, cane syrups), salt, spices, chili powder 

(chili pepper and other spices, salt, dehydrated garlic), enriched flour (wheat flour bleached, 

malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid).

Note: The product used for development of this PCR was produced by Ameriqual Foods, 

Evansville, Indiana.

SECTION D

D-1 PACKAGING 

 A. Preservation. Product shall be filled into polymeric trays and the trays with protective 

sleeves shall conform to the requirements of section 3 of MIL-PRF-32004, Packaging of 

Food in Polymeric Trays. Government verification testing and inspection of trays, lids and 

sleeves shall be in accordance with Section 4 of MIL-PRF-32004 and the Quality Assurance 

Provisions of Section E of this Performance-based Contract Requirements document.

 B. Polymeric tray closure. The filled, sealed, and processed tray shall be securely closed.

D-2 LABELING

 A. Polymeric tray body. The polymeric tray body shall be clearly printed or stamped, in a 

manner that does not damage the tray, with permanent ink of any contrasting color, which is 

free of carcinogenic elements. One end of the polymeric tray (see figure 1 of MIL-PRF32004) shall be marked with the product name and number of portions. If the tray body end 

markings are not readily legible in low light conditions, a small, easily legible label shall be 

applied, but not over any existing tray markings. All other markings may be applied along 

the tray body side. To avoid erroneous marking of trays, the product name, lot number and 

filling equipment number shall be applied prior to processing. Additional tray marking may 

be applied before or after processing. 1/
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Tray body markings shall include:

(1) Product name. Commonly used abbreviations may be used. 

(2) Tray code includes: 2/

 Lot Number

 Filling equipment identification number

 Retort identification number

 Retort cook number

1/ As an alternate method, tray body markings may be clearly printed or stamped onto the 

polymeric tray lid prior to processing, in a manner that does not damage the lid, with 

permanent ink of any contrasting color, which is free of carcinogenic elements, provided that 

the required markings are applied onto the tray body after processing.

2/ The lot number shall be expressed as a four digit Julian code. The first digit shall indicate 

the year of production and the next three digits shall indicate the day of the year (Example, 

14 February 2011 would be coded as 1045). The Julian code shall represent the day the 

product was packaged into the tray and processed. Sublotting (when used) shall be 

represented by an alpha character immediately following the four digit Julian code. 

Following the four digit Julian code and the alpha character (when used), the other required 

code information shall be printed in the sequence as listed above.

 B. Polymeric tray lid. The lid shall be clearly printed or stamped in a manner that does not 

cause damage. Permanent ink of any contrasting color, which is free of carcinogenic 

elements, shall be used. As an alternate labeling method, a pre-printed self-adhering 0.002 

inch thick clear polyester label printed with indelible contrasting color ink may be used.

Note: The font tested by Natick was Microsoft Helvetica. The font used shall be similarly 

clear/easy to read as Helvetica. The recommended font sizes are as follows: 22 for the 

product name, 14 for “yield” and “to heat in water.” If an additional note is required on the 

label, such as “fluff before serving,” it should also be in font size 14. All other information 

should be in font size 9. 

(1) Lid labeling shall include: 

 Product name

 Ingredients

 Net weight

 Name and address of packer

 “Nutrition Facts” label in accordance with the Nutrition Labeling and

Education Act (NLEA) and all applicable FDA regulations
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(2) Lid labeling shall also show the following statements:

YIELD: Serves 18 portions of approximately 2/3 cup each of Vegetarian Chili.

TO HEAT IN WATER: Submerge unopened tray in water. Bring water to a boil. Simmer 

gently 35 - 45 minutes. Avoid overheating (tray shows evidence of bulging).

WARNING: Do not heat tray in oven.

TO TRANSPORT AFTER HEATING: Insert tray back into protective sleeve to protect 

during transport. If sleeve is unavailable, stack trays lid-to-lid with fiberboard pads in 

between.

CAUTION: Use care when opening as pressure may have been generated within the tray.

TO OPEN: Using a clean knife, cut the lidding around the inside perimeter of the tray seals.

SUGGESTION: Cut lid along 3 sides and fold over uncut portion. Fold back to keep unused 

portions protected.

(3) The product shall be formulated and labeled in accordance with all FDA labeling 

regulations and policies. The lid shall be labeled with the following product name.

