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PACKAGING REQUIREMENTS AND QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS FOR 

MIL-DTL-32541A, PIZZA SLICE, SHELF STABLE, FOR OPERATIONAL 

RATIONS

C-1 ITEM DESCRIPTION

Types.

Type I - Cheese

Type II - Pepperoni 

SECTION D

D-1 PACKAGING

 A. Packaging. One pizza slice and one oxygen scavenger shall be packaged in a preformed 

or form-fill-seal barrier pouch. The temperature of the pizza slice at the time of pouch filling 

shall be not less than 80oF (27oC) and not greater than 135oF (57oC).

(1) Preformed pouch.

 a. Pouch material. The preformed pouch shall be fabricated from 0.002 inch thick 

ionomer or polyethylene film laminated or extrusion coated to 0.00035 inch thick aluminum 

foil which is then laminated to 0.0005 inch thick polyester. The three plies shall be laminated 

with the polyester on the exterior of the pouch. Tolerances for thickness of plastic films shall 

be plus or minus 20 percent and tolerance for the foil layer shall be plus or minus 10 percent.

The material shall be approved for contact with hot water up to 212oF (100oC). The complete 

exterior surface of the pouch shall be uniformly colored and shall conform to number 16350, 

20219, 30219, 30227, 30279, 30313, 30324 or 30450 of SAE AMS-STD-595, Colors Used

in Government Procurement. The material shall show no evidence of delamination, 

degradation, or foreign odor when heat sealed or fabricated into pouches. The material shall 

be suitably formulated for food packaging and shall not impart an odor or flavor to the 

product.

 b. Pouch construction. The pouch shall be a flat style preformed pouch having 

maximum inside dimensions of 6 inches wide by 6-1/2 inches long. The pouch shall be made 

by heat sealing three edges with 3/8 inch (-1/8 inch, + 3/16 inch) wide seals. The side and 
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bottom seals shall have an average seal strength of not less than 6 pounds per inch of width 

and no individual specimen shall have a seal strength of less than 5 pounds per inch of width.

Alternatively, the filled and sealed pouch shall exhibit no rupture or seal separation greater 

than 1/16 inch or seal separation that reduces the effective closure seal width to less than 1/16 

inch when tested for internal pressure resistance. A tear notch shall be made in one or both 

side seals to facilitate opening. A 1/8 inch (±1/16 inch) wide lip may be incorporated at the 

open end of the pouch.

 c. Pouch filling and sealing. The product and one oxygen scavenger shall be 

inserted into the pouch. The filled pouch shall be sealed with a minimum of 1/8 inch wide 

heat seal. The closure seal shall be free of foldover wrinkles or entrapped matter that reduces 

the effective closure seal width to less than 1/16 inch. Seals shall be free of impression or 

design on the seal surface that would conceal or impair visual detection of seal defects. The 

average seal strength shall be not less than 6 pounds per inch of width and no individual 

specimen shall have a seal strength of less than 5 pounds per inch of width. Alternatively, the 

filled and sealed pouch shall exhibit no rupture or seal separation greater than 1/16 inch or 

seal separation that reduces the effective closure seal width to less than 1/16 inch when tested 

for internal pressure resistance.

(2) Horizontal form-fill-seal pouch.

 a. Pouch material. The horizontal form-fill-seal pouch shall consist of a formed 

tray-shaped body with a flat sheet, heat sealable cover or a tray-shaped body with a trayshaped heat sealable cover. The tray-shaped body and the tray-shaped cover shall be 

fabricated from a 3-ply flexible laminate barrier material consisting of, from outside to 

inside, 0.0009 inch thick oriented polypropylene bonded to 0.0007 inch thick aluminum foil 

with 10 pounds per ream pigmented polyethylene or adhesive and bonding the opposite side 

of the aluminum foil to 0.003 inch thick ionomer or a blend of not less than 50 percent linear 

low density polyethylene and polyethylene. The linear low density polyethylene portion of 

the blend shall be the copolymer of ethylene and octene-1 having a melt index range of 0.8 to 

