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SECTION C

This document covers shelf stable beef stew packaged in a flexible pouch for use by the 

Department of Defense as a component of operational rations. 

C-1 ITEM DESCRIPTION

PCR-B-020B, BEEF STEW, PACKAGED IN A FLEXIBLE POUCH, SHELF 

STABLE

Types.

Type I - Beef stew

Type II - Beef stew, high energy

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 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. 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 mixture of cooked beef in gravy with 

vegetables. The finished product shall be free from foreign materials.

(2) Beef. The cooked beef dices shall have a brown cooked beef color. At least 60 

percent by weight of the cooked beef dices in the finished product shall be not less than 3/4 
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inch dices. The packaged food shall be practically free of bone or bone fragments, cartilage, 

coarse connective tissue, tendons or ligaments, and glandular material. 

(3) Vegetables. 

 a. Potatoes. The cooked potatoes shall be 3/8 inch dices and shall be an offwhite color.

 b. Carrots. The cooked carrots shall be 3/8 inch dices and shall be an orange 

color. 

 c. Peas. The cooked peas shall be a green color. 

(4) Gravy. The gravy shall be glossy and moderately thick and shall be a goldenbrown to brown color. 

 E. Odor and flavor. The packaged food shall have an odor and flavor of cooked beef, 

potato, carrot, and pea in a savory beef flavored gravy. The packaged food shall be free from 

foreign odors and flavors. 

 F. Texture. 

(1) Beef. The cooked beef dices shall be moist and tender. 

(2) Vegetables. The cooked vegetables shall be slightly soft and tender. 

(3) Gravy. The gravy shall be smooth and moderately thick. 

 G. Net weight. The average net weight shall be not less than 8.0 ounces (227 grams). The 

net weight of an individual pouch shall be not less than 7.5 ounces (213 grams). 

 H. Drained weight. 

(1) Beef and vegetables. The average drained weight of the beef and vegetables 

(combined) shall be not less than 4.0 ounces (113 grams). The drained weight of the beef and 

vegetables (combined) in an individual pouch shall be not less than 3.2 ounces (91 grams).
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(2) Beef. The average drained weight of the beef shall be not less than 2.4 ounces (68 

grams). The drained weight of the beef in an individual pouch shall be not less than 2.0 

ounces (57 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) Fat. For type I, the fat content shall be not greater than 8.0 percent. For type II, the 

fat content shall be not less than 8.0 percent and not greater than 14 percent. 

(2) Salt. The salt content shall be not less than 0.5 percent and not greater than 1.3 

percent. 

SECTION D

D-1 PACKAGING

A. Packaging. 

(1) Type I - Beef stew. Product shall be filled into pouches and sealed in accordance 

with MIL-PRF-44073, Packaging of Food in Flexible Pouches, Type I, Style 1 for use in the 

Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE). 

(2) Type II - Beef stew, high energy. Product shall be filled into pouches and sealed 

in accordance with MIL-PRF-44073, Packaging of Food in Flexible Pouches, Type I, Style 3

for use in the Close Combat Assault Ration (CCAR). 

D-2 LABELING

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

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

Prior to thermal processing of the pouches, the product name, lot number, filling equipment 

number and time stamp shall be applied. All other marking may be applied before or after 

thermal processing.
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(1) Product name (not less than 1/8 inch high). Commonly used abbreviations 

may be used.

(2) Pouch code includes: 1/

 Lot number

 Filling equipment identification number

 Official establishment number (Optional)

 Retort identification number and Retort cook number (Optional)

 Time stamp (Hour and minute of filling/sealing operation)

(3) USDA official inspection legend for the packer’s plant 2/

1/ Each pouch shall have the date of pack noted by using either a four-digit code or five-digit 

code. When using the four-digit code, begin with the final digit of the current year followed 

by the three-digit Julian code. For example, 14 February 2050 would be coded as 0045. 

When using the five-digit code, begin with the decade digit of the current year followed by 

the three-digit Julian code. For example, 14 February 2050 would be coded as 50045. The 

Julian code shall represent the day the product was packaged into the pouch. 

2/ May be placed on the paperboard sleeve or insert card, as applicable, if labeled under 

USDA/FSIS supervision as an identification service.