VEGETARIAN CHILI

D-3 PACKING

 A. Packing. Four filled, sealed, processed and sleeved polymeric trays shall be packed in a 

fiberboard box conforming to style RSC-L of ASTM D 5118/D 5118M, Standard Practice for 

Fabrication of Fiberboard Shipping Boxes. The fiberboard shall conform to type CF, class D, 

variety SW, grade 275 of ASTM D 4727/D 4727M, Standard Specification for Corrugated 

and Solid Fiberboard Sheet Stock (Container Grade) and Cut Shapes. The sleeved trays shall 

be placed flat with the first two trays placed with the lids together and the next two trays with 

the lids together. The box shall be closed in accordance with ASTM D 1974, Standard 

Practice for Methods of Closing, Sealing, and Reinforcing Fiberboard Boxes.

D-4 UNITIZATION

 A. Unit loads. Boxes shall be arranged in unit loads in accordance with DLA Troop 

Support Form 3507, Loads, Unit: Preparation of Semiperishable Subsistence Items.
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D-5 MARKING

 A. Shipping containers and unit loads. Shipping containers and unit loads shall be marked 

in accordance with s specified in DSCP FORM 3556, Marking Instructions for Boxes, Sacks, 

and Unit Loads of Perishable and Semiperishable Subsistence.

SECTION E INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

The following quality assurance criteria, utilizing ANSI/ASQ Z1.4, Sampling Procedures and 

Tables for Inspection by Attributes, are required. Unless otherwise specified, single sampling 

plans indicated in ANSI/ASQ Z1.4 will be utilized. When required, the manufacturer shall 

provide the Certificate(s) of Conformance to the appropriate inspection activity. 

Certificate(s) of Conformance not provided shall be cause for rejection of the lot.

 A. Definitions.

(1) Critical defect. A critical defect is a defect that judgment and experience indicate 

would result in hazardous or unsafe conditions for individuals using, maintaining, or 

depending on the item; or a defect that judgment and experience indicate is likely to prevent 

the performance of the major end item, i.e. the consumption of the ration.

(2) Major defect. A major defect is a defect, other than critical, that is likely to result 

in failure, or to reduce materially the usability of the unit of product for its intended purpose. 

(3) Minor defect. A minor defect is a defect that is not likely to reduce materially the 

usability of the unit of product for its intended purpose, or is a departure from established 

standards having little bearing on the effective use or operation of the unit.

 B. Classification of inspections. The inspection requirements specified herein are classified 

as follows:

(1) Product standard inspection. The first article or product demonstration model shall 

be inspected in accordance with the provisions of this document and evaluated for overall 

appearance and palatability. Any failure to conform to the performance requirements or any 

appearance or palatability failure shall be cause for rejection of the lot. The approved first 

article or product demonstration model shall be used as the product standard for periodic 

review evaluations. All food components that are inspected by the USDA shall be subject to 

periodic review sampling and evaluation. The USDA shall select sample units during 

production of contracts and submit them to the following address for evaluation:
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US Army Research, Development and Engineering Command 

Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center

RDNS-CFF

15 Kansas Street

Natick, MA 01760-5056

One lot shall be randomly selected during each calendar month of production. Two (2)

sample units of each item produced shall be randomly selected from that one production lot. 

The two (2) sample units shall be shipped to Natick within five working days from the end of 

the production month and upon completion of all USDA inspection requirements. The 

sample units will be evaluated for the characteristics of appearance, odor, flavor, texture, and 

overall quality.

(2) Conformance inspection. Conformance inspection shall include the examinations

and methods of inspection cited in this section.

E-5 QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS (PRODUCT)

 A. Product examination. The finished product shall be examined for compliance with the 

performance requirements specified in Section C of this Performance-based Contract 

Requirements document utilizing the double sampling plans indicated in ANSI/ASQ Z1.4. 

The lot size shall be expressed in trays. The sample unit shall be the contents of one tray. The 

inspection level shall be S-3 and the acceptable quality level (AQL), expressed in terms of 

defects per hundred units, shall be 4.0 for major defects and 6.5 for minor defects. Defects 

and defect classifications are listed in table I. The trays shall be heated in accordance with the 

heating instructions from the tray label prior to conducting any portion of the product 

examination. The samples for drained weight inspection shall be selected using the same 

sampling criteria as above.
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TABLE I. Product defects 1/ 2/ 3/ 4/

Category Defect

Major Minor

General

101 Product not a uniform mixture of black beans and kidney beans in a chili 

sauce.

Appearance

201 Black beans or kidney beans not a cooked bean color.

202 Black beans or kidney beans not practically free of broken beans or mashed 

beans or loose skins.