1.2 g/10 minutes in accordance with ASTM D1238, Standard Test Method for Melt Flow 

Rates of Thermoplastics by Extrusion Plastometer and a density range of 0.918 to 0.922 g/cc

in accordance with ASTM D1505, Standard Test Method for Density of Plastics by the 

Density-Gradient Technique. Alternatively, 0.0005 inch thick polyester may be used in place 

of the oriented polypropylene as the outer ply of the laminate. The flat sheet cover shall be 

made of the same 3-ply laminate as specified for the tray-shaped body except the aluminum 

foil thickness may be 0.00035 inch. Tolerances for thickness of plastic films shall be plus or 
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minus 20 percent and tolerance for the foil layer shall be plus or minus 10 percent. The 

materials shall be approved for contact with hot water up to 212oF (100oC). The material 

shall show no evidence of delamination, degradation, or foreign odor when heat sealed or 

fabricated into pouches. The material shall be suitably formulated for food packaging and 

shall not impart any odor or flavor to the product. The color requirements of the exterior of 

the laminate shall be as specified in D-1,A(1)a.

 b. Pouch construction. The tray-shaped body and the tray-shaped cover shall be 

formed by drawing the flexible laminate material into an appropriately shaped cavity. The 

flat cover shall be in the form of a flat sheet of the barrier material taken from roll stock. The 

product and one oxygen scavenger shall be placed into the tray-shaped body of the pouch. 

Pouch closure shall be effected by heat sealing together the cover and body along the entire 

pouch perimeter. The closure seal width shall be a minimum of 1/8 inch. The closure seal 

shall have an average seal strength of not less than 6 pounds per inch of width and no 

individual specimen shall have a seal strength of less than 5 pounds per inch of width.

Alternatively, the filled and sealed pouch shall exhibit no rupture or seal separation greater 

than 1/16 inch or seal separation that reduces the effective closure seal width to less than 1/16 

inch or seal separation that reduces the effective closure seal width to less than 1/16 inch 

when tested for internal pressure resistance. The maximum outside dimensions of the sealed 

pouch shall be 6 inches wide by 6-1/2 inches long. A tear nick, notch or serrations shall be 

provided to facilitate opening of the filled and sealed pouch. The sealed pouch shall not show 

any evidence of material degradation, aluminum stress cracking, delamination or foreign 

odor. Heat seals shall be free of entrapped matter that reduces the effective closure seal width 

to less than 1/16 inch. Seals shall be free of impression or design on the seal surface that 

would conceal or impair visual detection of seal defects.

(3) Oxygen scavenger. The oxygen scavenger shall be constructed of materials that 

are safe for direct food contact. The oxygen scavenger packaging material shall be suitably 

formulated to remain heat stable when exposed to temperatures up to 212oF (100oC). The 

oxygen scavenger shall be in compliance with all applicable FDA regulations.

D-2 LABELING

 A. Pouches. Each pouch shall be correctly and legibly labeled. Printing ink shall be 

permanent black ink or other dark contrasting color which is free of carcinogenic elements. 

The label shall contain the following information:
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(1) Name and type of product (letters not less than 1/8 inch high)

(2) Ingredients

(3) Date 1/

(4) Net weight

(5) Name and address of packer

(6) Official inspection legend and establishment number (for example, EST-38)

(7) “Nutrition Facts” label in accordance with the Nutrition Labeling and Education 

Act (NLEA) and all applicable FDA/USDA regulations

1/ Each pouch shall have the date of pack noted by using a four digit code beginning with the 

final digit of the current year followed by the three digit Julian day code. For example, 14 

February 2030 would be coded as 0045. The Julian day code shall represent the day the 

product was packaged into the pouch.

