SECTION C

C-1 ITEM DESCRIPTION

QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS AND PACKAGING REQUIREMENTS FOR CID A-A-20108A, CEREALS, 

WHEAT, QUICK COOKING, AND INSTANT 7 January 2000 

Types. 

Type I, Style B, Flavor 2 – Brown Sugar Cinnamon, Packaged in a Preformed Pouch 

Type I, Style B, Flavor 3 – Maple Brown Sugar, Packaged in a Preformed Pouch 

Type I, Style B, Flavor 4 – Apple and Cinnamon, Packaged in a Preformed Pouch 

Type I, Style B, Flavor 5 - Other, Packaged in a Preformed Pouch 

 Packages. 

Package A - Meal, Cold Weather (MCW) 

 Package B – Food Packet, Long Range Patrol (LRP) 

Each component is consumed by combat personnel under worldwide environmental extremes as 

part of an operational ration, and is a source of nutritional intake. 

C-2 PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS

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

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

inspections of Section E of this Quality Assurance Provisions and Packaging Requirements 

document. 

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

36 months at 80o

F. 

 C. Reconstituted product. The dehydrated product shall fully rehydrate within 1 

minute. 

 D. Net weight. The net weight of one pouch shall be not less than 70 grams. 

 E. Palatability and overall appearance. The finished product shall be equal to or 

better than the approved product standard in palatability and overall appearance. 

 F. Nutrient content. 

(1) Moisture content. The moisture content shall be not greater than 10.0 percent. 

(2) Sodium content. The sodium content shall not exceed 455 milligrams. 

SECTION D

D-1 PACKAGING

 A. Packaging. The type I, style B instant wheat cereal for each flavor, as specified, 

shall be packed in a preformed barrier pouch as described below. The pouch is intended to 

be used as a unit pack and a rehydrating pouch for the instant wheat cereal. 

(1) Preformed pouches. 

 a. Pouch material. The preformed pouch shall be fabricated from 0.0035 inch 

thick linear low density polyethylene sealant layer laminated or extrusion coated to 

0.00035 inch thick aluminum foil which is then bonded with 10 pounds per ream low density 

polyethylene to 0.0006 inch thick biaxally oriented nylon. The three plies shall be 

laminated with the nylon on the exterior of the pouch. All tolerances for thickness of 

pouch material shall be plus or minus 20 percent. The structure shall be approved for 

food contact with the addition of near boiling water. 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. For package A (MCW), the complete exterior surface of the pouch 
shall be colored white overall with a color in the range of 37778 through 37886 of FEDSTD-595, Colors Used in Government Procurement. For package B (LRP), the complete 

exterior surface of the pouch shall be uniformly colored in the range of 20219, 30219, 

30227, 30279, 30313, 30324, or 30450 of FED-STD-595. 

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

maximum inside dimensions of 5 3/8 inches wide by 8 1/8 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 

heat seals shall be made in a manner that will assure hermetic seals. The side and bottom 

seals shall have an average seal strength of not less than 7 pounds per inch of width and 

no individual specimen shall have a seal strength of less than 6 pounds per inch of width 

when tested as specified in E-6,A,(4),a. Alternatively, peelable side and 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 or 

greater than 14 pounds per inch of width when tested as specified in E-6,A,(4),a. A tear 

notch shall be provided on one outside edge or two opposite outside edges of the pouch to 

facilitate opening of the filled and sealed pouch. A 1/8 inch (+1/16 inch) wide lip may 

be incorporated at the open end of the pouch to facilitate opening and filling of the 

pouch. 

 c. Pouch filling and sealing. One flavor of instant wheat cereal shall be filled 

into the pouch and the filled pouch shall be sealed with a minimum 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 7 pounds per inch of width 

and no individual specimen shall have a seal strength of less than 6 pounds per inch of 

width when tested as specified in E-6,A,(4),b. Alternatively, peelable side and 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 

or greater than 14 pounds per inch of width when tested as specified in E-6,A,(4),a. 

D-2 LABELING

 A. Pouches. Each pouch shall be clearly printed or stamped, in a manner that does not 

damage the pouch, with permanent black ink or other, dark, contrasting color which is free 

of carcinogenic elements or ingredients. The information shall be located on the body of 

the pouch not closer than 1/16 inch to any seal. If a non-contact type printer is used, 

the information may be located anywhere on the pouch (in one complete print), except the 

closure seal area. The label shall contain the following information: 

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

(2) Directions: ADD 8 OUNCES OF HOT WATER (ABOUT 1/3 canteen cup) TO POUCH, STIR, 

WAIT ABOUT 2 MINUTES. HOT WATER MAY BE ADDED IN STAGES TO KEEP FOOD HOT. 

 (3) Ingredients 

 (4) Date 1/ 

 (5) Net Weight 

 (6) Contractor's name and address 

 (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, February 17, 1999 would be coded as 9048. The Julian day code shall 

represent the day the product was packaged into the pouch. 

