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SECTION C

This document covers thermostabilized vegetables packaged in a polymeric tray for use by the 

Department of Defense as a component of operational rations.

C-1 ITEM DESCRIPTION

PCR-V-007, VEGETABLES, PACKAGED IN A POLYMERIC TRAY, SHELF 

STABLE

Types.

 Type I – Carrots, Glazed

 Type II – Corn, Mexican Style

 Type III – Green Beans, Southern Style Seasoned

 Type IV – Peas

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 non 

comparable to the Product Standard, the contractor shall arrange for a new or alternate FA or 

PDM 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 80oF.

 D. Appearance.

(1) Type I. The finished product shall be canned carrot pieces (dices or slices) in 

brown sugar glaze. The carrots shall be derived from frozen, Grade A carrots in accordance 

with the U.S. Standards for Grades of Frozen Carrots. Carrots of any type shall possess 

similar varietal characteristics. Carrots shall be not greater than 1-3/4 inches in diameter and 
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shall be not greater than 1/2 inch in thickness. The carrots shall possess a practically uniform 

color typical of canned glazed carrots with not more than 5 percent, by weight, of units which 

vary markedly from this typical color. The sauce shall be light to medium brown in color.

The finished product shall be free from foreign materials.

(2) Type II. The finished product shall be canned whole kernel Mexican style corn 

and shall be a uniform mixture of whole kernel corn, small pieces of green and red bell 

peppers, onions in a sauce flavored with Mexican spices. The whole kernel corn shall be 

derived from frozen golden (yellow) Grade A of the U.S. Standards for Grades of Frozen 

Whole Kernel Corn. The corn shall possess a practically uniform color typical of canned corn

with not more than 5 percent, by weight, of units which vary markedly from this typical 

color. The sauce shall be a light golden tan color. The finished product shall be free from 

foreign materials.

(3) Type III. The finished product shall be canned green beans, southern style

seasoned. The green beans shall possess a practically uniform color typical of canned green 

beans with not more than 10 percent, by weight, of units which vary markedly from this 

typical color. The sauce shall be opaque with bits of diced onions, and red pepper and bacon 

bits uniformly distributed. The green beans shall be derived from frozen, Grade A green

beans of the U.S. Standards of Frozen Green Beans and Wax Beans. The finished product 

shall be practically free of tough strings or stems and stem pieces and shall be free from 

foreign materials.

(4) Type IV. The finished product shall be canned shelled green peas in brine. The 

peas shall be derived from fresh U.S. No. 2 of the U.S. Standards for Grades or better. The 

peas shall be practically uniform in color and reasonably free of significant blemishes. The 

peas shall be of such size as not to pass through a 9/32 inch sieve. The canned shelled green 

peas shall possess a reasonably clear liquor. The finished product shall be free from foreign 

materials.

 E. Odor and flavor. 

(1) Type I. The packaged food shall have an odor and flavor of cooked glazed carrots. 

The sauce shall be sweet with brown sugar notes. The packaged food shall be free from 

foreign odors and flavors.

(2) Type II. The packaged food shall have an odor and flavor of cooked Mexican 

style sweet corn. The sauce shall be slightly sweet and spicy. The packaged food shall be free 

from foreign odors and flavors.
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(3) Type III. The packaged food shall have an odor and flavor of cooked green beans, 

southern style seasoned. The odor and flavor of the sauce shall be mild with a hint of onion,

and red pepper and bacon bits. The packaged food shall be free from foreign odors and 

flavors.

(4) Type IV. The packaged food shall have an odor and flavor of cooked peas. The 

packaged food shall be free from foreign odors and flavors.

 F. Texture. Type I shall be slightly soft to slightly firm, but not tough, fibrous or mushy.

For types II, III and IV, the vegetables shall be tender to slightly firm, but not hard, tough, 

coarse, fibrous or mushy. For Types I, II and III the sauce shall be smooth and moderately 

thick. 

 G. Net weight. For all types, the average net weight shall be not less than 85 ounces. No 

individual polymeric tray shall have a net weight less than 80 ounces.

 H. Drained weight. The average drained weight shall be not less than 43.0 ounces.

 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) Salt content. The salt content shall be not less than 0.3 percent and not greater 

than 1.5 percent.

SECTION D

D-1 PACKAGING

 A. Preservation. Product shall be filled into polymeric trays and the trays shall conform to 

the requirements of section 3 of MIL-PRF-32004F, Packaging of Food in Polymeric Trays. 

Verification testing and inspection of trays and lids shall be in accordance with Section 4 of 

MIL-PRF-32004F and the Quality Assurance Provisions of Section E of this Performancebased Contract Requirements document. The requirement for protective sleeves shall not 

apply to thermostabilized vegetables packaged in a polymeric tray.

