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SECTION C

This document covers shelf stable chocolate pudding packaged in a flexible pouch for use by 

the Department of Defense as a component of operational rations.

C-1 ITEM DESCRIPTION

PCR-C-081A, CHOCOLATE PUDDING, PACKAGED IN A FLEXIBLE POUCH, 

SHELF STABLE

Types.

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 80°F.

 D. Appearance.

(1) General. The finished product shall be a uniform medium brown color and shall 

not contain free liquid or discernible lumps. The chocolate pudding shall be smooth and 

moderately thick. The finished product shall be free from foreign materials.

Type I - Chocolate pudding with caffeine

Type II - Chocolate pudding with protein
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(2) Type I. The chocolate pudding with caffeine shall be creamy.

(3) Type II. The chocolate pudding with protein shall be glossy.

 E. Odor and flavor. The packaged food may have a slight bitter flavor. The packaged food 

shall be free from foreign odors and flavors.

(1) Type I. The packaged food shall have a sweet chocolate odor and a sweet 

chocolate with a slight vanilla flavor.

(2) Type II. The packaged food shall have a sweet milk chocolate odor and flavor.

 F. Texture. The pudding shall be smooth and creamy with no discernible lumps or 

excessive chalkiness.

(1) Type I. The pudding shall have a moderately thick consistency.

(2) Type II. The pudding shall have a slight to moderately thick consistency.

 G. Net weight.

(1) Type I. The average net weight shall be not less than 4.5 ounces (128 grams). The 

net weight of an individual pouch shall be not less than 4.0 ounces (113 grams).

(2) Type II. The average net weight shall be not less than 5.5 ounces (156 grams).

The net weight of an individual pouch shall be not less than 5.0 ounces (142 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) Protein. For type II, the protein content shall be not less than 7.0 percent.

(2) Fat. The trans fat content shall be not greater than 0 grams per serving.

a. For type I, the fat content shall be not greater than 6.5 percent. 
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b. For type II, the fat content shall be not greater than 4.0 percent. 

(3) Caffeine. For type I, the caffeine content shall be not less than 200 milligrams and 

not greater than 250 milligrams per serving.

(4) Total solids.

a. For type I, the total solids shall be not less than 35.0 percent.

b. For type II, the total solids shall be not less than 25.0 percent.

C-3 MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

THE FOLLOWING IS INFORMATION ONLY TO PROVIDE THE BENEFIT OF PAST 

GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE. THIS IS NOT A MANDATORY CONTRACT 

REQUIREMENT.

 A. Ingredients and formulation. Type I ingredients and formulation may be as follows:

Ingredients Percent by weight

Water 57.90

Non-dairy creamer 1/ 17.00

Sugar, white granulated 16.60

Modified food starch 2/ 4.50

Dutched cocoa 3.50

Salt, non-iodized 0.20

Anhydrous caffeine 0.18

Sucrose ester 0.10

Natural vanilla flavor 0.02

1/ “Sana-Crème V” Kerry Inc., 100 East Grand Avenue, Beloit, WI 53511

2/ “Thermtex” National Starch and Chemical Co., 10 Finderne Avenue, Bridgewater, 

NJ 08807

 B. Ingredients. Type II ingredients may be as follows: lowfat milk, water, sugar, beef 

protein, modified food starch, cocoa (processed with alkali), natural chocolate chip flavor 

type, xanthan gum, sodium citrate dehydrate.
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SECTION D

D-1 PACKAGING

Product shall be filled into pouches in accordance with MIL-PRF-44073, Packaging of Food 

in Flexible Pouches, Type I, style 2 or 3.

D-2 LABELING

 A. Style 2 and 3 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 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 2020 would be coded as 0045). 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.