D-3 PACKING

 A. Packing. Not more than 40 pounds of product shall be packed in a fiberboard shipping 

box constructed in accordance with style RSC-L of ASTM D5118/D5118M, Standard 

Practice for Fabrication of Fiberboard Shipping Boxes. The fiberboard shall conform to type 

CF, class D, variety SW, minimum burst grade 200 or ECT 32 of ASTM D4727/D4727M, 

Standard Specification for Corrugated and Solid Fiberboard Sheet Stock (Container Grade)

and Cut Shapes. Each box shall be closed in accordance with ASTM D1974/D1974M, 

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

D-5 MARKING

 A. Shipping containers. Shipping containers shall be marked in accordance with DLA

Troop Support 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.
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 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.

E-6 QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS (PACKAGING AND PACKING 

MATERIALS)

 A. Packaging. 

(1) Pouch material certification. The pouch material shall be tested for these 

characteristics. A Certificate of Conformance (CoC) may be accepted as evidence that the 

characteristics conform to the specified requirements. Compliance to 21 CFR substances in 

contact with hot water up to 212o F may be verified by CoC.

Characteristic Requirement paragraph Test procedure

Thickness of films for laminated 

material

D-1,A(1)a and D-1,A(2)a ASTM D2103 1/

Aluminum foil thickness D-1,A(1)a and D-1,A(2)a ASTM B479 2/

Laminated material 

identification and construction

D-1,A(1)a and D-1,A(2)a Laboratory evaluation

Color of laminated material D-1,A(1)a SAE AMS-STD-595 3/

1/ Standard Specification for Polyethylene Film and Sheeting
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2/ Standard Specification for Annealed Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Foil for Flexible 

Barrier, Food Contact, and Other Applications

3/ Colors Used in Government Procurement

(2) Unfilled preformed pouch certification. A CoC may be accepted as evidence that 

unfilled pouches conform to the requirements specified in D-1,A(1)a and b. When deemed 

necessary by the USDA, testing of the unfilled preformed pouches for seal strength shall be 

as specified in E-6,B(1)a.

(3) Filled and sealed pouch examination. The filled and sealed pouches shall be 

examined for the defects listed in table I. The lot size shall be expressed in pouches. The 

sample unit shall be one pouch. The inspection level shall be I and the acceptable quality 

level (AQL), expressed in terms of defects per hundred units, shall be 0.65 for major defects 

and 2.5 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.

TABLE I. Filled and sealed pouch defects 1/

Category Defect

Critical Major Minor

1 Tear or hole or open seal.

2 Seal width less than 1/16 inch. 2/

101 Presence of delamination. 3/

102 Unclean pouch. 4/

103 Pouch has foreign odor.

104 Any impression or design on the heat seal surfaces which 

conceals or impairs visual detection of seal defects. 5/

105 Not packaged as specified.

106 Presence of stress cracks in the aluminum foil. 6/ 7/
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TABLE I. Filled and sealed pouch defects 1/- Continued

Category Defect

Critical Major Minor

201 Label missing or incorrect or illegible.

202 Tear notch or serrations missing or does not facilitate 

opening.

203 Seal width less than 1/8 inch but greater than 1/16 inch. 2/

204 Presence of delamination. 3/

1/ Any evidence of rodent or insect infestation shall be cause for rejection of the lot.

2/ The effective closure seal is defined as any uncontaminated, fusion bonded, continuous 

path, minimum 1/16 inch wide, from side seal to side seal that produces a hermetically sealed 

pouch.

