B. Packing.

A, Shipping container 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 properly closed.
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
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)

D 1974 - Standard Practice for Methods of Closing, Sealing, and
Reinforcing Fiberboard Shipping Containers

D 5118 - Standard Practice for Fabrication of Fiberboard Shipping
Boxes


SECTION C
C-1 ITEM DESCRIPTION

QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS AND PACKAGING REQUIREMENTS FOR SALT, TABLE, IODIZED
31 January 2000

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 Provision and Packaging Requirements document.

B. Shelf life. The packaged food shall meet the minimum shelf life requirement of 36
months at 80°F.

C. Appearance. The packaged product shall be transparent to opaque, white crystalline
solid of variable particle size.

D. Odor and flavor. The packaged product shall be free from foreign odors and flavors.
E. Material. The packaged product shall be free from foreign materials.
F. Net weight. The net weight of one serving of product shall be not less than 4 grams.

G. Palatability and overall appearance. The finished product shall be equal to or
better than the approved product standard in palatability and overall appearance.

SECTION D
D-1 PACKAGING

A. Packaging. Not less than 4 grams of salt shall be filled into an envelope having
maximum outside dimensions of 2-1/2 inches long by 1-5/8 inches wide. The envelope shall
be made from 25 pounds-per-ream sulfite pulp, kraft pulp, or a mixture. The color shall be
natural kraft or dull brown. The paper shall be coated on one side with polyethylene. The
envelope shall be formed and closed by heat sealing on no less than three of four sides
and shall not allow sifting or spillage of the product. There shall be no crushed,
misshapen or unclean envelopes.

D-2 LABELING

A. Labeling. Each envelope shall be clearly printed or stamped in a manner that does
not damage the envelope, with permanent black ink or any other contrasting color, which is
free of carcinogenic elements or ingredients. The following information shall be printed
on the envelope at random provided that the complete information appears at least once on
the envelope:

IODIZED SALT
(In letters larger than any others used on the label.)

4 GRAMS NET WEIGHT
INGREDIENTS
Name and address of manufacturer
D-3 PACKING
A. Packing for shipment to ration assembler. Not more than 40 pounds of product shall
be packed 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.

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 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 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 palatability and overall appearance.
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 this Quality Assurance Provisions
and Packaging Requirements document utilizing the double sampling plans indicated in
ANSI/ASQC 21.4 - 1993. The lot size shall be expressed in envelopes. The sample unit shall
be the contents of one envelope. 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 Appearance not as specified.

102 Not a free flowing granular powder.

103 Presence of lumps. 3/



104 Net weight of an individual envelope less than 4 grams.

1/ Presence of any foreign material such as, but not limited to dirt, insect parts, hair,
wood, glass, metal, or foreign odors and flavors such as, but not limited to burnt,
scorched, rancid, sour, or stale 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 3 year 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 hedonic
scale to be considered acceptable.

(2) Net weight. The net weight of the filled and sealed envelopes shall be
determined by weighing each sample on a suitable scale tared with a representative empty
envelope. Results shall be reported to the nearest 0.1 gram.

E-6 QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS (PACKAGING AND PACKING MATERIALS)

A. Packaging and labeling.

(1) Envelope material certification. Conformance to envelope material requirements
shall be determined by certificate of conformance.

(2) Filled and sealed envelope examination. The filled and sealed envelopes shall
be examined for the defects listed in table II. The sample size shall be expressed in
envelopes. The sample unit shall be one envelope. 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 Envelope defects 1/

Category Defect

Major Minor

101 Any opening in the packet/envelope, such as, but not limited to a
tear, hole, open seal, or sifter. 2/

102 Envelopes exceed maximum length and width (2-1/2 by 1-5/8 inches).

103 Crushed or misshapen resulting in two or more creases in the product

area of the envelope.

104 Envelope not heat sealed on at least three edges.
105 Unclean.

106 Envelope has foreign odor.

107 Label is smudged, missing, incorrect, or illegible.

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

2/ A sifter is an envelope which loses any amount of contents when shaken vigorously.