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PKG&QAP A-A-20365

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SECTION C

This document covers freeze dried fruits packaged in a flexible pouch 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-20365, FRUITS, FREEZE DRIED

Type, style and agricultural practice.

Type XI - Bananas and strawberries

Style C - Diced

Agricultural practice a - Conventional

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 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.

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

months at 80oF.

 

 C. Appearance. The bananas and strawberries shall be dices typically produced by a 3/8 

inch dicer setting.

D. Odor and flavor. The bananas shall have a sweet banana odor and flavor. The 

strawberries shall have sweet and tart strawberry odor and flavor.

 E. Net weight. The net weight of an individual pouch shall be not less than 28 grams. 

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

the approved product standard in palatability and overall appearance.
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 G. Analytical requirements.

(1) Moisture. The moisture content requirement, procedure and testing shall be in

accordance with A-A-20365.

(2) Oxygen. The oxygen content of the filled and sealed pouch shall not exceed 2.0 

percent.

 H. Microbiological requirements.

(1) Aerobic plate count. The aerobic plate count shall be less than 100,000 Colony 

Forming Units (CFU) per gram.

(2) Yeast and mold. The yeast and mold count (combined) shall not exceed 5,000

CFU per gram.

(3) E. coli. The Escherichia coli count shall have less than 10 CFU per gram, where 

this finding indicates zero CFU observed.

(4) Salmonella. The freeze dried bananas and strawberries shall be Salmonella

negative, where this finding indicates zero CFU observed.

(5) Staphylococcus aureus. The Staphylococcus aureus count shall be less than 10 

CFU per gram.

C-3 MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

THE FOLLOWING IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS IS NOT A 

MANDATORY REQUIREMENT.

 A. Ingredients. Ingredients may be as follows: Bananas (Bananas, Citric Acid),

Strawberries.

SECTION D

D-1 PACKAGING

 A. Packaging. A net weight of 28 grams of product shall be packed in a preformed or formfill-seal barrier pouch as described below. The pouch shall also contain one oxygen 

scavenger.

(1) Preformed pouch.
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 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. Tolerances for thickness of plastic films shall 

be plus or minus 20 percent and tolerance for the foil layer shall be plus or minus 10 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 and shall conform to number 20219, 30219, 

30227, 30279, 30313, 30324, or 30450 of FED-STD-595, Colors Used in Government 

Procurement.

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

maximum inside dimensions of 4-7/8 inches wide by 7-1/2 inches long. The pouch shall be 

made by heat sealing three edges with 3/8 inch (-1/8 inch, +3/16 inch) wide 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. 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. A tear nick, notch or serrations

shall be provided to facilitate 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.

 c. Pouch filling and sealing. The product shall be filled into the pouch with one

oxygen scavenger in order to meet the requirements of paragraph C-2,F(2). The filled pouch 

shall be 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. 

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.

(2) Horizontal form-fill-seal pouches.

 a. Pouch material. The horizontal form-fill-seal pouch shall consist of a formed 

tray-shaped body with a flat sheet, heat sealable cover or a tray-shaped body with a trayshaped heat sealable cover. The tray-shaped body and the tray-shaped cover shall be 

fabricated from a 3-ply flexible laminate barrier material consisting of, from outside to 

inside, 0.0009 inch thick oriented polypropylene bonded to 0.0007 inch thick aluminum foil 

with 10 pounds per ream pigmented polyethylene or adhesive and bonding the opposite side 
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of the aluminum foil to 0.003 inch thick ionomer or a blend of not less than 50 percent linear 

low density polyethylene and polyethylene. The linear low density polyethylene portion of 

the blend shall be the copolymer of ethylene and octene-1 having a melt index range of 0.8 to 

1.2 g/10 minutes in accordance with ASTM D1238, Standard Test Method for Melt Flow 

Rates of Thermoplastics by Extrusion Plastometer and a density range of 0.918 to 0.922 g/cc 

in accordance with ASTM D1505, Standard Test Method for Density of Plastics by the 

Density-Gradient Technique. Alternatively, 0.0005 inch thick polyester may be used in place

of the oriented polypropylene as the outer ply of the laminate. The flat sheet cover shall be 

made of the same 3-ply laminate as specified for the tray-shaped body except the aluminum 

foil thickness may be 0.00035 inch. All tolerances for thickness of plastic films shall be plus 

or minus 20 percent and tolerance for foil layer shall be plus or minus 10 percent. The color 

requirements of the exterior (oriented polypropylene or polyester side) of the laminate shall 

be as specified in D-1,A(1)a. 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 any odor or flavor to the 

product.

 b. Pouch construction. The tray-shaped body and the tray-shaped cover shall be 

formed by drawing the flexible laminate material into an appropriately shaped cavity. The 

flat cover shall be in the form of a flat sheet of the barrier material taken from roll stock. 