 B. Pouches with peelable seals shall be clearly printed with the following information 

not closer than 1⁄4 inch from the closure seal: 

PEELABE SEAL (letters not less than 1/8 inch high) 

D-3 PACKING

 A. Packing for shipment to ration assembler. Not more than 40 pounds of pouched 

product shall be packed flat in layers in a fiberboard shipping container constructed in 

accordance with style RSC-L, class domestic, variety SW, grade 200 of ASTM D 5118, 
Standard Practice for Fabrication of Fiberboard Shipping Boxes. Each container shall be 

securely closed in accordance with ASTM D 1974, Standard Practice for Methods of Closing, 

Sealing, and Reinforcing Fiberboard Shipping Containers. When metal fasteners are used in 

the box manufacturer’s joint or set-up, the fasteners on the inside shall be covered with 

tape to protect the contents from mechanical damage. 

D-4 MARKING

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

Form 3556, Marking Instructions for Shipping Cases, Sacks and Palletized/Containerized 

Loads of Perishable and Semiperishable Subsistence. 

SECTION E INSPECTION AND ACCEPTANCE

The cereal product shall be examined and analyzed in accordance with applicable provisions 

of this Quality Assurance Provisions and Packaging Requirements document. The Processed 

Products Branch (PPB), Fruit and Vegetable Division, Agricultural Marketing Service, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture shall be the certifying activity and shall determine the product 

quality and acceptability in accordance with PPB procedures. 

The following quality assurance criteria, utilizing ANSI/ASQC Z1.4-1993, Sampling 

Procedures and Tables for Inspection by Attributes, are required. When required, the 

manufacturer shall be required to 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 Quality Assurance Provisions 

and Packaging Requirements 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. 

(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 Section C of the Quality Assurance Provisions 

and Packaging Requirements document utilizing the double sampling plans indicated in 

ANSI/ASQC Z1.4 - 1993. 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 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/ 3/ 
Category Defect 

Major Minor

Dehydrated product

Weight 

201 Net weight of an individual pouch less than 70 grams. 

Rehydrated product

Appearance 4/ 

101 Appearance and color not characteristic of type I, Style B for the 

applicable flavor specified. 

Odor and flavor

102 Odor or flavor not characteristic of type I, style B for the 

applicable flavor specified. 

Texture

202 Texture not characteristic of type I, style B for the applicable 

flavor specified. 

1/ The presence of any foreign material such as but not limited to, dirt, insect parts, 

hair, wood, glass, metal, or mold or the presence of any foreign odors or flavors such as, 

but not limited to burnt, scorched, rancid, sour, or stale shall be cause for rejection of 

the lot. Foreign flavor is not applicable to dehydrated product. 

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. Palatability 

is not applicable to dehydrated product. 

3/ The enriched instant farina wheat shall be verified with the statement of ingredients 

on the label. 

4/ Prior to conducting the rehydrated product examination, the instant wheat cereal shall 

be reconstituted with 8 ounces of boiling water. Product that does not rehydrate within 1 

minute 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 3 year shelf life when stored at 800

F. Government verification may include 

storage for 6 months at 1000

F or 36 months at 800F. 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. 

(2) 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 1 gram. 

(3) Nutrient content. The sodium content shall be verified by the NLEA “Nutrition 

Facts” label. Product not conforming to the sodium content as specified in Section C of 

this Quality Assurance Provisions and Packaging Requirements document shall be cause for 

rejection of the lot. 

(4) Moisture content testing. Eight filled and sealed pouches shall be selected at 

random from each lot and individually tested for moisture content in accordance with the 

Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC International. Results shall be reported to the 

nearest 0.1 percent. Any individual result not conforming to the moisture content 

requirement as specified in section C of this Quality Assurance Provisions and Packaging 

Requirements document shall be cause for rejection of the lot. 
E-6 QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS (PACKAGING AND PACKING MATERIALS)

A. Packaging. 

(1) Pouch material certification. Material listed below may be accepted on the 

basis of a contractor's certification of conformance to the indicated requirements. In 

addition, compliance to the requirements for inside pouch dimensions and dimensions of 

manufacturer's seals may be verified by certificate of conformance. 

 Requirement 

Requirement paragraph Test procedure

Thickness of films for D-1,A,(1),a and As specified in ASTM D 2103 1/ 

Laminated material D-1,A,(2),a 

Aluminum foil thickness D-1,A,(1),a and As specified in ASTM B 479 2/ 

 D-1,A,(2),a 

Laminated material D-1,A,(1),a and Laboratory evaluation 

identification D-1,A,(2),a 

and construction 

Color of laminated D-1,A,(1),a and Visual evaluation by FED-STD-595 3/ 

material D-1,A,(2),a 

1/ ASTM D 2103 Specification for Polyethylene Film and Sheeting 

2/ ASTM B 479 Specification for Annealed Aluminum Foil For Flexible Barrier 

Application 

3/ FED-STD-595 Colors Used in Government Procurement 

(2) Unfilled preformed pouch certification. A certification of conformance may be 

accepted as evidence that unfilled pouches conform to the requirements specified in D1,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,A,(4),a. 

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

examined for the defects listed in table II. 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. 