 B. Paperboard sleeves for Type I (only) - Beef stew. 

(1) The sleeves shall be clearly printed on one of the panels with permanent black ink 

as follows: 1/ 2/ 

Product name (7/32 to 9/32 inch block letters)

Ingredients

Net weight

Name and address of packer

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

Education Act (NLEA) and all applicable USDA regulations

1/ With contracting officer approval, this information may be printed on the pouch or on a 

separate paperboard insert card in lieu of the paperboard sleeve. 
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2/ If printed on the sleeve, it shall be configured to fit alongside similar information for an 

accompanying pouched product. Identity of accompanying pouched product and approval of 

label design shall be obtained from the contracting officer.

(2) The product shall be formulated and labeled in accordance with all USDA 

labeling regulations and policies. The sleeves (or pouches, or insert cards, as applicable) shall 

be labeled with the following product name: 

Type Product name

 I BEEF STEW

 C. Insert card (as applicable). 

 (1) The insert card shall be clearly printed on one of the panels with permanent black 

ink as follows: 1/ 2/ 

Product name (7/32 to 9/32 inch block letters)

Ingredients

Net weight

Name and address of packer

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

Education Act (NLEA) and all applicable USDA regulations

1/ With contracting officer approval, this information may be printed on the pouch in lieu of 

the paperboard insert card. 

2/ If printed on the insert card, it shall be configured to fit alongside similar information for 

an accompanying pouched product. Identity of accompanying pouched product and approval 

of label design shall be obtained from the contracting officer.

(2) The product shall be formulated and labeled in accordance with all USDA 

labeling regulations and policies. The pouches (or insert cards, as applicable) shall be labeled 

with the following product name: 

Type Product name

 I BEEF STEW

 II BEEF STEW, HIGH ENERGY
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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 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. 

 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.
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 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: 

COMBAT CAPABILITIES DEVELOPMENT COMMAND (DEVCOM) SOLDIER CENTER

FCDD-SCD-SCR 

10 GENERAL GREENE AVENUE

NATICK, MA 01760-5000

One lot shall be randomly selected during each calendar month of production or as otherwise 

specified in the contract. Three (3) sample units shall be randomly selected from that one 

production lot. The three (3) sample units shall be shipped to DEVCOM Soldier Center

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 

examinations/tests and methods of inspection cited in this section and in section 4 of MILPRF-44073. 

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 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. The pouches shall be immersed in not 
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less than 140°F and not greater than 190°F water for 10 minutes prior to conducting the 

product examination. For drained weight inspection, a separate set of pouches shall be 

selected from the lot using the same sampling criteria as above. 

TABLE I. Product defects 1/ 2/

Category Defect

Major Minor

Appearance

101 Finished product not a mixture of cooked beef or not in gravy or 

not with vegetables.

201 Cooked beef not dices or not a brown cooked beef color.

202 Cooked beef dices in the finished product not dimensions as 

specified. 3/ 

102 Bone or bone fragment measuring more than 0.3 inch in any 

dimension. 

203 Total weight of cartilage, coarse connective tissue, tendons or 

ligaments, and glandular material more than 0.35 ounce (9.9 

grams). 

204 Cooked potatoes not 3/8 inch dices or not an off-white color. 4/

205 Cooked carrots not 3/8 inch dices or not an orange color. 4/

206 Cooked peas not a green color.

207 Gravy not glossy or not moderately thick or not a golden-brown to 

brown color. 

Odor and flavor

103 The packaged food does not have an odor or flavor of cooked beef

or not potato or not carrot or not pea or not in a savory beef 

flavored gravy. 
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TABLE I. Product defects 1/ 2/ - Continued

Category Defect

Major Minor

Texture

208 Cooked beef dices not moist or not tender.

209 Cooked vegetables not slightly soft or not tender.

210 Gravy not smooth or not moderately thick.

Net weight

211 Net weight of an individual pouch less than 7.5 ounces (213 

grams). 5/ 

Drained weight

212 Drained weight of the beef and vegetables (combined) in an 

individual pouch less than 3.2 ounces (91 grams). 6/ 

213 Drained weight of the beef in an individual pouch less than 2.0 

ounces (57 grams). 7/

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/ Verification that at least 60 percent by weight of the cooked beef dices in the finished 

product meet the dimensions of not less than 3/4 inch dices shall be measured by USDA on 

the first production lot of a contract cycle and annual PDM replenishment or if a new beef 

supplier is obtained. A visual examination for comparability to the PDM shall be conducted 

on all lots produced using the same beef supplier between PDM replenishments. If the visual 

examination is noncomparable to the PDM, then USDA shall measure the beef dices.