 B. Polymeric tray closure. The filled, sealed, and processed tray shall be securely closed.
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D-2 LABELING

 A. Polymeric tray body. The polymeric tray body shall be clearly printed or stamped, in a 

manner that does not damage the tray, with permanent ink of any contrasting color, which is 

free of carcinogenic elements. One end of the polymeric tray (see figure 1 of MIL-PRF32004F) shall be marked with the product name and number of portions. If the tray body end 

markings are not readily legible in low light conditions, a small, easily legible label shall be

applied, but not over any existing tray markings. All other markings may be applied along 

the tray body side. To avoid erroneous marking of trays, the product name, lot number and 

filling equipment number shall be applied prior to processing. Additional tray marking may 

be applied before or after processing. 1/

Tray body markings shall include:

(1) Product name. Commonly used abbreviations may be used when authorized 

by the inspection agency.

(2) Tray code includes: 2/

 Lot Number

 Filling equipment identification number

 Retort identification number 

 Retort cook number 

1/ As an alternate method, tray body markings may be clearly printed or stamped onto the 

polymeric tray lid prior to processing, in a manner that does not damage the lid, with 

permanent ink of any contrasting color, which is free of carcinogenic elements, provided that 

the required markings are applied onto the tray body after processing.

2/ The lot number shall be expressed as a four digit Julian code. The first digit shall indicate 

the year of production and the next three digits shall indicate the day of the year (Example, 9

November 2006 would be coded as 6313). The Julian code shall represent the day the 

product was packaged into the tray and processed. Sublotting (when used) shall be 

represented by an alpha character immediately following the four digit Julian code. 

Following the four digit Julian code and the alpha character (when used), the other required 

code information shall be printed in the sequence as listed above.

 B. Polymeric tray lid. The lid shall be clearly printed or stamped, in a manner that does not 

cause damage. Permanent ink of any contrasting color, which is free of carcinogenic 

elements, shall be used. As an alternate labeling method, a pre-printed self-adhering 0.002 

inch thick clear polyester label printed with indelible contrasting color ink may be used.
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Note: The font tested by Natick was Microsoft Helvetica. The font used shall be 

similarly clear/easy to read as Helvetica. The recommended font sizes are as follows: 

22 for the product name, 14 for “yield” and “to heat in water.” If an additional note is 

required on the label, such as “fluff before serving,” it should also be in font size 14. 

All other information should be in font size 9. 

(1) Lid labeling shall include: 

 Product name

 Ingredients

 Net weight

 Name and address of packer

 Official establishment number (for example, EST 38) or a three letter code

 identifying the establishment

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

 Education Act (NLEA) and all applicable FDA/USDA regulations

(2) Lid labeling shall also show the following statements:

YIELD: Serves 18 portions of approximately 3/4 cup each.

TO HEAT IN WATER: Submerge unopened tray in boiling water. Simmer 

gently 25 - 30 minutes. Avoid overheating (tray shows evidence of bulging).

WARNING: Do not heat tray in oven.

TO TRANSPORT AFTER HEATING: Stack trays lid-to-lid with fiberboard pads in between.

CAUTION: Use care when opening as pressure may have been generated within the tray.

TO OPEN: Using a clean knife, cut the lidding around the inside perimeter of the tray seals.

SUGGESTION: Cut lid along 3 sides and fold over uncut portion. Fold back to keep unused portions protected.

D-3 PACKING

 A. Packing for shipment to ration assembler. Four filled, sealed, processed and sleeved 

polymeric trays shall be packed in a snug fitting fiberboard box conforming to style RSC-L, 

type CF, grade 275 of ASTM D 5118/D 5118M, Standard Practice for Fabrication of 

Fiberboard Shipping Boxes. The trays shall be stacked lid-to-lid. Fiberboard pads shall be 

placed between the trays and on the top and bottom of the stacked trays. The pad dimensions 

shall be not less than 1/8 inch of the full length and width inside dimensions of the box and 
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shall be fabricated of class domestic, grade 275 fiberboard. The box shall be closed in 

accordance with ASTM D 1974, Standard Practice for Methods of Closing, Sealing, and 

Reinforcing Fiberboard Boxes.

D-4 UNITIZATION

 A. Unit loads. Unit loads shall be as specified in DSCP FORM 3507, Loads, Unit: 

Preparation of Semiperishable Subsistence Items.

D-5 MARKING

 A. Shipping containers and unit loads. Marking of shipping containers and unit loads shall 

be as specified in DSCP 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.