203 Sauce not opaque or not a tomato-based chili sauce.

204 Sauce not a red to reddish-brown color or does not contain pieces of tomato 

or flecks of spices.

Odor and flavor

102 Product does not have an odor or flavor of cooked beans in a tomato-based

chili sauce.

205 Sauce does not elicit a sensation of mild to medium heat.

Texture

206 Black beans or kidney beans not slightly soft to slightly firm.

207 Sauce not moderately thick.

Net weight

208 Net weight of an individual polymeric tray less than 92 ounces (2608

grams). 5/

Drained weight

209 Drained weight of beans in an individual polymeric tray less than 48.0

ounces (1361 grams). 6/
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1/ Presence of any foreign materials such as, but not limited to dirt, insect parts, hair, glass, 

wood, or metal, or any foreign odors or flavors such as, but not limited to burnt, scorched, 

rancid, sour, stale, musty or moldy shall be cause for rejection of the lot.

2/ Finished product not equal to or better than the approved product standard in palatability 

and overall appearance shall be cause for rejection of the lot.

3/ Class of kidney beans shall be verified by producer’s Certificate of Conformance (CoC).

4/ Product not verified by a CoC as meeting the vegetarian requirement shall be cause for 

rejection of the lot.

5/ Sample average net weight less than 94 ounces (2665 grams) shall be cause for rejection of 

the lot.

6/ Sample average drained weight less than 50.0 ounces (1417 grams) shall be cause for 

rejection of the lot.

 B. Methods of inspection.

(1) Commercial sterility. Commercial sterility shall be verified in accordance with 

FDA regulations. 

(2) Shelf life. The contractor shall provide a Certificate of Conformance that the 

product has a 36 month shelf life when stored at 80°F. Government verification may include 

storage for 6 months at 100°F or 36 months at 80°F. Upon completion of either storage 

period, the product will be subjected to a sensory evaluation panel for appearance and 

palatability and must receive an overall score of 5 or higher based on a 9 point hedonic scale 

to be considered acceptable.

(3) Net weight. The net weight of the filled and sealed polymeric tray shall be 

determined by weighing each sample unit on a suitable scale tared with a representative 

empty tray and lid. Results shall be reported to the nearest 1 ounce or to the nearest 1 gram.

(4) Drained weight. To determine drained weight, the contents shall be poured into a 

flat-bottom container. A minimum of three times the polymeric tray’s volume of not less than 

140o F water shall be added to the container so as to cover the contents. The contents and 

water shall be gently agitated so as to liquefy rendered fat and to remove the sauce without 

breaking the beans. The contents shall then be poured into a U.S. Standard Number 7 sieve in 

a manner that will distribute the product over the sieve without breaking the beans. Sieve 

area shall be such that the distributed product does not completely cover all the openings of 

the sieve. The sieve shall be tilted at such an angle so as to assure complete drainage of liquid 
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from the product. Drain product for two minutes before determining the drained weight by 

subtracting the sieve tare weight from the gross weight. The drained weight shall be reported 

to the nearest 0.5 ounce or to the nearest 1 gram. 

(5) Analytical. The sample to be analyzed shall be a one-pound composite of three 

filled and sealed polymeric trays that have been selected at random from one production lot. 

The composite sample shall be prepared and analyzed in accordance with the following 

methods of the Official Methods of Analysis (OMA) of AOAC International:

Test Method Number

Protein 984.13, 988.05, 992.15

Fat 985.15, 991.36, 2007.04, 2008.06

Salt 935.47

Test results shall be reported to the nearest 0.1 percent. Government verification will be 

conducted through actual testing by a Government laboratory. Any nonconforming results

shall be cause for rejection of the lot.

E-6 QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS (PACKAGING AND PACKING 

MATERIALS, POLYMERIC TRAY)

 A. Packaging and labeling.

(1) Polymeric tray testing. For purposes of clarification, the polymeric tray without 

the lid will be referred to as the “tray” and the polymeric tray with the lid shall be referred to 

as the “container”. The polymeric tray with protective sleeve and polymeric tray material 

shall be examined for the characteristics listed in table I of MIL-PRF-32004, Packaging of 

Food in Polymeric Trays. The lot size, sample unit, and inspection level criteria are provided 

in table II for each of the test characteristics. Any test failure shall be classified as a major 

defect and shall be cause for rejection of the lot. For rough handling survivability at frozen 

temperature, polymeric tray survival rate shall be at least 85 percent.
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TABLE II. Polymeric tray quality assurance criteria