4/ Size requirements for cooked potato and carrot dices shall be verified by a Certificate of 

Conformance (CoC). 
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5/ Sample average net weight less than 8.0 ounces (227 grams) shall be cause for the 

rejection of the lot.

6/ Sample average drained weight of the beef and vegetables (combined) less than 4.0 ounces 

(113 grams) shall be cause for the rejection of the lot. 

7/ Sample average drained weight of the beef less than 2.4 ounces (68 grams) shall be cause 

for rejection of the lot.

 B. Methods of inspection. 

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

USDA/FSIS 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 quality scale 

to be considered acceptable.

(3) Net weight. 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 0.1 ounce or to the nearest 1 gram. 

(4) Drained weight. Use a U.S. Standard No. 7 sieve for the drained weight 

examination. Heat all the pouches at the same time for 10 minutes in hot water. 1/ Pour the 

contents of the pouch into a flat-bottom container and repeatedly add hot water until all of the 

product has been removed from the pouch. 1/ Additional hot water may be added to the flatbottom container so as to cover all the contents. 1/ The mixture shall be gently agitated so as 

to liquefy rendered fat without breaking the product. 2/ The mixture shall not sit for greater 

than two minutes. The contents shall then be poured into the sieve in a manner that will 

distribute the product over the sieve without breaking up the product. The 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 an angle from 30 to 45 degrees to ensure complete drainage of liquid 

from the product. Drain product for two minutes. Place the sieve and its contents onto the 

scale and tare the scale to zero. Remove the beef dices from the sieve. Place the sieve back 

on the scale and record the weight as a positive number. This value is the drained weight of 

the beef dices. Empty the remaining contents of the sieve by turning the sieve upside down 
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and dumping the remaining product. Place the sieve back on the scale and record the weight 

as a positive number. This value is the combined drained weight. When necessary, rinse the 

screen before performing the next drained weight exam. The drained weight shall be reported 

to the nearest 0.1 ounce or to the nearest 1 gram. 3/ 

1/ Water temperature shall be not less than 140°F and not greater than 165°F.

2/ Additional hot water may be required for completely removing sauce and liquefying 

rendered fat. 

3/ The initial unit of measurement shall be maintained throughout the exam (example: if 

ounce is used, the unit of measurement shall remain as ounces throughout the exam). 

(5) Analytical. The sample to be analyzed shall be a composite of eight filled and 

sealed pouches which have been selected at random from one 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

Fat 960.39, 991.36, 2007.04, or 2008.06

Salt 935.47 or 971.27

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

conducted through actual testing by a Government laboratory. Any result not conforming to 

the analytical requirement shall be cause for rejection of the lot. 

E-6 QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS (PACKAGING AND PACKING 

MATERIALS)

 A. Packaging. 

(1) Pouch material testing. The pouch material, pouch, and sleeve, as applicable, in 

accordance with the lot size, sample unit, and inspection level criteria shall be tested for the 

performance characteristics listed in table I of MIL-PRF-44073, Packaging of Food in 

Flexible Pouches for Type I. Any test failure shall be classified as a major defect and shall be 

cause for rejection of the lot.

(2) Filled and sealed pouch examination. The filled and sealed commercially sterile

pouches shall be examined for the defects listed in table II of MIL-PRF-44073 for Type I. 
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The lot size shall be expressed in pouches. The sample unit shall be one thermal processed 

pouch. 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.

(3) Paperboard sleeve or paperboard insert card examination. The sleeve or insert 

card (as applicable) shall be examined for the defects listed in table III of MIL-PRF-44073 

for Type I. The lot size shall be expressed in units of sleeves or insert cards. The sample unit 

shall be one sleeve or one insert card. The inspection level shall be S-3 and the AQL, 

expressed in terms of defects per hundred units, shall be 0.65 for major defects and 2.5 for 

minor defects. 

 B. 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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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 Form

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

Perishable and Semiperishable Subsistence

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SPECIFICATION 

MIL-PRF-44073 Packaging of Food in Flexible Pouches

(Copies of this document are available online at https://quicksearch.dla.mil) 

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/D5118M Standard Practice for Fabrication of Fiberboard Shipping 

Boxes

AOAC INTERNATIONAL www.aoac.org

Official Methods of Analysis (OMA) of AOAC International