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SECTION C

This document covers spray-dried natural butter flavor granules packaged in a packet 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-20351A NATURAL BUTTER FLAVOR GRANULES, SPRAY-DRIED

Type, style, and packages.

Type I - Regular

Style A - Granules/sprinkles

Package 1 - 2.0 g packet

Package 4 - 57 g packet

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. Net weight. The net weight of package 1 shall be not less than 2.0 grams. The net weight 

of package 4 shall be not less than 57 grams.

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

the approved product standard in palatability and overall appearance.
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 E. Analytical and microbiological tests.

(1) The moisture, sodium, aerobic plate count, yeast and mold, Coliform, Salmonella, 

Listeria monocytogenes, Enterobactericeae, Staphylococcus aureus, and E. coli 

requirements, procedures, and testing shall be in accordance with A-A-20351A.

SECTION D

D-1 PACKAGING

 A. Packaging. Product shall be packaged in commercial packaging. For package 1, not less 

than 2.0 grams of natural butter flavor granules shall be filled into a packet having maximum 

outside dimensions of 3 by 2 inches. For package 4, not less than 57 grams of natural butter 

flavor granules shall be filled into a packet having maximum outside dimensions of 6 by 4 

inches. Each packet shall be made from a heat sealable barrier material, one layer of which is 

a minimum of 0.00035 inch thick aluminum foil. All four edges of the packet shall be heatsealed or sealed on three edges with the fourth edge being formed by folding the material 

prior to filling. The seals shall be not less than 1/8 inch wide. The seals shall be free of 

foldover wrinkles or entrapped matter that reduces the effective seal width to less than 1/16 

inch. A tear nick, notch or serrations shall be provided to facilitate opening of the filled and 

sealed packet. The sealed packet shall exhibit no leakage when examined in accordance with 

E-6,B(1). The sealed packet shall not show any evidence of delamination, degradation or 

foreign odor. There shall be no crushed, misshapen or unclean packets.

D-2 LABELING

 A. Packets. Each packet 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 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) “Nutrition Facts” label in accordance with the Nutrition Labeling and Education 

Act (NLEA) and all applicable FDA regulations
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1/ Each packet 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 2014 would be coded as 4045. The Julian day code shall represent the day the 

product was packaged into the packet.

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. 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.

 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 
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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 

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. 

(2) Periodic review evaluation. 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 

specified in the contract. Six (6) sample units of each item produced 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.
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(3) Conformance inspection. Conformance inspection shall include the 

examinations/tests 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 A-A-20351A 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 packets. The sample 

unit shall be the contents of one packet. 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

101 Product not type or not style or not package as specified.

Appearance

201 Product not an off white/light yellow to medium yellow color.

202 Product not free flowing or not uniform or not a granular powder.

203 Presence of hard lumps. 3/

Odor and flavor

102 Product not a mild butter odor or flavor.

Texture

204 Product not a fine granule shape.

205 Product does not readily dissolvable in mouth or on hot, moist 

food.
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TABLE I. Product defects 1/ 2/ - Continued

Category Defect

Major Minor

Net Weight

206 Net weight of package 1 individual packet less than 2.0 grams.

207 Net weight of package 4 individual packet less than 57 grams.

1/ Presence of any foreign materials such as, but not limited to dirt, insect parts, hair, glass, 

wood, or metal, or mold, 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/ Lumps that do not fall apart under light pressure between the fingers shall be scored as a 

defect.

 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. The net weight of the filled and sealed packets shall be determined by 

weighing each sample unit on a suitable scale tared with a representative empty packet.

Results shall be reported to the nearest 0.1 gram or to the nearest 1 gram, as applicable.

E-6 QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS (PACKAGING AND PACKING 

MATERIALS)

 A. Packaging and labeling.

(1) Packet material certification. Conformance to packet material requirements shall 

be determined by a Certificate of Conformance.
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(2) Filled and sealed packet examination. The filled and sealed packets shall be 

examined for the defects listed in table II. The sample size shall be expressed in packets. The 

sample unit shall be one packet. 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.

TABLE II. Filled and sealed packet defects 1/ 

Category Defect

Major Minor

101 Tear or hole or open seal.

102 Packet dimensions not as specified.

103 Leakage.

104 Seal separation. 2/

105 Delamination or degradation. 2/

106 Packet not heat-sealed on all four edges or on three edges with the 

fourth edge being formed by folding the material prior to filling 

with minimum 1/8 inch wide seals.

107 Unclean packet.

108 Packet has foreign odor.

109 Seal width less than 1/16 inch. 3/

201 Label missing or incorrect or illegible.

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

opening.

203 Packet crushed or misshapen.

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

2/ Examine packet after removal from leakage test apparatus.
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3/ 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. 

 B. Methods of inspection.

(1) Leakage test. The filled and sealed packets shall be tested by placing them in a dry 

desiccator, or similar apparatus, and subjecting them to a vacuum of 26 inches of mercury 

(atmospheric pressure is 29.9 inches of mercury) for 30 seconds. Any packet that does not 

swell to form a tightly distended package having at least one distorted edge during the test 

shall be recorded as a leaker. After vacuum testing, packets shall be visually inspected for 

evidence of delamination and for seal separation. Any leakage, any delamination, or any seal 

separation of more than 1/16 inch from the product edge of any seal shall be recorded as a 

defect.

 C. Packing.

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

containers shall be examined for the defects listed in table III. 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 III. 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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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

D1974/D1974M Standard Practice for Methods of Closing, Sealing, and 

Reinforcing Fiberboard Boxes

D4727/D4727M Standard Specification for Corrugated and Solid 

Fiberboard Sheet Stock (Container Grade) and Cut 

Shapes

D5118/D 5118M Standard Practice for Fabrication of Fiberboard Shipping 

Boxes