PKGQA 44398

16 NOVEMBER 2000

1

PACKAGING REQUIREMENTS AND QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS FOR MIL-R-44398, RATION 

SUPPLEMENT, FLAMELESS RATION HEATER FOR ASSEMBLY OF MEAL, READY-TO-EAT, INDIVIDUAL FOR 

PREPOSITIONED STOCK

SECTION D

D-1 PACKAGING 

A. Packaging. The packaging of the heaters and heater bags into the preformed pouches 

shall occur in the heater manufacturer’s plant. Heaters and heater bags shall be packaged 

into the preformed pouches within 48 hours of production or shall be stored in a 

controlled environment(not to exceed 50 percent relative humidity)prior to packaging into 

preformed bags. 

(1) Preformed pouches.

 a. Pouch material. The preformed pouch shall be fabricated from 0.002 inch thick 

ionomer or polyethylene film laminated or extrusion coated to 0.00035 inch thick aluminum 

foil which is then laminated to 0.0005 inch thick polyester. The three plies shall be 

laminated with the polyester on the exterior of the pouch. All tolerances for thickness of

pouch material shall be plus or minus 20 percent. The material shall show no evidence of 

delamination, degradation, or foreign odor when heat sealed or fabricated into pouches. 

The material shall be suitably formulated for food packaging and shall not impart an odor 

or flavor to the product. The complete exterior surface of the pouch shall be uniformly 

colored in the range of 20219, 30219, 30279, 30313, 30324, or 30450 of FED-STD-595.

 b. Pouch construction. The pouch shall be a flat style preformed pouch having 

maximum inside dimensions of 5 inches wide by 7-1/4 inches long (± 1/8 inch in each 

dimension). The pouch shall be made by heat sealing three edges with minimum 1/8 wide 

seals. The heat seals shall be made in a manner that will assure hermetic seals. The side 

and bottom seals shall have an average seal strength of not less than 6 pounds per inch of

width and no individual specimen shall have a seal strength of less than 5 pounds per inch

of width when tested as specified in E-5, A,(4),a. Alternatively, the filled and sealed 

pouch shall exhibit no rupture or seal separation greater than 1/16 inch or seal 

separation that reduces the effective closure seal width to less than 1/16 inch when 

tested for internal pressure resistance as specified in E-5, A,(4),c. A tear nick or tear 

notch shall be provided on one outside edge or two opposite outside edges of the pouch to 

facilitate easy opening of the filled and sealed pouch. A 1/8 inch (+1/16 inch) wide lip 

may be incorporated at the open end of the pouch to facilitate opening and filling of the 

pouch.

 c. Pouch filling and sealing. When specified, the FRH shall be inserted into the 

pouch and heat sealed. The closure seal shall be free of foldover wrinkles or entrapped 

matter that reduces the effective closure seal width to less than 1/16 inch. Seals shall 

be free of impression or design on the seal surface that would conceal or impair visual 

detection of seal defects. The average seal strength shall be not less than 6 pounds per 

inch of width and no individual specimen shall have a seal strength of less than 5 pounds 

per inch of width when tested as specified in E-5,A,(4),b. Alternatively, the filled and 

sealed pouch shall exhibit no rupture or seal separation greater than 1/16 inch or seal 

separation that reduces the effective closure seal width to less than 1/16 inch when 

tested for internal pressure resistance as specified in E-5,A,(4),c.

D-2 LABELING 

 A. Pouches. Each pouch shall be clearly printed or stamped, in a manner that does not 

damage the pouch, with permanent black ink or other, dark, contrasting color which is free

of carcinogenic elements. The information shall be located on the body of the pouch not 

closer than 1/16 inch to any seal. If a non-contact type printer is used, the information 

may be located anywhere on the pouch (in one complete print), except the closure seal 

area. The label shall contain the following information:

Product Name (letters not less than 1/8 to 7/16 inch block letters inch high)

Date 1/
 PKGQA 44398

16 NOVEMBER 2000

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Contractor's name and address

1/ Each pouch shall have the date of pack noted by using a four-digit code beginning with 

the final digit of the current year followed by the three digit Julian day code. (Example,

12 April 2000 would be coded as 0103). The Julian day code on the overwrap pouch shall 

reflect the date the heater/heater bag assembly was produced and assembled. 

D-3 PACKING 

 A. Packing for shipment to ration assembler. Heaters shall be packed in a manner to 

ensure carrier acceptance and safe delivery at destination at the lowest transportation 

rate for such supplies. The shipping container must conform with all provisions of 49 CFR 

Parts 171-180 (Hazardous Materials Regulations) for Division 4.3, Packing Group I 

materials, unless the contractor can certify that the heater is other than such or the 

Department of Transportation authorizes an official exemption from these provisions. The 

shipping container shall be constructed in accordance with ASTM D 5118 and closed in 

accordance with ASTM D 1974. When metal fasteners are used in the manufacture's joint or 

setup of the fiberboard box, the fasteners on the inside of the box shall be covered with 

tape or paperboard to protect contents from mechanical damage. If fiberboard shipping 

containers are not specified to be palletized in unit loads, each shipping container shall

be provided with a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) securely attached to one side in a 

clear plastic, self-adhering sleeve or with tape.