3/ Delamination defect classification:

Major - Delamination of the outer ply in the pouch seal area that can be propagated to 

expose aluminum foil at the food product edge of the pouch after manual flexing of the 

delaminated area. To flex, the delaminated area shall be held between the thumb and 

forefinger of each hand with both thumbs and forefingers touching each other. The

delaminated area shall then be rapidly flexed 10 times by rotating both hands in alternating 

clockwise-counterclockwise directions. Care shall be exercised when flexing delaminated 

areas near the tear notches to avoid tearing the pouch material. After flexing, the separated 

outer ply shall be grasped between thumb and forefinger and gently lifted toward the food 

product edge of the seal or if the separated area is too small to be held between thumb and 

forefinger, a number two stylus shall be inserted into the delaminated area and a gentle lifting 

force applied against the outer ply. If separation of the outer ply can be made to extend to the 

product edge of the seal with no discernible resistance to the gentle lifting, the delamination 

shall be classified as a major defect. Additionally, spot delamination of the outer ply in the 

body of the pouch that is able to be propagated beyond its initial borders is also a major 

defect. To determine if the laminated area is a defect, use the following procedure: Mark the 

outside edges of the delaminated area using a bold permanent marking pen. Open the pouch 

and remove the contents. Cut the pouch transversely not closer than 1/4 inch (±1/16 inch) 
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from the delaminated area. The pouch shall be flexed in the area in question using the 

procedure described above. Any propagation of the delaminated area, as evidenced by the 

delaminated area exceeding the limits of the outlined borders, shall be classified as a major 

defect.

Minor - Minor delamination of the outer ply in the pouch seal area is acceptable and 

shall not be classified as a minor defect unless it extends to within 1/16 inch of the food 

product edge of the seal. All other minor outer ply delamination in the pouch seal area or 

isolated spots of delamination in the body of the pouch that do not propagate when flexed as 

described above shall be classified as minor defects.

4/ Outer packaging shall be free from foreign matter which is unwholesome, has the potential 

to cause pouch damage (for example, glass, metal filings) or generally detracts from the clean 

appearance of the pouch. The following examples shall not be classified as defects for 

unclean:

a. Foreign matter which presents no health hazard or potential pouch damage and 

which can be readily removed by gently shaking the package or by gently brushing the pouch 

with a clean dry cloth.

b. Dried product which affects less than 1/8 of the total surface area of one pouch face 

(localized and aggregate).

5/ If doubt exists as to whether or not the sealing equipment leaves an impression or design 

on the closure seal surface that could conceal or impair visual detection of seal defects, 

samples shall be furnished to the contracting officer for a determination as to acceptability.

6/ Applicable to form-fill-seal pouches only.

7/ The initial examination shall be a visual examination of the closed package. Any suspected 

visual evidence of stress cracks in the aluminum foil (streaks, breaks, or other disruptions in 

the laminated film) shall be verified by the following physical examination. To examine for 

stress cracks, the inside surface of both tray-shaped bodies shall be placed over a light source 

and the outside surface observed for the passage of light. Observation of light through the 

pouch material in the form of a curved or straight line greater than 2 mm in length shall be 

evidence of the presence of stress cracks. Observation of light through the pouch material in 

the form of a curved or straight line 2 mm in length or smaller or of a single pinpoint shall be 
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considered a pinhole. Observation of ten or more pinholes per pouch shall be evidence of 

material degradation.

 B. Methods of inspection.

 (1) Seal testing. The pouch seals shall be tested for seal strength as required in a, b, or 

c, as applicable. 

 a. Unfilled preformed pouch seal testing. The seals of the unfilled preformed pouch 

shall be tested for seal strength in accordance with ASTM F88/F88M, Standard Test Method 

for Seal Strength of Flexible Barrier Materials. The lot size shall be expressed in pouches. 

The sample unit shall be one unfilled pouch. The sample size shall be the number of pouches 

indicated by inspection level S-1. Three adjacent specimens shall be cut from each of the 

three sealed sides of each pouch in the sample. The average seal strength of any side shall be 

calculated by averaging the three specimens cut from that side. Any average seal strength of 

less than 6 pounds per inch of width or any test specimen with a seal strength of less than 5 

pounds per inch of width shall be classified as a major defect and shall be cause for rejection 

of the lot.

