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SECTION C

This document covers thermostabilized sweet potato casserole packaged in a polymeric tray 

for use by the Department of Defense as a component of operational rations.

C-1 ITEM DESCRIPTION

PCR-S-022, SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE, PACKAGED IN A POLYMERIC 

TRAY, SHELF STABLE

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 80°F.

 D. Appearance.

(1) General. The finished product (sweet potato casserole) shall be cooked sweet 

potato dices and coconut shreds in a thick, sweet potato sauce. The finished product shall be 

free from foreign materials. The sweet potatoes shall be derived from the grade standards for 

U.S. Grade A or U.S. Fancy sweet potatoes of the United States Standards for Grades of 

Frozen Sweet Potatoes.

(2) Sweet potatoes. The cooked sweet potatoes shall be dices typically produced by a 

1/2 by 3/4 by 1 inch dicer setting. The cooked sweet potatoes shall be an orange color.

(3) Coconut. The coconut shall be shredded and shall have an off white to tan color.
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(4) Sauce. The sweet potato sauce shall be smooth and thick with coconut shreds. The 

sauce shall be an orange to brown color.

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

potatoes. The packaged food may have the odor and flavor of brown sugar, coconut, and 

cinnamon. The packaged food shall be free from foreign odors and flavors.

 F. Texture.

(1) Sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes shall be soft, starchy and not pasty.

(2) Coconut. The coconut shreds shall be slightly tender.

(3) Sauce. The sweet potato sauce shall be smooth and moderately thick with coconut 

shreds.

 G. Net weight. The average net weight shall be not less than 94 ounces (2665 grams). The 

net weight of an individual polymeric tray shall be not less than 92 ounces (2608 grams).

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

the approved product standard in palatability and overall appearance.

 I. Analytical requirements.

(1) Fat content. The fat content shall be not greater than 4.0 percent.

(2) Salt content. The salt content shall be not greater than 1.0 percent.

(3) Moisture content. The moisture content shall not be less than 65.0 percent and not 

greater than 80.0 percent.

C-3 MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

THE FOLLOWING INGREDIENTS ARE FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS IS NOT A 

MANDATORY REQUIREMENT.

 A. Ingredients. Water, sweet potatoes, sweet potato puree, sugar, brown sugar (sugar, cane 

syrups), nonfat dry milk, shredded coconut (coconut, sugar, water, propylene glycol [sustains 

freshness], salt, sodium metabisulfite [preserves whiteness]), modified food starch, butter 

(sweet cream, natural flavoring), salt, imitation vanilla flavor (water, propylene glycol, 
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caramel color, and artificial flavor), guar gum, xanthan gum, cinnamon, sodium metabisulfite 

(preservative), nutmeg.

SECTION D

D-1 PACKAGING

 A. Preservation. Product shall be filled into polymeric trays and the trays with protective 

sleeves shall conform to the requirements of section 3 of MIL-PRF-32004, Packaging of 

Food in Polymeric Trays. Verification testing and inspection of trays, lids and sleeves shall 

be in accordance with Section 4 of MIL-PRF-32004 and the Quality Assurance Provisions of 

Section E of this Performance-based Contract Requirements document.

 B. Polymeric tray closure. The filled, sealed, and processed tray shall be securely closed.

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-PRF32004) 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.

(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.
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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, 

14 February 2010 would be coded as 0045). 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.

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

 Company Code

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

 Education Act (NLEA) and all applicable USDA regulations

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

YIELD: Serves 18 portions of approximately 2/3 cup each of Sweet Potato

Casserole.

TO HEAT IN WATER: Submerge unopened tray in water. Bring water to a 

boil. Simmer gently 35 - 40 minutes. Avoid overheating (tray shows evidence 

of bulging).

WARNING: Do not heat tray in oven.
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TO TRANSPORT AFTER HEATING: Insert tray back into protective sleeve to protect during transport. If sleeve is 

unavailable, 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.

(3) The product shall be formulated and labeled in accordance with all FDA labeling 

regulations and policies. The lid shall be labeled with the following product name.

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

D-3 PACKING

 A. Packing. Four filled, sealed, processed and sleeved polymeric trays shall be packed in a 

fiberboard box conforming to style RSC-L of ASTM D 5118/D 5118M, Standard Practice for 

Fabrication of Fiberboard Shipping Boxes. The fiberboard shall conform to type CF, class D, 

variety SW, grade 275 of ASTM D 4727/D 4727M, Standard Specification for Corrugated 

and Solid Fiberboard Sheet Stock (Container Grade) and Cut Shapes. The sleeved trays shall 

be placed flat with the first two trays placed with the lids together and the next two trays with 

the lids together. 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.
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 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 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 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. 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.
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(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. 

TABLE I. Product defects 1/ 2/ 3/

Category Defect

Major Minor

General

101 Product not (sweet potato casserole) sweet potatoes dices and coconut

shreds in a thick, sweet potato sauce. 

Appearance

201 Cooked sweet potatoes not an orange color.

202 Coconut not shredded or not an off white to tan color.

203 Sweet potato sauce not smooth or not thick or not an orange to brown 

color or not with coconut shreds.

Odor and flavor

102 Product not odor or flavor of cooked sweet potatoes. 

Texture

204 Sweet potatoes not soft or not starchy or are pasty.

205 Coconut shreds not slightly tender.
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206 Sauce not smooth or not moderately thick or not with coconut shreds.

Net weight

207 Net weight of an individual polymeric tray less than 92 ounces

(2608 grams). 4/

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/ Grade and size requirements for sweet potato dices shall be verified by Certificate of 

Conformance (CoC).

4/ Sample average net weight less than 94 ounces (2665 grams) shall be cause for rejection of 

the lot.

 B. Methods of inspection.

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

FDA 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 

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

(4) 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.
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Test Method Number

Fat 985.15 or 2008.06

Salt 935.47 or 971.27

Moisture 925.45D

Test results shall be reported to the nearest 0.1 percent. Government 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 polymeric tray with protective sleeve and polymeric tray material 

shall be examined for the characteristics listed in table I of MIL-PRF-32004, 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.

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
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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

Protective sleeve Containers 1 container S-1

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 with protective sleeve removed shall be 

examined for the defects listed in table II of MIL-PRF-32004 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 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 or 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, Standard Test Method for Peel 

Adhesion of Pressure-Sensitive Tape. In lieu of testing, a CoC shall be provided.
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 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.

 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

Unless otherwise specified, the issues of these documents are those active on the date of the 

solicitation or contract.

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
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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) and (9 CFR Parts 1-391)

U.S. STANDARDS FOR GRADES

U.S. Standards for Grades of Frozen Sweet Potatoes

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

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

Reinforcing Fiberboard Boxes

D 3330/D 3330M Standard Test Method for Peel Adhesion of PressureSensitive Tape

D 4727/D 4727M Standard Specification for Corrugated and Solid 

Fiberboard Sheet Stock (Container Grade) and Cut 

Shapes

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

Shipping Boxes

AOAC INTERNATIONAL www.aoac.org

Official Methods of Analysis (OMA) of the AOAC International