TABLE II. Filled and sealed pouch defects 1/ 

Category Defect

Major Minor

101 Tear, 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 Peelable pouch does not open where indicated. 

 201 Label smudges, is missing, incorrect, or illegible. 

 202 Tear notch missing or does not facilitate opening. 
 203 Seal width less than 1/8 inch but greater than 1/16 inch. 

 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) 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). 

c. Water spots. 

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. 

(4) Seal testing. The pouch seals shall be tested for seal strength as required in 

a or b, 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 F 88 - Seal Strength of 

Flexible Barrier Materials. The lot size shall be expressed in pouches. 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. When testing the end seal of the pouch, one of the three specimens 

shall be cut from the center of the seal incorporating the folded fin seal juncture of the 

heat seal. For heat seals, any average seal strength of less than 7 pounds per linear 

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

be cause for rejection of the lot. For peelable heat seals, any average seal strength of 

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

pounds per linear inch or greater than 14 pounds per linear inch 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 F 88. The lot size shall be expressed in 

pouches. The sample size shall be the number of pouches indicated by inspection level S1. For the closure seal on preformed pouches, three adjacent specimens shall be cut from 

the closure seal of each pouch in the sample. One of the three specimens shall be cut 

from the center of the seal incorporating the folded fin seal juncture of the heat seal. 

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. For heat seals, any average seal 

strength of less than 7 pounds per linear inch or any test specimen with a seal strength 

of less than 6 pounds per linear inch shall be cause for rejection of the lot. For 

peelable heat seals, any average seal strength of less than 6 pounds per linear inch or 

any test specimen with seal strength of less than 5 pounds per linear inch or greater than 

14 pounds per linear inch shall be cause for rejection of the lot. 

 B. Packing. 

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

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

Category Defect 

Major Minor

101 National stock number, item description, contract number, name and 

address of producer, or date of pack missing, incorrect, or 

illegible. 

102 Container not closed properly. 

103 Components missing, damaged, or not as specified. 

201 Other required markings missing, incorrect, or illegible. 

202 More than 40 pounds of product. 

SECTION J REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

DPSC FORM 

DPSC FORM 3556 Marking Instructions for Shipping Cases, Sacks and 

 Palletized/Containerized Loads of Perishable and Semiperishable 

 Subsistence, May 96 

FEDERAL STANDARD 

FED-STD-595 - Colors Used in Government Procurement 

NON-GOVERNMENTAL STANDARDS 

AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR QUALITY CONTROL (ASQC) 

 ANSI/ASQCZ1.4-1993 - Sampling Procedures and Tables for Inspection by 

 Attributes 
AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR TESTING AND MATERIALS (ASTM) 

 B 479 - Specification for Annealed Aluminum Foil For Flexible Barrier 

 Application 

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

 Reinforcing Fiberboard Shipping Containers 

 D 2103 - Specification for Polyethylene Film and Sheeting 

 D 5118 - Standard Practice for Fabrication of Fiberboard Shipping Boxes 

 F 88 - Seal Strength of Flexible Barrier Materials 

AMSSB-RCF—F(N)(Friel/4261) 8 December 2000 

TO: DSCP-HRAC(D.Anthony/4477) DDC01-033 

SUBJECT: Document Changes for Quality Assurance Provisions and Packaging Requirements for 

A-A-20108A Cereal, Wheat, Quick-Cooking and Instant 

1. References: 

a. AMSSB-RCF—F(N)(Friel) to DSCP-HRAC(D.Anthony), dated 

 4 December 2000, SUBJECT: Request for Specification Change, Contract SPO300-00-D-Z107, 

MCW: Clarification of letter dated November 13, 2000 requesting deletion of Spec 

requirement of D-2-A, print 1/16” from seal; DSCP Case No. 1-R-035-00 (ES01-013) 

b. AMSSB-RCF—F(N)(Friel)to DSCP-HRAC(D.Anthony), dated 20 November 

2000, SUBJECT: Request for Specification change, Contract SPO300-00-D-Z107; MCW, Soup, 

Instant, Noodle, Ramen, A-A-20297; DSCP Case #1-R-035-00 (ES01-010) 

3. Natick recommends the following changes for the subject document for all current, 

pending and future procurements until the document is formally amended or revised: 

a. Section D-2, A., make the following changes: 

 (1) sentence 1, line 1, after “does not”, insert “conceal or impair visual 

examination of heat seals or”; 

 (2) delete sentences 2 and 3, insert new sentences: 

“Pre-printed information, information printed prior to sealing or information printed by 

non-contact type printing equipment may be located anywhere on the pouch (in one complete 

print). Information printed subsequent to sealing by contact type printing equipment may 

be located anywhere on the pouch, except the closure seal area.” 

b. Section D-3, A., sentence 1, delete “flat in layers” 

 DONALD A. HAMLIN 

 Team Leader 

 Food Engineering Services Team 

 Combat Feeding Program 

ES REQUIRED MFriel 

CF: 

Alyward H. Richardson 

Loveridge A. Boies 

Richards Salerno 

Valvano M.Malason 

Sherman D.Anthony 

A.Konrady J.Lecollier 

M.Konrady D.Kavanagh 

Hoffman C.Galligan 

Beward D.Arthur 
Wagner A.Lowry