PKG&QAP A-A-20346A

30 July 2012

SUPERSEDING 

PKG&QAP A-A-20346

24 August 2004

1

SECTION C

This document covers catsup packaged in a flexible pouch for use by the Department of 

Defense as a component of operational rations.

C-1 ITEM DESCRIPTION

PACKAGING REQUIREMENTS AND QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS FOR 

CID A-A-20346A, CATSUP (KETCHUP, CATCHUP)

Flavor and packaging.

Flavor I – Regular (plain)

Packaging type 5 – Other

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 Packaging Requirements and Quality Assurance Provisions

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 noncomparable 

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

months at 80°F.

 C. Appearance. Catsup shall not show more than a slight separation of free liquid.

 D. Texture. The catsup shall be moderately thick.

 E. Net weight. The net weight shall be not less than 10 grams.

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

the approved product standard in palatability and overall appearance.
PKG&QAP A-A-20346A

30 July 2012

SUPERSEDING 

PKG&QAP A-A-20346

24 August 2004

2

 G. Analytical requirements. The salt content shall be not less than 2.3 and not greater than 

3.2 percent by weight. The salt content procedures and testing shall be in accordance with AA-20346A. The pH, soluble solids, titratable acidity and consistency requirements,

procedures, and testing shall be in accordance with A-A-20346A.

SECTION D

D-1 PACKAGING

 A. Packaging. Ten grams of catsup shall be filled in a preformed barrier pouch.

(1) Preformed pouch.

 a. Pouch material. The pouch shall be fabricated from 1.75 mil acrylonitrile copolymer sealant/chemical resistant adhesive/48 gauge SiOx PET/adhesive or chemical 

resistant adhesive/35 gauge aluminum foil/7# LDPE- EAA coextruded or chemical resistant 

adhesive/ink/48 gauge PET. 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 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 outside dimensions of 6 by 1-1/2 inches. The pouch shall be made by heat sealing 

three edges with 3/8 inch (- 1/8, + 3/16 inch) wide seals. The 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 nick, 

notch or serrations shall be provided to facilitate opening of the filled and sealed pouch. 

 c. Pouch filling and sealing. Ten grams of catsup shall be filled into the pouch. The 

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

D-2 LABELING
PKG&QAP A-A-20346A

30 July 2012

SUPERSEDING 

PKG&QAP A-A-20346

24 August 2004

3

 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:

(1) Name and flavor of product (letters not less than 1/8 inch high)

(2) Ingredients

(3) Date 1/

(4) Net weight

(5) Name and address of packer

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. (Example, 14

February 2013 would be coded as 3045). The Julian day code shall represent the day the 

product was packaged into the pouch.

NOTE: Commercial graphics (colors, design and labeling) shall be submitted to the 

Contracting Officer for review and approval and to US Army Research, Development and 

Engineering Command Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center 

(RDNS-CFF) for review.

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, burst grade 200 or ECT grade 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 and unit loads. Shipping containers and unit loads 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
PKG&QAP A-A-20346A

30 July 2012

SUPERSEDING 

PKG&QAP A-A-20346

24 August 2004

4

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 item.

(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 

appearance, odor, flavor and texture. 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:

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 or as otherwise 
PKG&QAP A-A-20346A

30 July 2012

SUPERSEDING 

PKG&QAP A-A-20346

24 August 2004

5

specified in the contract. Six (6) sample units shall be randomly selected from that one 

production lot. The six (6) sample units shall be shipped to Natick within five (5) working 

days from the end of the production month from which they are randomly selected and upon 

completion of all USDA inspection requirements. The sample units will be evaluated for

overall quality against the current first article or product demonstration model.

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

examination and the 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 A-A-20346A and Section C of this Packaging 

Requirements and Quality Assurance Provisions document utilizing the double sampling 

plans indicated in ANSI/ASQ Z1.4. The lot size shall be expressed in pouches. The sample 

unit shall be the contents of one pouch. The inspection level shall be S-3 and the acceptable 

quality level (AQL), expressed in terms of defects per hundred units, shall be 1.5 for major 

defects and 4.0 for minor defects. Defects and defect classifications are listed in table I.

TABLE I. Product defects 1/ 2/ 

Category Defect

Major Minor

General

101 Product not flavor as specified.

Appearance

201 Catsup not a red color.

202 Catsup not smooth or not glossy.

203 Catsup shows more than a slight separation of free liquid.

Odor and flavor

102 Catsup not sweet or not slightly tangy or not a cooked tomato odor 

or flavor.
PKG&QAP A-A-20346A

30 July 2012

SUPERSEDING 

PKG&QAP A-A-20346

24 August 2004

6

TABLE I. Product defects 1/ 2/ - Continued

Category Defect

Major Minor

Texture

103 Catsup not moderately thick.

Net weight

204 Net weight less than 10 grams.

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.

 B. Methods of inspection.

(1) 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 quality scale 

to be considered acceptable.

(2) Net weight examination. The net weight of the filled and sealed pouches shall be 

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

pouch. Results shall be reported to the nearest gram.

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.
PKG&QAP A-A-20346A

30 July 2012

SUPERSEDING 

PKG&QAP A-A-20346

24 August 2004

7

Characteristic Requirement paragraph Test procedure

Thickness of films for laminated 

material

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

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

Laminated material 

identification and construction

D-1,A(1)a Laboratory evaluation

1/ Standard Specification for Polyethylene Film and Sheeting

2/ Standard Specification for Annealed Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Foil for Flexible 

Barrier, Food Contact, and Other Applications

(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 III. The lot size shall be expressed in pouches. The 

sample unit shall be one pouch. The inspection level shall be I and the AQL, expressed in 

terms of defects per hundred units, shall be 0.65 for major defects and 2.5 for minor defects.
PKG&QAP A-A-20346A

30 July 2012

SUPERSEDING 

PKG&QAP A-A-20346

24 August 2004

8

TABLE III. Filled and sealed pouch defects 1/ 

Category Defect

Major Minor

101 Tear or hole or open seal.

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

103 Presence of delamination. 3/

104 Unclean pouch. 4/

105 Pouch has foreign odor.

106 Any impression or design on the heat seal surfaces which conceals or 

impairs visual detection of seal defects. 5/

107 Not packaged as specified.

201 Label missing or incorrect or illegible.

202 Tear nick or notch or serrations missing or does not facilitate 

opening.

203 Seal width less than 1/8 inch but greater than or equal to 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 
PKG&QAP A-A-20346A

30 July 2012

SUPERSEDING 

PKG&QAP A-A-20346

24 August 2004

9

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) 

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.
PKG&QAP A-A-20346A

30 July 2012

SUPERSEDING 

PKG&QAP A-A-20346

24 August 2004

10

 B. Methods of inspection.

(1) Seal testing. The pouch seals shall be tested for seal strength.

 a. 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 bottom seals of the pouch. 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 equal to the thickness of the product +1/16 inch. Pressure shall be 

applied at the approximate uniform rate of 1 pound 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 II, 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 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 More than 40 pounds of product.
PKG&QAP A-A-20346A

30 July 2012

SUPERSEDING 

PKG&QAP A-A-20346

24 August 2004

11

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.

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

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

B479 Standard Specification for Annealed Aluminum and 

Aluminum-Alloy Foil For Flexible Barrier, Food 

Contact, and Other Applications

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