PCR-H-011 

3 June 2003 

SECTION C

This document covers thermostabilized ham chunks, with juices packaged in a No. 10 metal 

can (603 x 700) for use by the Department of Defense as a component of operational rations. 

C-1 ITEM DESCRIPTION

PCR-H-011, HAM CHUNKS, WITH JUICES, PACKAGED IN A No. 10 METAL CAN 

(603 x 700), 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 24 

months at 80o

F. 

D. Appearance. 

(1) General. The finished product shall be ham chunks with juices. There shall be no 

ham chunk consisting entirely of fat. The packaged food shall be free from foreign materials. 

(2) Ham chunks. The ham shall be high commercial quality and shall be offered in the 

chilled state as: cured, fully cooked, shankless; cured, smoked, sectioned and formed; or 

cured, smoked, shankless hams. Hams labeled “water added” shall be acceptable. The ham

chunks shall be sizes typically produced by a 2.5 by 2.5 by 1 inch machine dicer setting, and 

shall be practically free of bone or bone fragments, cartilage, coarse connective tissue, seam

fat, skin, blood clots or bruises, and glandular material. The ham chunks shall be practically 

free of pale or soft areas and practically free of uncured or uncooked areas. Coarse-textured 

dark meat or the presence of shank meat shall not be acceptable. No chunks shall be greater 

than 2.5 by 2.5 by 1 inch in size. 

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PCR-H-011 

3 June 2003 

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

packaged food shall be free from foreign odors and flavors. 

F. Texture. The texture of the ham chunks shall be moist and tender. 

G. Net weight. The average net weight shall be not less than 105.5 ounces. No individual 

can shall have a net weight of less than 103.5 ounces. 

H. Drained weight. The average drained weight shall be not less than 60.5 ounces. No 

individual can shall contain less than 58.5 ounces drained weight of the ham chunks. 

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) Fat content. The fat content of any individual can shall not be greater than 17.0 

percent. 

 

(2) Salt content. The salt content of any individual can shall not be greater than 2.5 

percent. 

SECTION D

D-1 PACKAGING 

A. Commercial packaging. The ham chunks with juices shall be packaged in a No. 10 

metal can (603 x 700) in accordance with good commercial practice. The filled can shall be 

hermetically sealed under a vacuum of not less than 20 inches (50.8 cm) of mercury. The 

filled, sealed, and processed can shall conform to the United States Standards for Condition 

of Food Containers. 

B. Export packaging. The ham chunks with juices shall be packaged in a No. 10 metal can 

(603 x 700) in accordance with good commercial practice. The filled can shall be 

hermetically sealed under a vacuum of not less than 20 inches (50.8 cm) of mercury. The can 

shall be an open-top style, round metal can, with welded side seam and compound-lined, 

double-seamed ends. The can shall be made throughout from not less than 0.25 pound per 

base box electrolytic tin plate. Alternatively, the cans may be fabricated from ECCS plate, 

fully enameled both inside and out. In addition, the cans shall be beaded to provide paneling 

resistance. The entire inside area of the can shall be coated with enamel. 

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PCR-H-011 

3 June 2003 

D-2 LABELING

A. Labeling of metal cans. Labeling of metal cans shall be as specified in DSCP FORM 

2997, Labeling of Metal Cans for Subsistence. 

D-3 PACKING

A. Commercial packing. Six cans of product shall be packed in a shipping container 

complying with the National Motor Freight Classification or the Uniform Freight 

Classification. 

B. Export packing. Six cans of product shall be packed in a snug-fitting fiberboard shipping 

container conforming to style RSC, grade W5c or W5s of ASTM D5118/D5118M-95 (2001), 

Standard Practice for Fabrication of Fiberboard Shipping Boxes. The cans shall be arranged 

three in length and two in width within the container. Each shipping container shall be closed 

and reinforced with nonmetallic strapping or pressure-sensitive adhesive filament-reinforced 

tape in accordance with ASTM D1974-98, 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 Shipping Cases, Sacks and 

Palletized/Containerized Loads of Perishable and Semiperishable Subsistence. 

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. Unless otherwise specified, 

Single Sampling Plans indicated in ANSI/ASQC Z1.4-1993 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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PCR-H-011 

3 June 2003 

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 Soldier & Biological Chemical Command 

Soldiers System Ctr., Natick Soldier Center 

Attn: AMSSB-RCF-F(N) 

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. 

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PCR-H-011 

3 June 2003 

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/ASQC Z1.4 - 

1993. The lot size shall be expressed in cans. The sample unit shall be the contents of one 

can. 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 cans shall be tested for 

vacuum prior to product examination. Then cans shall be heated at least 15 minutes in 140 o -

150 oF water 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. 

TABLE I. Product defects 1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 

Category Defect

Major Minor

Appearance

101 Product not ham chunks in juices. 

102 Chunk consisting entirely of fat. 

103 Bone or bone fragment measuring more than 0.3 inch in any 

dimension. 

