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PKG & QAP 

MIL-DTL-32219 

3 October 2006 

PACKAGING REQUIREMENTS AND QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS FOR 

MIL-DTL-32219, BAGEL, SHELF STABLE, FOR OPERATIONAL RATIONS 

SECTION D

D-1 PACKAGING

 A. Packaging. One bagel and one oxygen scavenger shall be packed in a preformed or 

form-fill-seal barrier pouch as described below. The temperature of the bagel at the time of 

pouch filling shall be not less than 80oF (27oC) nor greater than 120oF (49oC). 

 (1) Preformed pouches. 

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

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

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

with the polyester on the exterior of the pouch. 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 exterior surface of the 

pouch shall be uniformly colored in the range of 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 5-3/4 inches in width by 7-1/2 inches in length. The pouch 

shall be made by heat sealing three edges with 3/8 inch (+ 1/8 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 

when tested as specified in E-6,B(1)a. Alternatively, the pouch shall exhibit no rupture or 

seal separation greater than 1/16 inch or seal separation that reduces the effective closure seal 

width to less than 1/16 inch when tested for internal pressure resistance as specified in E6,B(1)c. A tear notch shall be made in one or both side seals to facilitate opening. A 1/8 inch 

wide lip may be incorporated at the open end of the pouch. 

 c. Pouch filling and sealing. One bagel and one oxygen scavenger shall be inserted 

into the pouch. The pouch shall be sealed. The closure seal width shall be a minimum of 1/8 

inch. 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 of the closure seal shall be not less than 6 pounds per inch of width and no 
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individual specimen shall have a seal strength of less than 5 pounds per inch of width when 

tested as specified in E-6,B(1)b. Alternatively, the filled and sealed pouch shall exhibit no 

rupture or seal separation greater than 1/16 inch or seal separation that reduces the effective 

closure seal width to less than 1/16 inch when tested for internal pressure resistance as 

specified in E-6,B(1)c. 

 (2) Horizontal form-fill-seal pouches. 

 a. Pouch material. The 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 tray-shaped 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 D 1238, 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 D 1505, 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 from the same 3-ply laminate as specified for the tray-shaped body or tray-shaped 

cover, except that 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 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 

color requirements of the exterior of the pouch shall be as specified in D-1,A(1)a. 

 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. One 

bagel and one oxygen scavenger (see D-1,A(3)) 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 pouch perimeter. The closure seal width shall be a minimum of 1/8 inch. The 

closure seal shall be free of entrapped matter (bread crumbs, moisture, etc.) that reduces the 

effective closure seal to less than 1/16 inch wide. 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 (see E-6,B(1)b). Alternatively, the filled 

and sealed pouch shall exhibit no rupture or seal separation greater than 1/16 inch or seal 
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separation that reduces the effective closure seal width to less than 1/16 inch when tested for 

internal pressure resistance as specified in E-6,B(1)c. The maximum outside dimensions of 

the sealed pouch shall be 6 inches wide by 6 inches long. A tear notch or serrations shall be 

provided on one or more edges of the pouch to facilitate opening. The sealed pouch shall not 

show any evidence of material degradation, aluminum stress cracking, delamination or 

foreign odor when heat sealed into pouches. 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 and USDA 

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) 

For Type I Bagel 

BAGEL, SHELF STABLE 

PLAIN 

or 

For Type II Bagel 

BAGEL, SHELF STABLE 

BLUEBERRY 

or 

For Type III Bagel 

BAGEL, SHELF STABLE 

SPICY ASIAGO CHEESE 

 (2) Ingredients 

 (3) Date 1/ 

 (4) Net weight 

 (5) Contactor’s name and address 

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

 Act (NLEA) and all applicable FDA/USDA regulations 
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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, 3 

October 2006 would be coded as 6276. The Julian day code shall represent the day the 

product was packaged into the pouch. 

D-3 PACKING

 A. Packing for shipment to ration assembler. Not more than 40 pounds of pouched product 

shall be packed in a fiberboard shipping container constructed in accordance with style RSCL, class domestic, variety SW, grade 200 of ASTM D 5118/D 5118M, Standard Practice for 

Fabrication of Fiberboard Shipping Boxes. Each container shall be securely closed in 

accordance with ASTM D 1974, Standard Practice for Methods of Closing, Sealing, and 

Reinforcing Fiberboard Boxes. 

