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SECTION C

This document covers sliced mini-loaf bread packaged in a flexible pouch for use by the 

Department of Defense as a component of operational rations.

C-1 ITEM DESCRIPTION

PCR-B-064, BREAD, MINI-LOAF, SLICED, PACKAGED IN A FLEXIBLE POUCH, 

SHELF STABLE

Type.

Type I - Whole wheat 

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

months at 80°F.

 C. Appearance.

(1) General. The finished product shall be one mini-loaf of bread sliced in half 

horizontally. The exterior of each mini-loaf of bread shall show no evidence of excessive 

flour dusting. The individual bread slices shall be easily separable. The finished product shall 

be free from foreign materials.

(2) Type I. The exterior color of the loaf of whole wheat sliced bread shall be medium 

brown. The interior crumb shall be a light to medium tan color and shall have brown colored 

specks typical of whole grain wheat flour. The finished product shall be prepared from whole 

grain wheat flour.

 D. Odor and flavor. The packaged food shall be free from foreign odors and flavors.
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(1) Type I. The whole wheat mini-loaf shall have a cooked whole grain wheat flour, 

slight yeast, and a slightly sweet odor. The whole wheat mini-loaf shall have a cooked whole 

grain wheat flour, nutty wheat, slightly sweet, slightly buttery, slightly bitter, and slightly 

sour flavor.

E. Texture. The sliced mini-loaf of bread shall be slightly dense and have a uniform cell 

structure. The sliced bread shall show no evidence of compression streaks when broken by 

hand. The sliced edges of the bread may show evidence of compression streaks. The sliced 

bread shall not be excessively dry and crumbly or excessively moist and gummy.

 F. Dimensions. The mini-loaf sliced bread dimensions shall be not greater than 4-1/4 inches 

long and 4-1/4 inches wide and not greater than 3/4 inch thick.

G. Net weight. The net weight of an individual pouch shall be not less than 2.0 ounces (57 

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) Calories. The calories shall not be less than 200.

(2) pH. The pH shall not exceed 5.4.

(3) Water activity. The water activity (aw) shall be not greater than 0.90 when 

measured at 77°F (25°C).

(4) Oxygen. The oxygen content of the filled and sealed flexible pouch shall not 

exceed 0.30 percent.

J. Microbiological requirements.

(1) Aerobic plate count. The aerobic plate count shall not be greater than 1,000

Colony Forming Units (CFU) per gram.

(2) Yeast and mold. The yeast and mold count (combined) shall not exceed 100 CFU 

per gram.

(3) Coliforms. The total coliform count shall not exceed 100 CFU per gram.
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C-3 MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

THE FOLLOWING IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. THIS IS NOT A MANDATORY

CONTRACT REQUIREMENT.

 A. Ingredients. 

(1) Type I. Whole wheat flour, water, palm oil, glycerol, yeast, honey, salt, sucrose 

ester, dough conditioners [wheat flour, monoglycerides, diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono 

& diglycerides, ammonium sulfate, enzymes, citric acid, ascorbic acid], gum arabic, calcium 

sulfate, xanthan gum, sorbic acid, butter flavor.

SECTION D

D-1 PACKAGING

 A. Packaging. One mini-loaf of sliced bread and one intact oxygen scavenger shall be 

packaged in a preformed or form-fill-seal barrier pouch.

(1) Preformed pouch.

 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 bonded to 0.0005 inch thick polyester. 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 SAE AMS-STD-595, Colors Used in 

Government Procurement.

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

maximum inside dimensions of 6 inches wide by 6-1/2 inches long. The pouch shall be made 

by heat sealing three edges with 3/8 inch (- 1/8, + 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 
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provided to facilitate opening of the filled and sealed pouch. A 1/8 inch wide lip may be 

incorporated at the open end of the pouch.

 c. Pouch filling and sealing. The product and one oxygen scavenger shall be 

inserted into the pouch. 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 pouch.

 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 

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 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 DensityGradient 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. 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 color 

requirements of the exterior of the pouch 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. The 

product and one oxygen scavenger shall be placed into the tray-shaped body of the pouch. 

Pouch closure shall be effected by heat sealing together the cover and body along the entire 
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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 6 inches wide by 6-1/2 inches long. A tear nick, notch or serrations 

shall be provided to facilitate opening of the filled pouch. The sealed pouch 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 food contact. The oxygen scavenger shall be in compliance with all 

applicable Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations.

D-2 LABELING

 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 2030 would be coded as 0045. 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, minimum burst grade 200 or ECT 32 of ASTM D4727/D4727M, 
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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.

(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 
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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:

COMBAT CAPABILITIES DEVELOPMENT COMMAND (DEVCOM) SOLDIER CENTER

FCDD-SCD-SCR

10 GENERAL GREENE AVENUE

NATICK, MA 01760-5000

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 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/

Category Defect

Major Minor

General

101 Product not type as specified.

102 Pouch does not contain one mini-loaf of sliced bread or does not

contain one intact oxygen scavenger. 3/

103 Tear or hole or open seal in oxygen scavenger.
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TABLE I. Product defects 1/ 2/ - Continued

Category Defect

Major Minor

Appearance 

201 Mini-loaf of bread not sliced in half horizontally.

202 Exterior of mini-loaf of bread shows evidence of excessive flour 

dusting.

