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SECTION C

This document covers shelf stable apple pieces in spiced sauce packaged in a flexible pouch 

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

C-1 ITEM DESCRIPTION

PCR-A-001C, APPLE PIECES IN SPICED SAUCE, PACKAGED IN A FLEXIBLE 

POUCH, 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 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 80oF.

 D. Appearance.

(1) General. The finished product shall be cooked apple pieces in spiced sauce. The 

finished product shall be free from core and seed material. The finished product shall be 

practically free of peel material. The finished product shall be free from foreign materials. 

(2) Apple pieces. A minimum of sixty-five percent by weight of the apple pieces shall 

be not less than 3/4 inch in length and 1/4 inch in thickness. The apple pieces shall have a 

cooked, medium golden yellow to light tan color.

(3) Sauce. The sauce shall be glossy, translucent, light to medium golden color with 

visible specks of ground spices and shall be slightly to moderately thick.
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 E. Odor and flavor. The packaged food shall have a moderately sweet and slightly acidic 

odor and flavor of cooked apples with cinnamon and may have nutmeg. The packaged food 

shall be free from foreign odors and flavors.

 F. Texture.

(1) Apple pieces. The apple pieces shall be slightly firm and tender.

(2) Sauce. The sauce shall be smooth and moderately thick.

 G. Net weight. The average net weight shall be not less than 5.0 ounces (142 grams). The 

net weight of an individual pouch shall be not less than 4.5 ounces (128 grams).

 H. Drained weight. The drained weight of apple pieces in an individual pouch shall be not 

less than 2.4 ounces (68 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) Trans fat. The trans fat content shall be not greater than 0 grams per serving.

(2) Moisture. The moisture content shall be not greater than 80.0 percent.

(3) pH. The pH shall be not less than 2.8 and not greater than 3.8.

SECTION D

D-1 PACKAGING

Product shall be filled into pouches and sealed in accordance with MIL-PRF-44073, 

Packaging of Food in Flexible Pouches, Type I, Style 1.

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

thermal processing.

(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

 Company code

 Retort identification number and Retort cook number (Optional)

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

1/ 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 2018 would be coded as 8045). The Julian code shall represent the day the 

product was packaged into the pouch and processed. Following the four digit Julian code, the 

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

 B. Paperboard sleeves.

(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 FDA 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.

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

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

labeled with the following product name. 

APPLE PIECES IN SPICED SAUCE

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, burst grade 200 or ECT grade 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 and unit loads. 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.
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(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 

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:

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY

RDNS-SEC-EMR

NATICK SOLDIER SYSTEMS CENTER

10 GENERAL GREENE AVENUE

NATICK, MA 01760

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 Natick 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.

(3) Conformance inspection. Conformance inspection shall include the 

examinations/tests and methods of inspection cited in this section and in section 4 of MILPRF-44073.
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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. For drained weight inspection, a 

separate set of pouches shall be selected from the lot using the same sampling criteria as 

above. The pouches shall be immersed in not less than 140°F and not greater than 190°F 

water for 10 minutes prior to conducting the product examination and the drained weight 

inspection.

TABLE I. Product defects 1/ 2/ 3/

Category Defect

Major Minor

General

101 Product not cooked apple pieces in spiced sauce. 

102 Less than sixty-five percent by weight of the apple pieces are at least

3/4 inch in length and 1/4 inch in thickness.

201 Product not free of core and seed material.

202 Product not practically free of peel material.

Appearance

203 Apple pieces not a cooked, medium golden yellow to light tan color.

204 Sauce not glossy or not translucent or not light to medium golden color 

or not with visible specks of ground spices.

205 Sauce not slightly to moderately thick.
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TABLE I. Product defects 1/ 2/ 3/ - Continued

Category Defect

Major Minor

Odor and flavor

103 Not a moderately sweet or not a slightly acidic odor or flavor of 

cooked apples with cinnamon.

Texture

206 Apple pieces not slightly firm or not tender.

207 Sauce not smooth or not moderately thick.

Net weight

208 Net weight of an individual pouch less than 4.5 ounces (128 grams). 4/

209 Drained weight of apple pieces in an individual pouch less than 2.4 

ounces (68 grams).

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/ The trans fat content shall be verified by the NLEA “Nutrition Facts” label. Product not 

conforming to the trans fat content as specified in Section C of this document shall be cause 

for rejection of the lot.

4/ Sample average net weight less than 5.0 ounces (142 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.
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(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. Weigh a U.S. Standard 1/4 inch sieve to obtain the sieve tare 

weight. The pouch contents shall be poured into a flat-bottom container. A minimum of three 

times the volume of the pouch of not less than 140°F and not greater than 190°F water shall 

be added to the container so as to cover the contents. The contents and water shall be gently 

agitated so as to remove the sauce without breaking the apple pieces. 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 apple pieces. 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 to assure complete drainage of liquid from the product. Drain product for two 

minutes before determining the drained weight by subtracting the sieve tare weight from the 

gross weight. The drained weights shall be reported to the nearest 0.1 ounce or to the nearest 

1 gram.

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

sealed pouches which have been selected at random from the lot. The composite sample shall 

be prepared and analyzed in accordance with the following Official Methods of Analysis

(OMA) of AOAC International:

Test Method Number

Moisture 934.06

pH 981.12

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 requirements shall be cause for rejection of the lot.
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E-6 QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS (PACKAGING AND PACKING 

MATERIALS)

 A. Packaging.

(1) Pouch material testing. The pouch material shall be examined for the 

characteristics listed in table I of MIL-PRF-44073 for Type I. The lot size, sample unit, and 

inspection level criteria for each of the test characteristics are listed below. Any test failure 

shall be classified as a major defect and shall be cause for rejection of the lot.

Characteristic Lot size expressed in Sample unit Inspection level

Oxygen transmission rate yards 1/2 yard S-1

Water vapor transmission rate yards 1/2 yard S-1

Camouflage yards 1/2 yard S-1

Thermal processing pouches 1 pouch S-2

Low temperature pouches 1 pouch S-2

High temperature pouches 1 pouch S-2

Directional tear pouches 1 pouch S-3

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

pouches shall be examined for the characteristics listed in table I of MIL-PRF-44073 for 

Type I. The lot size, sample unit, and inspection level criteria for each of the test 

characteristics are listed below. Any test failure shall be classified as a major defect and shall 

be cause for rejection of the lot.

Characteristic Lot size expressed in Sample unit Inspection level

Residual gas volume pouches 1 pouch S-2

Internal pressure pouches 1 pouch S-2 1/

1/ When a three-seal tester is used, a separate set of samples is required for testing of the 

closure seal.

(3) Pouch examination. The pouches shall be examined for the defects listed in table 

II of MIL-PRF-44073 for Type I. 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.
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(4) Sleeve examination 1/. The sleeves 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. 

The sample unit shall be one sleeve. 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.

1/ Or separate paperboard insert card when used in lieu of the paperboard sleeve.

 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

MILITARY SPECIFICATIONS

MIL-PRF-44073 Packaging of Food in Flexible Pouches

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

D2103 Standard Specification for Polyethylene Film and 

Sheeting

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