D-4 MARKING

 A. Shipping containers. Shipping containers shall be marked in accordance with DSCP 

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. 

 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. 
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 (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. 

E-6 QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS (PACKAGING AND PACKING 

MATERIALS)

 A. Packaging. 

 (1) Pouch material certification. A Certificate of Compliance may be accepted as 

evidence that the characteristics listed below conform to the specified requirements. 

Requirement

Requirement 

paragraph Test procedures

Thickness of films for laminated 

material 

D-1,A(1)a and 

D-1,A(2)a 

As specified in ASTM D 2103 1/ 

Aluminum foil thickness D-1,A(1)a and 

D-1,A(2)a 

As specified in ASTM B 479 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 Visual evaluation by FED-STD-595 3/ 

1/ ASTM D 2103 Standard Specification for Polyethylene Film and Sheeting 

2/ ASTM B 479 Standard Specification for Annealed Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Foil 

for Flexible Barrier, Food Contact, and Other Applications 

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

 (2) Unfilled preformed pouch certification. A Certificate of Compliance 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 I. The lot size shall be expressed in pouches. The 

sample unit shall be one filled and sealed pouch. The inspection level shall be I and the 
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3 October 2006 

acceptable quality level (AQL), expressed in terms of defects per hundred units, shall be 0.65 

for major defects and 2.5 for minor defects. 

TABLE I. 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 notch or serrations missing or does not facilitate opening. 

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

204 Presence of delamination. 3/ 

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

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

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

pouch. 

3/ Delamination defect classification: 
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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 strength testing. The seals of the unfilled 

preformed pouch shall be tested for seal strength in accordance with ASTM F 88, 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 

for rejection of the lot. 

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

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

sample unit shall be one filled and sealed 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 
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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 

for rejection of the lot. 

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

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

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

that pressurizes the pouch through an open end) is used, the closure seal shall be cut off for 

testing the side and bottom seals of the pouch. For testing the closure seal, the bottom seal 

shall be cut off. The pouches shall be emptied prior to testing. If a four-seal tester (designed 

to pressurize filled pouches by use of a hypodermic needle through the pouch wall) is used, 

all four seals can be tested simultaneously. The distance between rigid restraining plates on 

the four-seal tester shall be equal to the thickness of the product +1/16 inch. Pressure shall be 

applied at the approximate uniform rate of 1 pound per square inch gage (psig) per second 

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

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

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

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

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

considered a test failure. Any test failure shall be classified as a major defect and shall be 

cause for rejection of the lot. 

 C. Packing. 

 (1) Shipping container examination. The filled and sealed shipping containers shall be 

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

containers. The sample unit shall be one shipping container fully packed. The inspection 

level shall be S-3 and the AQL, expressed in terms of defects per hundred units, shall be 4.0 

for major defects and 10.0 for total defects. 

TABLE II. Shipping container and marking defects

Category Defect 

Major Minor

101 Marking missing or incorrect or illegible. 

102 Inadequate workmanship. 1/ 

201 More than 40 pounds of product. 
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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

DEFENSE SUPPLY CENTER PHILADELPHIA (DSCP) FORMS 

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

of Perishable and Semiperishable Subsistence 

FEDERAL 

FED-STD-595 Colors Used in Government Procurement 

NON-GOVERNMENT STANDARDS 

AMERICAN NATIONAL STANDARDS INSTITUTE (ANSI) 

ANSI/ASQ Z1.4-2003 Sampling Procedures and Tables for Inspection by 

Attributes 

ASTM International 

B 479-06 Standard Specification for Annealed Aluminum and 

Aluminum-Alloy Foil for Flexible Barrier, Food 

Contact, and Other Applications 

D 1238-04c Standard Test Method for Melt Flow Rates of 

Thermoplastics by Extrusion Plastometer 

D 1505-03 Standard Test Method for Density of Plastics by the 

Density-Gradient Technique 

D 1974-98 (2003) Standard Practice for Methods of Closing, Sealing, 

and Reinforcing Fiberboard Boxes 

D 2103-05 Standard Specification for Polyethylene Film and 

Sheeting 
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D 5118/D 5118M-05a Standard Practice for Fabrication of Fiberboard 

Shipping Boxes 

F 88-06 Standard Test Method for Seal Strength of Flexible 

Barrier Materials