203 Individual bread slices not easily separable.

104 Type I finished product not prepared from whole grain wheat flour. 4/

204 Type I whole wheat mini-loaf sliced bread exterior not a medium 

brown color.

205 Type I whole wheat mini-loaf sliced bread interior crumb not a light

to medium tan color or does not have brown colored specks typical of 

whole grain wheat flour.

Odor and flavor

105 Type I whole wheat mini-loaf does not have a cooked whole grain 

wheat flour or not a slight yeast or not a slightly sweet odor.

106 Type I whole wheat mini-loaf does not have a cooked whole grain 

wheat flour or not a nutty wheat or not a slightly sweet or not a 

slightly buttery or not a slightly bitter or not a slightly sour flavor.

Texture

206 Type I sliced mini-loaf of bread not slightly dense or does not have a 

uniform cell structure.

207 Type I sliced mini-loaf of bread shows evidence of compression 

streaks when broken by hand.

208 Type I whole wheat sliced mini-loaf of bread excessively dry or

crumbly or excessively moist or gummy.
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TABLE I. Product defects 1/ 2/ - Continued

Category Defect

Major Minor

Dimensions

209 Mini-loaf sliced bread dimensions not as specified.

Net weight

208 Net weight of individual pouch less than 2.0 ounces (57 grams).

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.

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

verified by CoC.

4/ The requirement for whole grain wheat flour shall be verified with the statement of 

ingredients on the label.

 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 pouch 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 0.1 ounce or to the nearest 1

gram.
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(3) Analytical.

 a. Calories. The calories shall be verified by the NLEA “Nutrition Facts” label. 

Product not conforming to the calorie content as specified in Section C of this document shall 

be cause for rejection of the lot.

 b. pH testing. The sample to be analyzed shall be a composite of eight filled and 

sealed pouches which 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 (OMA) of AOAC International.

Test Method Number

pH 943.02

Test results of pH value shall be reported to the nearest 0.1 value for pH level. 

Government verification will be conducted through actual testing by a Government 

laboratory. Any result not conforming to the pH requirement Section C of this document

shall be cause for rejection of the lot.

 c. Water activity (aw) testing. Eight filled and sealed pouches shall be randomly 

selected from one production lot and individually tested for aw in accordance with the latest 

edition of the Official Methods of Analysis (OMA) of AOAC International, method 978.18, 

using an electric hygrometer system self-temperature controlled (at 25°C) or an equivalent 

instrument. Water activity shall be determined not less than 4 days but not more than 14 days 

after baking to allow moisture equilibration in the product. The sample unit shall be a 

specimen from the center of the product. Test results shall be reported to the nearest 0.01. 

Any nonconforming aw result shall be cause for rejection of the lot.

 d. Oxygen 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. Any individual result 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. The finished product shall be tested for microbiological 

activity. Five filled and sealed samples shall be randomly selected from one lot regardless of 

lot size. The pouched product shall be individually tested for microbiological levels in 

accordance with the Official Methods of Analysis (OMA) of AOAC International or the 

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM). For 

aerobic plate count the results for each pouched product tested must comply as provided in 

C-2, J(1). For yeast and mold, results for each pouched product must comply as provided in 
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C-2, J(2). For Coliforms, results for each pouch must comply as provided in C-2, J(3). 

Government verification will be conducted through actual testing by a Government 

laboratory. Any result not conforming to the requirements specified in Section C of this 

Performance-based Contract Requirements document shall be cause for rejection of the lot.

Test Method Number

Aerobic plate count 966.23, 990.12, or BAM, Ch. 3 

Yeast and mold 997.02 or BAM, Ch. 18

Total Coliforms 991.14 or BAM, Ch. 4

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 Certificate of Conformance (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 SAE AMS-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

(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.
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(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.

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:
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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.

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

face (localized and aggregate).
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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 unit shall be one unfilled pouch. 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 classified as a major defect and shall be cause 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 unit shall be one pouch. 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 width or any test specimen with a seal strength 
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of less than 5 pounds per inch of width shall be classified as a major defect and 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 lot size shall 

be expressed in pouches. The sample unit shall be one pouch. 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 end of the pouch and the distance between restraining plates shall be 1/2 

inch. 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 rate of 1-2

pounds 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 and shall be classified as a 

major defect and shall be cause for rejection of the lot.

 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.
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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 Form

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

Perishable and Semiperishable Subsistence

GOVERNMENTAL STANDARD

FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM) 

http://www.fda.gov/Food/ScienceResearch/

LaboratoryMethods/BacteriologicalAnalytic

alManualBAM/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

AOAC INTERNATIONAL www.aoac.org

Official Methods of Analysis (OMA) of 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

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
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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/D5118M Standard Practice for Fabrication of Fiberboard Shipping 

Boxes 

F88/F88M Standard Test Method for Seal Strength of Flexible 

Barrier Materials

SAE INTERNATIONAL www.sae.org

SAE AMS-STD-595 Colors Used in Government Procurement