104 Presence of coarse–textured dark meat or shank meat in the chunks.

201 Presence of ham chunks with pale or soft areas or ham chunks with 

uncured or uncooked areas. 

105 Ham chunk greater than 2.5 by 2.5 by 1 inch in size. 

202 Total weight of cartilage, coarse connective tissue, seam fat, skin, 

blood clots, bruises, and glandular material is more than 1.0 

ounces. 

Odor and flavor

106 The packaged food does not have an odor or flavor of cooked ham

chunks. 

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3 June 2003 

TABLE I. Product defects cont’d 1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 

Category Defect

Major Minor

Texture

203 Texture of the ham chunks not moist or not tender. 

Net weight

204 Net weight of an individual can less than 103.5 ounces. 5/ 

Drained weight

205 Drained weight of an individual can less than 58.5 ounces. 6/ 

1/ Presence of any foreign material 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/ Machine dicer size requirement for ham shall be verified by a certificate of conformance. 

4/ Commercial quality ham or “water added” ham types shall be verified by a certificate of 

conformance. 

5/ Sample average net weight less than 105.5 ounces shall be cause for rejection of the lot. 

6/ Sample average drained weight of less than 60.5 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. 

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PCR-H-011 

3 June 2003 

(2) Shelf life. The contractor shall provide a certificate of conformance that the 

product has a 24 month shelf life when stored at 80 oF. Government verification may include 

storage for 6 months at 100 oF or 24 months at 80 oF. 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 can shall be determined by 

weighing each sample unit on a suitable scale tared with a representative empty can and lid. 

Results shall be reported to the nearest 0.5 ounce. 

(4) Drained weight. The can contents shall be poured into a flat-bottom container. A 

minimum of three times the can's volume of 180o

F to 190oF water shall be added to the 

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

liquefy rendered fat without breaking the ham chunks. The contents shall then be poured into 

a U.S. Standard 1/2 inch sieve in a manner that will distribute the product over the sieve 

without breaking the ham chunks. 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. The product shall be 

drained for 2 minutes before determining the drained weight. Determine 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. 

(5) Analytical. The sample to be analyzed shall be a one-pound composite of ham

chunks with juices from three filled and sealed cans that have been selected at random from

one production lot. The composite sample shall be prepared and analyzed in accordance with 

the following Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC International (OMA). 

Test Method Number

Fat 985.15

Salt 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 result not conforming to the 

analytical requirements shall be cause for rejection of the lot. 

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PCR-H-011 

3 June 2003 

E-6 QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS (PACKAGING AND PACKING 

MATERIALS, 603 x 700 METAL CAN)

A. Packaging. 

(1) Can condition examination. Examination of filled and sealed cans shall be in 

accordance with the United States Standards for Condition of Food Containers. In addition, 

scratches, scuffs or abrasions that occur on the outside coating as a result of the filling, 

sealing, and processing of the cans shall not be scored as a defect. 

(2) Can closure examination. Can closures shall be examined visually and by 

teardowns in accordance with the can manufacturer's requirement and 21 CFR, Part 113, 

Subpart D, or 9 CFR, Part 318, Subpart G, as applicable. Any nonconformance based on 

observation of can seam teardowns or on record of can seam teardowns shall be classified as 

a major defect and shall be cause for rejection of any involved product. 

(3) Can vacuum examination. The filled and sealed cans selected for the product 

examination shall be examined for vacuum. The cans and contents shall be allowed to reach 

70° to 80°F. No heating of sample cans shall occur prior to attaining vacuum readings. The 

vacuum reading shall be taken with a puncture-type vacuum gauge making the puncture as 

near as possible to the double seam to minimize error due to distortion of the end. A 

correction of 1 inch of vacuum shall be added to the gauge reading for each 1000 feet above 

sea level at which the determination is made. Failure of any can to meet the vacuum

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

B. Labeling. 

(1) Can labeling examination. The can labeling shall be examined in accordance with 

the requirements of DSCP FORM 2997, Labeling of Metal Cans for Subsistence. 

C. 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. 

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PCR-H-011 

3 June 2003 

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 Arrangement or number of cans 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. 

D. 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

DSCP FORMS 

DSCP FORM 2997 Labeling of Metal Cans for Subsistence 

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

DSCP 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 

(21 CFR Parts 1-199) and (9 CFR Parts 1-391) 

U.S. Standards for Condition of Food Containers 

NON-GOVERNMENTAL STANDARDS 

AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR QUALITY (ASQ) 

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

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PCR-H-011 

3 June 2003 

NATIONAL MOTOR FREIGHT TRAFFIC ASSOCIATION, INC. 

UNIFORM FREIGHT CLASSIFICATION COMMITTEE 

ASTM INTERNATIONAL 

D1974-98 Standard Practice for Methods of Closing, Sealing, and 

Reinforcing Fiberboard Boxes 

D5118/D5118M-95 (2001) Standard Practice for Fabrication of Fiberboard Shipping 

Boxes 

AOAC INTERNATIONAL 

Official Methods of Analysis of the AOAC International 

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