D-4 MARKING 

 A. Shipping Containers. In addition to any special marking required by the contract or 

purchase order, unit packs, shipping containers, and palletized unit loads shall be marked

in accordance with DPSC Form 3556. The top of the shipping container shall be clearly 

marked as follows:

OPEN CAREFULLY IF USING KNIFE TO AVOID SLITTING CONTENTS

For level C packed heaters, shipping containers and palletized unit loads shall be marked 

in accordance with 49 CFR Parts 171-180, for Division 4.3, Packing Group I materials, 

unless officially exempted by the Department of Transportation.

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 be required to 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.
 PKGQA 44398

16 NOVEMBER 2000

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E-5 PACKAGING AND PACKING MATERIALS

 A. Packaging.

(1) Pouch material certification. Material listed below may be accepted on the basis

of a contractor's certification of conformance to the indicated requirements. In addition,

compliance to the requirements for inside pouch dimensions and dimensions of 

manufacturer's seals may be verified by certificate of conformance.

Requirement

Requirement

Paragraph Test procedure

Thickness of films for 

Laminated material

D-1,A,(1),a As specified in ASTM D 2103 1/

Aluminum foil 

thickness

D-1,A,(1),a As specified in ASTM B 479 2/

Laminated material 

Identification

and construction

D-1,A,(1),a Laboratory evaluation

Color of laminated

material 

D-1,A,(1),a Visual evaluation by FED-STD-595 3/

1/ ASTM D 2103 Specification for Polyethylene Film and Sheeting 

2/ ASTM B 479 Specification for Annealed Aluminum Foil For Flexible Barrier Application

3/ FED-STD-595 Colors Used in Government Procurement

(2) Unfilled preformed pouch certification. A certification of conformance may be 

accepted as evidence that unfilled pouches conform to the requirements specified in D1,A,(1) a and b. When deemed necessary by the USDA, testing of the unfilled preformed 

pouches for seal strength shall be as specified in E-5,A,(4),a.

(3) Filled and sealed pouch examination. The filled and sealed pouches shall be 

examined for the defects listed in table I. The lot size shall be expressed in pouches. 

The sample unit shall be one pouch. 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 4.0 for minor defects.
 PKGQA 44398

16 NOVEMBER 2000

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TABLE I. Filled and sealed pouch defects 1/ 

Category Defect

Major Minor

101 Tear, hole, or open seal.

102 Seal width less than 1/16 inch. 2/

103 Presence of delamination. 3/

104 Unclean pouch. 4/

105 Pouch has foreign odor.

106 Any impression or design on the heat seal surfaces which conceals 

or impairs visual detection of seal defects. 5/

201 Label smudges, is missing, incorrect, or illegible.

202 Tear notch or serrations missing or does not facilitate opening.

203 Seal width less than 1/8 inch but greater than 1/16 inch.

204 Presence of delamination. 3/

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

2/ The effective closure seal is defined as any uncontaminated, fusion bonded, continuous 

path, minimum 1/16 inch wide, from side seal to side seal that produces a hermetically 

sealed pouch.

3/ Delamination defect classification:

Major - Delamination of the outer ply in the pouch seal area that can be propagated 

to expose aluminum foil at the food product edge of the pouch after manual flexing of the 

delaminated area. To flex, the delaminated area shall be held between the thumb and 

forefinger of each hand with both thumbs and forefingers touching each other. The 

delaminated area shall then be rapidly flexed 10 times by rotating both hands in 

alternating clockwise- counterclockwise directions. Care shall be exercised when flexing 

delaminated areas near the tear notches to avoid tearing the pouch material. After 

flexing, the separated outer ply shall be grasped between thumb and forefinger and gently 

lifted toward the food product edge of the seal or if the separated area is too small to 

be held between thumb and forefinger, a number two stylus shall be inserted into the 

delaminated area and a gentle lifting force applied against the outer ply. If separation 

of the outer ply can be made to extend to the product edge of the seal with no discernible

resistance to the gentle lifting, the delamination shall be classified as a major defect. 

Additionally, spot delamination of the outer ply in the body of the pouch that is able to 

be propagated beyond its initial borders is also a major defect. To determine if the 

laminated area is a defect, use the following procedure: Mark the outside edges of the 

delaminated area using a bold permanent marking pen. Open the pouch and remove the 

contents. Cut the pouch transversely not closer than 1/4 inch (± 1/16 inch) from the 

delaminated area. The pouch shall be flexed in the area in question using the procedure 

described above. Any propagation of the delaminated area, as evidenced by the delaminated 

area exceeding the limits of the outlined borders, shall be classified as a major defect.

