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SECTION C

This document covers soluble coffee packaged for use by the Department of Defense as a 

component of operational rations.

C-1 ITEM DESCRIPTION

PACKAGING REQUIREMENTS AND QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS FOR 

CID A-A-20184C COFFEE, SOLUBLE

Types, style, and packs.

Types.

Type II – Spray dried, agglomerated

Type III – Freeze dried

Style.

Style A – Regular

Packs.

Pack 1 – Four-sided seal envelope

Pack 2 – Lap or fin seal package

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 the Packaging Requirements and Quality Assurance Provisions

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.

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 B. Shelf life. The packaged product shall meet the minimum shelf life requirement of 36 

months at 80°F.

 C. Dry product.

(1) Appearance. The packaged product shall be free from foreign materials. 

(2) Net weight. The net weight shall be not less than 1.5 grams.

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

the approved product standard in palatability and overall appearance.

 E. Analytical requirements and physical tests. For all types specified, the sediment, particle 

size, caffeine, and moisture requirements, procedures, and testing shall be in accordance with 

A-A-20184C.

SECTION D

D-1 PACKAGING

 A. Packaging. 

 (1) Four-sided seal individual serving envelope. A net weight of 1.5 grams product shall 

be unit packed into an envelope. The envelope shall be made from a heat-sealable, laminated 

material, one lamina of which shall be a minimum of 0.00035 inch thick aluminum foil. The 

envelope shall be heat sealed on all four edges or on three edges with the fourth edge being 

formed by folding the material prior to filling. The filled and sealed envelope shall have 

dimensions of not more than 3-1/2 inches long by 2-1/2 inches wide. The seals shall be a 

minimum 1/8 inch in width. A tear nick, notch, or serrations shall be provided to facilitate 

opening of the filled and sealed pouch. The sealed pouch shall not leak when tested in 

accordance with E-6,B(1).

 (2) Lap or fin seal individual serving package. A net weight of 1.5 grams of product 

shall be unit packed into a lap or fin seal package. The lap or fin seal package shall be a heatsealable, laminated material, one lamina of which shall be a minimum of 0.00035 inch thick 

aluminum foil. The package shall be heat sealed with a length-wise lap or fin seal and heat 

sealed at each end. The filled and sealed package shall have dimensions of not more than 4-

3/4 inches long by 7/8 inches wide. All seals shall be a minimum of 1/8 inch in width. A tear 

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nick, notch, or serrations shall be provided to facilitate opening of the filled and sealed 

pouch. The sealed pouch shall not leak when tested in accordance with E-6,B(1).

D-2 LABELING

 A. Envelopes or packages. Each envelope or package shall be correctly and legibly labeled. 

Printing ink shall be permanent black ink or other dark contrasting color which is free of 

carcinogenic elements. The label shall contain the following information:

(1) Name of product (letters not less than 1/8 inch high)

(2) Ingredients

(3) Date 1/

(4) Net weight

(5) Name and address of packer

(6) “Nutrition Facts” label in accordance with the Nutrition Labeling and 

Education Act (NLEA) and all applicable FDA regulations.

(7) Directions:

Allow water just chemically purified to stand 30 minutes before adding product. 

Add product to 6 ounces (1/4 canteen cup) of hot or cold water and stir.

1/ Each envelope or package 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. 

For example, 14 February 2015 would be coded as 5045. The Julian day code shall represent 

the day the product was packaged into the envelope or package.

NOTE: Commercial graphics (colors, design, and labeling) shall be submitted to the 

Contracting Officer for review and approval and to US Army Research, Development and 

Engineering Command Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center 

(RDNS-SEC-F) for review.

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, burst grade 200 or ECT grade 32 of ASTM D4727/D4727M, 

Standard Specification for Corrugated and Solid Fiberboard Sheet Stock (Container Grade) 

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and Cut Shapes. Each box shall be closed in accordance with ASTM D1974/1974M, 

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/ASQZ1.4 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.

(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.

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(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:

US Army Research, Development and Engineering Command 

Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center

RDNS-SEC-F

15 Kansas Street

Natick, MA 01760-5056

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.

E-5 QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS (PRODUCT)

 A. Product examination. The finished product shall be examined for compliance with the 

performance requirements specified in A-A-20184C and Section C of the Packaging 

Requirements and Quality Assurance Provisions document utilizing the double sampling 

plans indicated in ANSI/ASQ Z1.4. The lot size shall be expressed in envelopes or packages. 