Product and one oxygen scavenger shall be inserted into the pouch. Pouch closure shall be 

effected by heat sealing together the cover and body along the entire pouch perimeter. The 

closure seal width shall be a minimum of 1/8 inch. The closure seal 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. 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. The maximum outside dimensions of the sealed pouch shall be 

5-1/2 inches wide by 7 inches long. The closure seal width shall be a minimum of 1/8 inch. A 

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

pouch. The sealed pouches shall not show any evidence of material degradation, aluminum 

stress cracking, delamination or foreign odor. Heat seals shall be free of 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. 

(3) Oxygen scavenger. The oxygen scavenger shall be constructed of materials that 

are safe for direct and indirect food contact and shall be suitable for use with edible products. 

The oxygen scavenger shall be in compliance with all applicable FDA regulations.

D-2 LABELING
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 A. Pouches. Each pouch 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 and flavor 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

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. For example, 14

February 2013 would be coded as 3045. The Julian day code shall represent the day the 

product was packaged into the pouch.

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) 

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. 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-CFF

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.

(2) Conformance inspection. Conformance inspection shall include the product 

examination and the methods of inspection cited in this section.

E-5 QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS (PRODUCT)
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 A. Product examination. The finished product shall be examined for compliance with the 

performance requirements in A-A-20365 and specified in Section C of this 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 pouches. The sample 

unit shall be one filled and sealed 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 type, style or agricultural practice as specified.

102 Pouch does not contain one intact oxygen scavenger. 4/

Appearance

103 Freeze dried fruits not free flowing.

104 Freeze dried bananas not an off-white color.

105 Freeze dried strawberries not a red exterior color or not with visible 

seeds. 

106 Freeze dried strawberries not a light to dark pink interior color.

201 Freeze dried bananas and strawberries not dices. 5/

Odor and flavor

107 Product does not have a sweet banana or does not have a sweet and 

tart strawberry odor and flavor.

Texture

108 Freeze dried fruits not firm or not crunchy.

Weight

202 Net weight of an individual pouch less than 28 grams.
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1/ Presence of any foreign materials 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, 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 requirement for the banana and strawberry mixture to be 84 to 86 percent freeze dried 

bananas and 14 to 16 percent freeze dried strawberries shall be verified by a Certificate of 

Conformance (CoC).

4/ Construction of the oxygen scavenger and compliance with FDA regulations will be 

verified by a CoC.

5/ The 3/8 inch dicer setting shall be verified by a CoC.

 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 examination. The net weight of the filled and sealed pouches shall be 

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

empty pouch and one oxygen scavenger. Results shall be reported to the nearest 1 gram.

(3) Oxygen content testing. Eight filled and sealed pouches shall be randomly 

selected from one production lot and individually tested for oxygen content. Testing shall be 

accomplished after the filled and sealed pouches have been allowed to equilibrate at room 

temperature for not less than 48 hours from the time of sealing. Test results shall be reported 

to the nearest 0.01 percent. Government verification will be conducted through actual testing 

by a Government laboratory. Any individual not conforming to the oxygen content 

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

(4) Microbiological testing. For the Salmonella test, five composite samples shall be 

produced from a total of 60 randomly drawn pouches (12 per composite) per production lot. 

For the Aerobic plate count, Yeast and Mold, E. coli, and Staph aureus test, the sample to be 

analyzed shall be derived from a composite of ten filled and sealed pouches which have been 

selected at random from the lot. The test sample size for testing Aerobic plate count and 
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Yeast and Mold shall be 25 g (0.88 oz); Salmonella shall be 125 g (4.4 oz); Staph aureus 

(coagulase positive); and E. coli shall be 25 g (0.88 oz) each. 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

Aerobic plate count 966.23, 990.12

Yeast and mold 995.21, 997.02

E. coli 992.30, 991.14 or 2000.15

Salmonella 986.35, 996.08, 2004.03, or 2011.03

Staphylococcus aureus 987.09, 2003.08, or 2003.11

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 requirement shall be cause for rejection of the lot.

