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SECTION C

This document covers chicken chunks packaged in a flexible pouch, shelf stable 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-20352C CHICKEN CHUNKS, WHITE, COOKED, CANNED OR IN 

FLEXIBLE POUCHES

Types, style, and agricultural practice.

Types.

Type V - Pouch – 142 g (5 oz)

Type VI - Pouch – 198 g (7 oz)

Style and agricultural practice.

Style A - Regular

Agricultural practice 1 - 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 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.
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 C. Net weight. 

(1) Type V. The average net weight shall be not less than 5.0 ounces (142 grams). 

The net weight of an individual pouch shall be not less than 4.7 ounces (133 grams).

(2) Type VI. The average net weight shall be not less than 7.0 ounces (198 grams). 

The net weight of an individual pouch shall be not less than 6.7 ounces (190 grams).

 D. Drained weight.

(1) Type V. The average drained weight of chicken chunks shall be not less than 4.2

ounces (119 grams). The drained weight of chicken chunks in an individual pouch shall be 

not less than 3.9 ounces (111 grams).

(2) Type VI. The average drained weight of chicken chunks shall be not less than 5.8

ounces (164 grams). The drained weight of chicken chunks in an individual pouch shall be 

not less than 5.5 ounces (156 grams).

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

the approved product standard in palatability and overall appearance.

 F. Analytical requirements. Analytical procedures and testing shall be in accordance with 

A-A-20352C.

SECTION D

D-1 PACKAGING

 A. Packaging. Type V, product shall be filled into pouches and sealed in accordance with 

MIL-PRF-44073, Packaging of Food in Flexible Pouches, Type I, Style 1. Type VI, product

may be packaged in commercial gusseted pouches.

D-2 LABELING

 A. Pouches. Each pouch shall be correctly and legibly labeled. Printing ink shall be 

permanent black ink or any other contrasting color, which is free of carcinogenic elements.

Prior to thermal processing of the pouches, the product name, lot number, filling equipment 

number and time stamp shall be applied. All other marking may be applied before or after 

thermal processing.
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(1) Product name (not less than 1/8 inch high). Commonly used abbreviations 

may be used. 

(2) Pouch code includes: 1/

 Lot number

 Filling equipment identification number

 Official establishment number (Optional) 

 Retort identification number and Retort cook number (Optional)

 Time stamp (Hour and minute of filling/sealing operation)

1/ The lot number shall be expressed as a four digit Julian code. The first digit shall indicate 

the year of production and the next three digits shall indicate the day of the year (Example, 

14 February 2030 would be coded as 0045). The Julian code shall represent the day the 

product was packaged into the pouch and processed. Following the four digit Julian code, the 

other required code information shall be printed in the sequence as listed above. 

(3) USDA official inspection legend for the packer’s plant 1/

1/ May be placed on the paperboard sleeve if labeled under USDA/FSIS supervision as an 

identification service.

 B. Paperboard sleeves.

(1) The sleeves shall be clearly printed on one of the panels with permanent black ink 

as follows: 1/

Product name (7/32 to 9/32 inch block letters)

Ingredients 

Net weight

Name and address of packer

“Nutrition Facts” label in accordance with the Nutrition Labeling and 

Education Act (NLEA) and all applicable USDA regulations

1/ With contracting officer approval, this information may be printed on the pouch in lieu of 

the paperboard sleeve.

(2) The product shall be formulated and labeled in accordance with all USDA 

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

Contracting Officer for review and approval and to Combat Capabilities Development 

Command-Soldier Center (FCDD-SCC-EMR) 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 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, 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.
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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.

 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 

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:

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY

FCDD-SCC-EMR

COMBAT CAPABILITIES DEVELOPMENT COMMAND-SOLDIER CENTER

10 GENERAL GREENE AVENUE

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 and in section 4 of MILPRF-44073.

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-20352C and Section C of this Packaging 
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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 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. For 

drained weight inspection, a separate set of pouches shall be selected from the lot using the 

same sampling criteria as above.

TABLE I. Product defects 1/ 2/

Category Defect

Major Minor

101 Product not type or style or agricultural practice as specified.

Appearance

102 Bone or bone fragment measuring more than 0.30 inch in any 

dimension.

201 Exterior color not light tan.

202 Interior color not light tan to pale pink.

203 Broth not a golden translucent color.

204 Finished product not discernible chunks or not chunk size as 

specified. 3/

205 Total weight of skin, blood spots, cartilage, coarse connective tissue, 

tendons or ligaments, and glandular material more than 0.2 ounce 

(5.7 grams).