 b. Pouch closure seal testing. The closure seals of the pouches shall be tested for 

seal strength in accordance with ASTM F88/F88M. The lot size shall be expressed in 

pouches. The sample unit shall be one pouch. The sample size shall be the number of 

pouches indicated by inspection level S-1. For the closure seal on preformed pouches, three 

adjacent specimens shall be cut from the closure seal of each pouch in the sample. For the 

form-fill-seal pouches, three adjacent specimens shall be cut from each side and each end of 

each pouch in the sample. The average seal strength of any side, end or closure shall be 

calculated by averaging the three specimens cut from that side, end or closure. Any average 

seal strength of less than 6 pounds per inch of width or any test specimen with a seal strength 

of less than 5 pounds per inch of width shall be classified as a major defect and shall be cause 

for rejection of the lot.

 c. Internal pressure test. The internal pressure resistance shall be determined by 

pressurizing the pouches while they are restrained between two rigid plates. The lot size shall 

be expressed in pouches. The sample unit shall be one pouch. The sample size shall be the 

number of pouches indicated by inspection level S-1. If a three-seal tester (one that 

pressurizes the pouch through an open end) is used, the closure seal shall be cut off for 

testing the side and end of the pouch and the distance between restraining plates shall be 1/2 
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inch. For testing the closure seal, the bottom seal shall be cut off. The pouches shall be 

emptied prior to testing. If a four-seal tester (designed to pressurize filled pouches by use of a 

hypodermic needle through the pouch wall) is used, all four seals can be tested 

simultaneously. The distance between rigid restraining plates on the four-seal tester shall be 

as close to 1/2 inch as possible while accommodating the thickness of the product, the 

product may be manipulated to fit within the confines of the restraining apparatus. Pressure 

shall be applied at the rate of 1-2 pounds per square inch gage (psig) per second until 14 psig 

pressure is reached. The 14 psig pressure shall be held constant for 30 seconds and then 

released. The pouches shall then be examined for separation or yield of the heat seals. Any 

rupture of the pouch or evidence of seal separation greater than 1/16 inch in the pouch 

manufacturer’s seal shall be considered a test failure. Any seal separation that reduces the 

effective closure seal width to less than 1/16 inch (see table I, footnote 2/) shall be considered 

a test failure. Any test failure shall be classified as a major defect and shall be cause for 

rejection of the lot.

 C. Packing.

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

containers shall be examined for the defects listed in table II. 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 II. Shipping container and marking defects

Category Defect

Major Minor

101 Marking missing or incorrect or illegible.

102 Inadequate workmanship. 1/

201 More than 40 pounds of product.

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.
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 D. Unitization.

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

requirements of DLA Troop Support Form 3507, Loads, Unit: Preparation of Semiperishable 

Subsistence Items. Any nonconformance shall be a major defect.

SECTION J REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

Unless otherwise specified, the applicable version of these documents is that which is active 

on the date of the solicitation or contract.

DLA Troop Support Forms

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

Perishable and Semiperishable Subsistence

Form 3507 Loads, Unit: Preparation of Semiperishable Subsistence Items

NON-GOVERNMENT 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

B479 Standard Specification for Annealed Aluminum and 

Aluminum-Alloy Foil for Flexible Barrier, Food Contact, 

and Other Application

D1238 Standard Test Method for Melt Flow Rates of 

Thermoplastics by Extrusion Plastometer

D1505 Standard Test Method for Density of Plastics by the 

Density-Gradient Technique
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D1974/D1974M Standard Practice for Methods of Closing, Sealing and 

Reinforcing Fiberboard Boxes

D2103 Standard Specification for Polyethylene Film and 

Sheeting

D4727/D4727M Standard Specification for Corrugated and Solid 

Fiberboard Sheet Stock (Container Grade) and Cut 

Shapes

D5118/D5118M Standard Practice for Fabrication of Fiberboard Shipping 

Boxes

F88/F88M Standard Test Method for Seal Strength of Flexible 

Barrier Materials

SAE INTERNATIONAL www.sae.org

SAE AMS-STD-595 Colors Used in Government Procurement