E-6 QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS (PACKAGING AND PACKING 

MATERIALS)

 A. Packaging.

(1) Pouch material certification. The pouch material shall be tested for these 

characteristics. A CoC may be accepted as evidence that the characteristics conform to the 

specified requirements.

Characteristic Requirement paragraph Test procedure

Thickness of films for 

laminated material

D-1,A(1)a and D-1,A(2)a ASTM D2103 1/

Aluminum foil thickness D-1,A(1)a and D-1,A(2)a ASTM B479 2/

Laminated material 

identification and construction

D-1,A(1)a and D-1,A(2)a Laboratory evaluation

Color of laminated material D-1,A(1)a and D-1,A(2)a FED-STD-595 3/

1/ Standard Specification for Polyethylene Film and Sheeting

2/ Standard Specification for Annealed Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Foil for Flexible 

Barrier, Food Contact, and Other Applications

3/ Colors Used in Government Procurement
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(2) Unfilled preformed pouch certification. A CoC may be accepted as evidence that 

unfilled pouches conform to the requirements specified in D-1,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-6,B(1)a.

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

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

sample unit shall be one pouch. 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 pouch defects 1/ 

Category Defect

Major Minor

101 Tear or 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/

107 Not packaged as specified.

108 Presence of stress cracks in the aluminum foil. 6/ 7/

201 Label missing or incorrect or illegible.

202 Tear nick or notch or serrations missing or does not facilitate 

opening.

203 Seal width less than 1/8 inch but greater than or equal to 1/16 inch. 2/

204 Presence of delamination. 3/

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

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

(localized and aggregate).

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.

6/ Applicable to form-fill-seal pouches only.

7/ The initial examination shall be a visual examination of the closed package. Any suspected 

visual evidence of stress cracks in the aluminum foil (streaks, breaks, or other disruptions in 

the laminated film) shall be verified by the following physical examination. To examine for 

stress cracks, the inside surface of both tray-shaped bodies shall be placed over a light source 

and the outside surface observed for the passage of light. Observation of light through the 

pouch material in the form of a curved or straight line greater than 2 mm in length shall be 

evidence of the presence of stress cracks. Observation of light through the pouch material in 

the form of a curved or straight line 2 mm in length or smaller or of a single pinpoint shall be 

considered a pinhole. Observation of ten or more pinholes per pouch shall be evidence of 

material degradation.

B. Methods of inspection.

(1) 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 F88/F88M, Standard Test Method 

for 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 F88/F88M. The lot size shall be expressed in 

pouches. The sample size shall be the number of pouches indicated by inspection level S-1. 

For the closure seal on preformed pouches, three adjacent specimens shall be cut from the 

closure seal of each pouch in the sample. For the form-fill-seal pouches, three adjacent 

specimens shall be cut from each side and each end of each pouch in the sample. The average 

seal strength of any side, end or closure shall be calculated by averaging the three specimens 

cut from that side, end or closure. Any average seal strength of less than 6 pounds per inch of 
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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 II, footnote 2/) shall be 

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

 B. 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.
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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 Forms

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

Perishable and Semiperishable Subsistence

GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS

FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION Bacteriological Analytical Manual 

(BAM)

www.fda.gov/Food/ScienceResearch/Lab

oratoryMethods/BacteriologicalAnalytica

lManualBAM/default.htm

NON-GOVERNMENTAL STANDARDS

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

ANSI/ASQ Z1.4 Sampling Procedures and Tables for Inspection by 

Attributes

ASSOCIATION OF OFFICIAL ANALYTICAL CHEMISTS (AOAC) www.aoac.org

Official Methods of Analysis (OMA) of the AOAC International

ASTM INTERNATIONAL www.astm.org

B479 Standard Specification for Annealed Aluminum and 

Aluminum-Alloy Foil for Flexible Barrier, Food 

Contact, and Other Applications

FEDERAL STANDARD 

FED-STD-595 Colors Used in Government Procurement
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D1238 Standard Test Method for Melt Flow Rates of

Thermoplastics by Extrusion Plastometer

D1505 Standard Test Method for Density of Plastics by the 

Density-Gradient Technique

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/D511M Standard Practice for Fabrication of Fiberboard 

Shipping Boxes

F88/F88M Standard Test Method for Seal Strength of Flexible 

Barrier Materials