The sample unit shall be the contents of one envelope or package. 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/ 

Category Defect

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Major Minor

101 Product not type or not style or not pack as specified.

Dry product

Appearance

201 Product does not have a granular appearance. 

Texture

202 Product not free flowing.

203 Presence of lumps which do not compress with light pressure. 

Net weight

204 Net weight less than 1.5 grams.

Hydrated product 3/

Appearance

102 Product not smooth or not free of discernible lumps or sediment.

205 Product does not fully dissolve in hot or cold water with constant 

stirring and show no evidence of undissolved floating particles.

206 Product not a brownish-black coffee color.

Flavor and odor

103 Product does not have a characteristic coffee flavor or odor.

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. Palatability is not applicable to 

dry product.

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3/ Prior to conducting the hydrated product examination, the product shall be hydrated per 

label instructions. Product that does not fully dissolve within 2 minutes with constant stirring 

shall be cause for rejection of the lot.

 B. Methods of inspection.

(1) 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.

(2) Net weight. The net weight of the filled and sealed envelopes or packages shall be 

determined by weighing each sample on a suitable scale tared with a representative empty 

envelope or package. Results shall be reported to the nearest 0.1 gram.

E-6 QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS (PACKAGING AND PACKING 

MATERIALS)

A. Packaging and labeling.

(1) Envelope or package material certification. Conformance to envelope material 

requirements shall be determined by Certificate of Conformance.

(2) Filled and sealed envelope or package examination. The filled and sealed 

envelopes or packages shall be examined for the defects listed in table II. The sample size 

shall be expressed in envelopes or packages. The sample unit shall be one envelope or 

package. The inspection level shall be I and the AQL, expressed in terms of defects per 

hundred units, shall be 0.65 for major defects and 2.5 for minor defects.

TABLE II. Filled and sealed envelope or package defects 1/

Category Defect

Major Minor

101 Tear or hole or open seal. 

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

103 Seal separation. 2/

104 Presence of delamination. 3/

105 Envelope not heat sealed with minimum 1/8 inch wide seals. 

106 Unclean envelope or package. 4/

107 Leakage. 5/

201 Envelopes or packages exceed maximum dimensions.

202 Label missing or incorrect or illegible. 

203 Presence of delamination. 3/

204 Tear nick or notch or serrations missing or does not facilitate opening.

108 Envelope or package has foreign odor. 

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 package seal area that can be propagated 

to expose inner barrier film at the food product edge of the package 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 package material. After flexing, the separated 

outer ply shall be grasped between thumb and forefinger and gently lifted toward the food 

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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 package 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 

package and remove the contents. Cut the package transversely not closer than 1/4 inch 

(+1/16 inch) from the delaminated area. The package 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 package 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 package seal area or 

isolated spots of delamination in the body of the package that do not propagate when flexed 

as described above shall be classified as minor defects.

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

to cause package damage (for example, glass, metal filings) or generally detracts from the 

clean appearance of the package. The following examples shall not be classified as defects 

for unclean:

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

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

package with a clean dry cloth.

b. Dried product that affects less than 1/8 of the total surface area of one package face 

(localized and aggregate).

5/ Examine envelopes or packages after removal from leakage test apparatus.

 B. Methods of Inspection.

(1) Leakage test. The filled and sealed envelopes or packages shall be tested by 

placing them in a dry desiccator, or similar apparatus, and subjecting them to a vacuum of 

minimum 20 inches of mercury (atmospheric pressure is 29.9 inches of mercury) for 30 

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seconds. Any envelope or package that does not swell to form a tightly distended package 

having at least one distorted edge during the test shall be recorded as a leaker. After vacuum 

testing, the envelopes or packages shall be visually inspected for evidence of delamination 

and for seal separation. Any leakage, any delamination, or any seal separation of more than 

1/16 inch from the product edge of any seal shall be recorded as a major defect.

 C. Packing.

(1) Shipping container and marking examination. The filled and sealed shipping 

containers shall be examined for the defects listed in table III. 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 III. 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

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Form 3556 Marking Instructions for Boxes, Sacks, and Unit Loads of 

Perishable and Semiperishable Subsistence

NON-GOVERNMENTAL STANDARDS

AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR QUALITY (ASQ) www.asq.org

ANSI/ASQZ1.4 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

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

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