 B. Classification of inspections. The inspection requirements specified herein are classified 

as follows:
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(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 overall 

appearance and palatability. 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 Center

AMSRD-NSC-CF-F

15 Kansas Street

Natick, MA 01760-5018

One lot shall be randomly selected during each calendar month of production. Two (2) 

sample units of each item produced shall be randomly selected from that one production lot. 

The two (2) sample units shall be shipped to Natick within five working days from the end of 

the production month and upon completion of all USDA inspection requirements. The 

sample units will be evaluated for the characteristics of appearance, odor, flavor, texture and 

overall quality. 

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

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 Performance-based Contract 

Requirements document utilizing the double sampling plans indicated in ANSI/ASQ Z1.4.

The lot size shall be expressed in trays. The sample unit shall be the contents of one tray. The 

inspection level shall be S-3 and the acceptable quality level (AQL), expressed in terms of 

defects per hundred units, shall be 4.0 for major defects and 6.5 for minor defects. Defects 

and defect classifications are listed in table I below. The trays shall be heated in accordance 

with the heating instructions from the tray label prior to conducting any portion of the 

product examination. The samples for drained weight inspection shall be selected using the 

same sampling criteria as above.
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TABLE I. Product defects 1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 6/

Category Defect

Major Minor

General

101 Product not type as specified.

Appearance

201 Type I greater than 5 percent, by weight, not a canned carrot color. 

202 Type I not diced/sliced carrots in a brown sugar glaze.

203 Type I sauce not light to medium brown in color.

204 Type II greater than 5 percent, by weight, not a golden yellow 

canned corn color.

205 Type II not a uniform mixture of whole kernel corn or small pieces 

of green or red bell peppers or onions. 

206 Type II sauce not a light golden tan color or not with small pieces 

of green or red bell pepper or onions

207 Type III greater than 10 percent, by weight, not a canned green 

bean color. 

208 Type III not practically free of tough strings or stems or stem 

pieces.

209 Type III does not have bits of diced onions or red pepper or bacon 

bits uniformly distributed.

210 For type III, sauce not opaque or not with bits of diced onions or 

red pepper or bacon bits uniformly distributed.

211 Type IV not practically uniform in color. 

212 For Types IV, product does not possess a reasonably clear liquor.

213 Type IV not reasonably free of significant blemishes.
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TABLE I. Product defects 1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 6/ cont’d

Category Defect

Major Minor

Odor and flavor

102 Type I does not have an odor or flavor of cooked glazed carrots in a 

sweet sauce with brown sugar notes. 

103 Type II does not have an odor or flavor of cooked Mexican Style

sweet corn in a slightly sweet and spicy sauce.

104 Type III product does not have an odor or flavor of cooked green 

beans, southern style seasoned in a mild sauce with a hint of onion,

and red pepper or bacon bits.

105 Type IV product does not have an odor or flavor of cooked peas.

Texture

214 Type I tough or fibrous or mushy or not slightly soft to slightly 

firm.

215 Types II or III or IV, hard or tough or coarse or fibrous or mushy or 

not tender to slightly firm.

216 Types I or II or III, sauce not smooth or not moderately thick.

Net weight

217 Net weight of an individual polymeric tray less than 80 ounces. 5/

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

glass, metal, or mold, or 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.

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/ Failure to meet the U.S. grade requirement for any vegetable shall be cause for rejection of 

the lot.
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4/ Type and size requirements for carrots and size requirement for peas shall be verified by 

Certificate of Conformance.

5/ Sample average net weight less than 85 ounces shall be cause for rejection of the lot.

6/ Sample average drained weight less than 43.0 ounces 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 hedonic scale 

to be considered acceptable.

(3) Net weight. The net weight of the filled and sealed polymeric tray shall be 

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

polymeric empty tray and lid. Results shall be reported to the nearest 1 ounce.

(4) Drained weight. To determine drained weight the contents shall be poured into a 

flat-bottom container. A minimum of three times the polymeric tray’s volume of not less than 

140°F water shall be added to the container so as to cover the contents. The contents and 

water shall be gently agitated without breaking the vegetables. The contents shall then be 

poured into a U.S. Standard 1/4 inch sieve in a manner that will distribute the product over 

the sieve without breaking the vegetables. 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 

such an angle so as to assure complete drainage of all liquid from the product. Drain product 

for 2 minutes before determining the drained weight by subtracting the sieve tare weight 

from the gross weight. The drained weight shall be reported to the nearest 0.5 ounce.
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(5) Analytical. The sample to be analyzed shall be a one-pound composite of three 

filled and sealed polymeric trays which have been selected at random from one production 

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

Salt 971.27 or 935.47

Test results shall be reported to the nearest 0.1 percent. Verification will be conducted 

through actual testing by a Government laboratory. Any results not conforming to the 

analytical requirements shall be cause for rejection of the lot. 