206 Not a distinct fibrous appearance.

Odor and flavor

103 Odor or flavor not mild white meat chicken.
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TABLE I. Product defects 1/ 2/ - Continued

Category Defect

Major Minor

Texture

207 Chicken chunks not tender or not moist or not firm.

208 Chicken chunks dry or tough or mushy.

Net Weight

209 Type V net weight of an individual pouch less than 4.7 ounces (133 

grams). 4/

210 Type VI net weight of an individual pouch less than 6.7 ounces (190 

grams). 5/

Drained Weight

211 Type V drained weight of chicken chunks in an individual pouch 

less than 3.9 ounces (111 grams). 6/

212 Type VI drained weight of chicken chunks in an individual pouch 

less than 5.5 ounces (156 grams). 7/

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/ Verification of the chunk size requirement of not less than 55 percent by volume of 

product remaining on 5/8 inch sieve and no more than 5 percent by volume of pouch passing 

through a 1/4 inch sieve and no less than 95 percent total by volume remaining on both 

sieves shall be verified by USDA upon first production lot and each subsequent 

replenishment PDM during a contract cycle or in the case a new chicken chunks supplier is 

obtained. A CoC for the chunk size requirements shall be provided on all lots produced 

between PDM replenishments.
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4/ Sample average net weight less than 5.0 ounces (142 grams) shall be cause for rejection of 

the lot. 

5/ Sample average net weight less than 7.0 ounces (198 grams) shall be cause for rejection of 

the lot. 

6/ Sample average drained weight of chicken chunks less than 4.2 ounces (119 grams) shall 

be cause for rejection of the lot.

7/ Sample average drained weight of chicken chunks less than 5.8 ounces (164 grams) shall 

be cause for rejection of the lot.

 B. Methods of inspection.

(1) Commercial sterility. Commercial sterility shall be verified in accordance with 

USDA/FSIS regulations.

(2) 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.

(3) Net weight. The net weight of the filled and sealed pouches shall be determined 

by weighing each sample on a suitable scale tared with a representative empty pouch. Results 

shall be reported to the nearest 0.1 ounce or to the nearest 1 gram.

(4) Drained weight. Use a U.S. Standard No. 7 sieve for the drained weight 

examination. Pour the contents of the pouch into a flat-bottom container and repeatedly add 

hot water until all of the product has been removed from the pouch. 1/ Additional hot water 

may be added to the flat-bottom container so as to cover all of the contents. 1/ The mixture 

shall be gently agitated so as to liquefy rendered fat without breaking the product. 2/ The 

mixture shall not sit for greater than two minutes. The contents shall then be poured into the 

sieve in a manner that will distribute the product over the sieve without breaking up the 

product. The sieve area shall be such that the distributed product does not completely cover 

all the openings of the sieve. The sieve shall be tilted at an angle from 30 to 45 degrees to 

ensure complete drainage of liquid from the product. Drain product for two minutes. Place 
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the sieve and its contents onto the scale and tare the scale to zero. Remove the chicken 

chunks from the sieve by turning the sieve upside down and dumping the product. Place the 

sieve back on the scale and record the weight as a positive number. This value is the drained 

weight of the chicken chunks. When necessary, rinse the screen before performing the next 

drained weight exam. The drained weight shall be reported to the nearest 0.1 ounce or to the 

nearest 1 gram. 3/

1/ Water temperature shall be not less than 140°F and not greater than 165°F.

2/ Additional hot water may be required for completely removing sauce and liquefying 

rendered fat.

3/ The initial unit of measurement shall be maintained throughout the exam (example: if 

ounce is used, the unit of measurement shall remain as ounces throughout the exam).

E-6 QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS (PACKAGING AND PACKING 

MATERIALS)

 A. Packaging.

(1) Pouch material testing. The pouch material, pouch and sleeve, as applicable, in 

accordance with the lot size, sample unit, and inspection level criteria shall be tested for the 

performance characteristics listed in table I of MIL-PRF-44073, Packaging of Food in 

Flexible Pouches for Type I. Any test failure shall be classified as a major defect and shall be 

cause for rejection of the lot.

(2) Filled and sealed pouch examination. The filled and sealed commercially sterile 

pouches shall be examined for the defects listed in table II of MIL-PRF-44073 for Type I. 

The lot size shall be expressed in pouches. The sample unit shall be one thermal processed 

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

hundred units, shall be 0.65 for major A defects, 2.5 for major B defects, and 4.0 for minor 

defects. Two hundred sample units shall be examined for critical defects. The finding of any 

critical defect shall be cause for rejection of the lot.

(3) Paperboard sleeve or paperboard insert card examination. The sleeve or insert 

card (as applicable) shall be examined for the defects listed in table III of MIL-PRF-44073 

for Type I. The lot size shall be expressed in units of sleeves or insert cards. The sample unit 

shall be one sleeve or one insert card. The inspection level shall be S-3 and the AQL, 
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expressed in terms of defects per hundred units, shall be 0.65 for major defects and 2.5 for 

minor defects.

 B. Packing.

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

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

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

MILITARY SPECIFICATION

MIL-PRF-44073 Packaging of Food in Flexible Pouches

(Copies of these documents are available from http://quicksearch.dla.mil/qsSearch.aspx or 

from the Standardization Document Order Desk, 700 Robbins Ave, Building 4D, 

Philadelphia, PA 19111-5094.)

NON-GOVERNMENTAL STANDARDS

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

ANSI/ASQ Z1.4 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