Minor - Minor delamination of the outer ply in the pouch seal area is acceptable and 

shall not be classified as a minor defect unless it extends to within 1/16 inch of the 

food product edge of the seal. All other minor outer ply delamination in the pouch seal 

area or isolated spots of delamination in the body of the pouch that do not propagate when

flexed as described above shall be classified as minor defects.
 PKGQA 44398

16 NOVEMBER 2000

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4/ Outer packaging shall be free from foreign matter which is unwholesome, has the 

potential to cause pouch damage (for example, glass, metal filings) or generally detracts 

from the clean appearance of the pouch. The following examples shall not be classified as 

defects for unclean:

a. Foreign matter which presents no health hazard or potential pouch damage and 

which can be readily removed by gently shaking the package or by gently brushing the pouch

with a clean dry cloth.

b. Dried product which affects less than 1/8 of the total surface area of one pouch 

face (localized and aggregate).

c. Water spots. 

5/ If doubt exists as to whether or not the sealing equipment leaves an impression or 

design on the closure seal surface that could conceal or impair visual detection of seal 

defects, samples shall be furnished to the contracting officer for a determination as to 

acceptability.

(4) Seal testing. The pouch seals shall be tested for seal strength as required in 

a, b, or c, as applicable.

 a. Unfilled preformed pouch seal testing. The seals of the unfilled preformed 

pouch shall be tested for seal strength in accordance with ASTM F 88 - Seal Strength of 

Flexible Barrier Materials. The lot size shall be expressed in pouches. The sample size 

shall be the number of pouches indicated by inspection level S-1. Three adjacent specimens

shall be cut from each of the three sealed sides of each pouch in the sample. The average 

seal strength of any side shall be calculated by averaging the three specimens cut from 

that side. Any average seal strength of less than 6 pounds per inch of width or any test 

specimen with a seal strength of less than 5 pounds per inch of width shall be cause for 

rejection of the lot.

 b. Pouch closure seal testing. The closure seals of the pouches shall be tested 

for seal strength in accordance with ASTM F 88. The lot size shall be expressed in 

pouches. The sample size shall be the number of pouches indicated by inspection level

S-1. Three adjacent specimens shall be cut from the closure seal of each pouch in the 

sample. The average seal strength of the closure shall be calculated by averaging the 

three specimens cut from that closure. Any average seal strength of less than 6 pounds per

inch of width or any test specimen with a seal strength of less than 5 pounds per inch of 

width shall be cause for rejection of the lot.

 c. Internal pressure test. The internal pressure resistance shall be determined 

by pressurizing the pouches while they are restrained between two rigid plates. The sample

size shall be the number of pouches indicated by inspection level S-1. If a three seal 

tester (one that pressurizes the pouch through an open end) is used, the closure seal 

shall be cut off for testing the side and bottom seals of the pouch. For testing the 

closure seal, the bottom seal shall be cut off. The pouches shall be emptied prior to 

testing. If a four-seal tester (designed to pressurize filled pouches by use of a 

hypodermic needle through the pouch wall) is used, all four seals can be tested 

simultaneously. The distance between rigid restraining plates on the four-seal tester 

shall be equal to the thickness of the product +1/16 inch. Pressure shall be applied at 

the approximate uniform rate of 1 pound per square inch gage (psig) per second until 14 

psig pressure is reached. The 14 psig pressure shall be held constant for 30 seconds and 

then released. The pouches shall then be examined for separation or yield of the heat 

seals. Any rupture of the pouch or evidence of seal separation greater than 1/16 inch in 

the pouch manufacturer’s seal shall be considered a test failure. Any seal separation that

reduces the effective closure seal width to less than 1/16 inch (see table I, footnote 2/)

shall be considered a test failure. Any test failure shall be cause for rejection of the 

lot.
 PKGQA 44398

16 NOVEMBER 2000

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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 II 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 II. Shipping container and marking defects

Category Defect

Major Minor

101 Marking omitted, incorrect, illegible, or improper size, location 

sequence or method of application.

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

DSCP FORMS

DPSC FORM 3556 Marking Instructions for Shipping Cases, Sacks and

Palletized/Containerized Loads of Perishable and Semiperishable 

Subsistence

GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS

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

(49 CFR Parts 171-180) 

FEDERAL STANDARD

FED-STD-595 Colors Used in Government Procurement

NON-GOVERNMENTAL STANDARDS

AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR QUALITY (ASQ)

ANSI/ASQCZ1.4-1993 Sampling Procedures and Tables for Inspection by Attributes

AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR TESTING AND MATERIALS (ASTM)

B 479 Specification for Annealed Aluminum Foil For Flexible Barrier 

Application

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

Fiberboard Shipping Containers

D 2103 Specification for Polyethylene Film and Sheeting

D 5118 Standard Practice for Fabrication of Fiberboard Shipping Boxes 

F 88 Seal Strength of Flexible Barrier Materials