The pouches or paperboard sleeves or paperboard insert cards shall also be labeled 

with:

Product name (7/32 to 9/32 inch block letters)

Ingredients 

Net weight
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Name and address of packer

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

Act (NLEA) and all applicable FDA regulations

Caffeine content per serving in milligrams, as applicable

(3) The product shall be formulated and labeled in accordance with all Food and Drug 

Administration (FDA) labeling regulations and policies. The pouches or paperboard sleeves 

or paperboard insert cards shall be labeled with the following product names, as applicable.

Types Product Names 

I CHOCOLATE PUDDING WITH CAFFEINE

II CHOCOLATE PUDDING WITH PROTEIN

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-L of ASTM D5118/D5118M, Standard 

Practice for Fabrication of Fiberboard Shipping Boxes. The fiberboard shall conform to type 

CF, class D, variety SW, minimum burst grade 200 or ECT 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. 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.
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(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 

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

FCDD-SCC-EMR

COMBAT CAPABILITIES DEVELOPMENT COMMAND-SOLDIER CENTER

10 GENERAL GREENE AVENUE

NATICK, MA 01760-5056

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

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.

TABLE I. Product defects 1/ 2/ 3/

Category Defect

Major Minor

General

101 Product not chocolate pudding type as specified.

201 The finished product not a uniform medium brown color or contains

free liquid or has discernible lumps.

Appearance

202 Type I and II puddings not smooth or not moderately thick.

203 Type I pudding not creamy.

204 Type II pudding not glossy.

Odor and flavor

102 Type I pudding does not have a sweet chocolate odor.
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103 Type I pudding does not have a sweet chocolate with slight vanilla 

flavor.

104 Type II pudding does not have a sweet milk chocolate odor or flavor.

TABLE I. Product defects 1/ 2/ 3/ - Continued

Category Defect

Major Minor

Texture

205 Type I and II puddings not smooth or not creamy.

206 Type I and II puddings have discernible lumps or have excessive 

chalkiness.

207 Type I pudding not a moderately thick consistency.

208 Type II pudding not smooth or not creamy or not a slight to moderately 

thick consistency.

Net weight

209 For Type I, net weight of an individual pouch less than 4.0 ounces (113 

grams). 4/

210 For Type II, net weight of an individual pouch less than 5.0 ounces (142

grams). 5/

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.
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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/ For Type I, sample average net weight less than 4.5 ounces (128 grams) shall be cause for 

rejection of the lot.

5/ For Type II, sample average net weight less than 5.5 ounces (156 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 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) 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 methods of the Official Methods 

of Analysis (OMA) of AOAC International:

Test Method Number

Protein 930.29A, 984.13 or 992.15

Fat 932.06 or 2008.06

Caffeine 980.14

Total solids 935.56

Test results for protein shall be reported to the nearest 1 gram. Test results for fat and total 

solids shall be reported to the nearest 0.1 percent. Test results for caffeine shall be reported to 
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the nearest 1 milligram. Government verification will be conducted through actual testing by 

a Government laboratory. Any result not conforming to the analytical requirement shall be 

cause for rejection of the lot.

E-6 QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS (PACKAGING AND PACKING 

MATERIALS)

 A. Packaging.

(1) Pouch material testing. The pouch material, pouch and sleeve, as applicable, in 

accordance with the lot size, sample unit, and inspection level criteria shall be tested for the 

performance characteristics listed in table I of MIL-PRF-44073, Packaging of Food in 

Flexible Pouches for Type I. Any test failure shall be classified as a major defect and shall be 

cause for rejection of the lot.

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

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.

(3) Paperboard sleeve or paperboard insert card examination. The sleeve or insert 

card (as applicable) 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 or insert cards. The sample unit

shall be one sleeve or one insert card. 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.

 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.
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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.

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 SPECIFICATION

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

AOAC INTERNATIONAL www.aoac.org

Official Methods of Analysis (OMA) of AOAC International

ASTM INTERNATIONAL www.astm.org
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D1974/D1974M Standard Practice for Methods of Closing, Sealing, and 

Reinforcing Fiberboard Boxes

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