Prior to processing

Characteristic Lot size expressed in Sample

unit

Inspection 

level

Tray configurations and dimensions Trays 1 tray S-1

Oxygen gas transmission rate of tray Trays 1 tray S-1

Oxygen gas transmission rate of lid Yards 1/2 yard S-1

Water vapor transmission rate of tray Trays 1 tray S-1

Water vapor transmission rate of lid Yards 1/2 yard S-1

Camouflage Containers 1 container S-1

After processing

Characteristic Lot size expressed in Sample 

unit

Inspection 

level

Processing Trays 1 tray S-2

Rough handling survivability Test containers 1 container S-2

Protective sleeve Containers 1 container S-1

Residual gas Containers 1 container S-1

Closure seal Containers 1 container S-1

Internal pressure Containers 1 container S-1

Lid opening Containers 1 container S-1

(2) Examination of container. The container with protective sleeve removed shall be 

examined for the defects listed in table II of MIL-PRF-32004 and the labeling defects listed 

in table III below. The lot size shall be expressed in containers. The sample unit shall be one 

processed and labeled container. The inspection level shall be I and the AQL, expressed in 

terms of defects per hundred units, shall be 0.65 for major A defects, 2.5 for major B defects 

and 4.0 for minor defects. Two hundred sample units shall be examined for critical defects. 

The finding of any critical defect shall be cause for rejection of the lot.
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TABLE III. Container labeling defects

Category Defect

Major A Minor

101 Polymeric tray lid or body labeling missing or incorrect or illegible.

201 When a pre-printed self adhering label is used, the label not 

adhering to tray lid (for example, label raised or peeled back from 

edge to corner) or presence of any areas of gaps along the perimeter 

of the label where the label is not properly adhered.

(3) Label adhesive examination. When self-adhering labels are used, the adhesive 

shall be tested in accordance with ASTM D 3330/D 3330M Standard Test Method for Peel 

Adhesion of Pressure Sensitive Tape. In lieu of testing, a CoC shall be provided.

 B. Packing.

(1) Shipping container and marking examination. The filled and sealed shipping 

containers shall be examined for the defects listed in table IV. The lot size shall be expressed 

in shipping containers. The sample unit shall be one shipping container fully packed. The 

inspection level shall be S-3 and the AQL, expressed in terms of defects per hundred units, 

shall be 4.0 for major defects and 10.0 for total defects.

TABLE IV. Shipping container and marking defects

Category Defect

Major Minor

101 Marking missing or incorrect or illegible.

102 Inadequate workmanship. 1/

201 Arrangement or number of polymeric trays not as specified.

1/ Inadequate workmanship is defined as, but not limited to, incomplete closure of container 

flaps, loose strapping, inadequate stapling, improper taping, or bulged or distorted container.

 C. Unitization.

(1) Unit load examination. The unit load shall be examined in accordance with DLA 

Troop Support Form 3507, Loads, Unit: Preparation of Semiperishable Subsistence Items. 

Any nonconformance shall be classified as a major defect.
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SECTION J REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

Unless otherwise specified, the issues of these documents are those active on the date of the 

solicitation or contract.

DLA Troop Support Forms

Form 3507 Loads, Unit: Preparation of Semiperishable Subsistence Items

Form 3556 Marking Instructions for Boxes, Sacks, and Unit Loads of 

Perishable and Semiperishable Subsistence

MILITARY SPECIFICATIONS

MIL-PRF-32004 Packaging of Food in Polymeric Trays

GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS

Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and regulations promulgated thereunder 

(21 CFR Parts 1-199) and (9 CFR Parts 1-391)

NON-GOVERNMENTAL STANDARDS

AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR QUALITY (ASQ) www.asq.org

ANSI/ASQ Z1.4 Sampling Procedures and Tables for Inspection by Attributes

ASTM INTERNATIONAL www.astm.org

D 1974 Standard Practice for Methods of Closing, Sealing, and 

Reinforcing Fiberboard Boxes

D 3330/D 3330M Standard Test Method for Peel Adhesion of PressureSensitive Tape

D 4727/D 4727M Standard Specification for Corrugated and Solid Fiberboard 

Sheet Stock (Container Grade) and Cut Shapes

D 5118/D 5118M Standard Practice for Fabrication of Fiberboard Shipping 

Boxes 
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AOAC INTERNATIONAL www.aoac.org

Official Methods of Analysis (OMA) of AOAC International