E-6 QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS (PACKAGING AND PACKING 

MATERIALS, POLYMERIC TRAY)

 A. Packaging and labeling.

(1) Polymeric tray testing. For purposes of clarification, the polymeric tray without 

the lid will be referred to as the “tray” and the polymeric tray with the lid shall be referred to 

as the “container”. The container and container materials shall be examined for the 

characteristics listed in table I of MIL-PRF-32004F, Packaging of Food in Polymeric Trays.

The lot size, sample unit, and inspection level criteria are provided in table II below for each 

of the test characteristics. Any test failure shall be classified as a major defect and shall be 

cause for rejection of the lot. For rough handling survivability at frozen temperature, 

polymeric tray survival rate shall be at least 85 percent.
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TABLE II. Polymeric tray quality assurance criteria

Prior to processing

Characteristic Lot size expressed in Sample

unit

Inspection 

level

Tray configurations and dimensions Trays 1 tray S-1

Oxygen gas transmission rate of tray Trays 1 tray S-1

Oxygen gas transmission rate of lid Yards 1/2 yard S-1

Water vapor transmission rate of tray Trays 1 tray S-1

Water vapor transmission rate of lid Yards 1/2 yard S-1

Camouflage Containers 1 container S-1

After processing

Characteristic Lot size expressed in Sample 

unit

Inspection 

level

Processing Trays 1 tray S-2

Rough handling survivability Test containers 1 container S-2

Residual gas Containers 1 container S-1

Closure seal Containers 1 container S-1

Internal pressure Containers 1 container S-1

Lid opening Containers 1 container S-1

(2) Examination of container. The container shall be examined for the defects listed in 

table II of MIL-PRF-32004F and the labeling defects listed in table III below. The lot size 

shall be expressed in containers. The sample unit shall be one processed and labeled 

container. 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 
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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.

TABLE III. Container labeling defects

Category Defect

Major A Minor

101 Polymeric tray lid or body labeling missing or incorrect or illegible.

201 When a pre-printed self adhering label is used, the label not adhering 

to tray lid (for example, label raised or peeled back from edge to 

corner) or presence of any areas of gaps along the perimeter of the 

label where the label is not properly adhered.

(3) Label adhesive examination. When self-adhering labels are used, the adhesive 

shall be tested in accordance with ASTM D 3330/D 3330M. In lieu of testing, a Certificate of 

Conformance (COC) shall be provided.

 B. Packing.

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

containers shall be examined for the defects listed in table IV 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 IV. Shipping container and marking defects

Category Defect

Major Minor

101 Marking missing or incorrect or illegible.

102 Inadequate workmanship. 1/

201 Arrangement or number of polymeric trays not as specified.

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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 C. Unitization.

(1) Unit load examination. The unit load shall be examined in accordance with the 

requirements of DSCP FORM 3507, Loads, Unit: Preparation of Semiperishable Subsistence 

Items. Any nonconformance shall be classified as a major defect. 

SECTION J REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

U.S. STANDARDS FOR GRADES

U.S. Standards for Grades of Frozen Carrots

U.S. Standards for Grades of Frozen Whole Kernel Corn

U.S. Standards for Grades of Frozen Green Beans and Wax Beans

U.S. Standards for Grades of Fresh Shelled Peas for Canning or Freezing

DSCP FORMS

DSCP FORM 3507 Loads, Unit: Preparation of Semiperishable Subsistence 

Items

DSCP FORM 3556 Marking Instructions for Boxes, Sacks and Unit Loads of 

Perishable and Semiperishable Subsistence

MILITARY SPECIFICATIONS

MIL-PRF-32004F Packaging of Food in Polymeric Trays

GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS

Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and regulations promulgated thereunder 

(21 CFR Parts 1-199) 

NON-GOVERNMENTAL STANDARDS

AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR QUALITY (ASQ)

ANSI/ASQ Z1.4-2003 Sampling Procedures and Tables for Inspection by 

Attributes

AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR TESTING AND MATERIALS (ASTM)
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D 1974-98 (2003) Standard Practice for Methods of Closing, Sealing, 

and Reinforcing Fiberboard Boxes

D 3330/D 3330M-04 Standard Test Method for Peel Adhesion of 

Pressure-Sensitive Tape

D 5118/D 5118M-05a Standard Practice for Fabrication of Fiberboard 

Shipping Boxes 

AOAC INTERNATIONAL

Official Methods of Analysis (OMA) of the AOAC International