PKG & QAP

 MIL-DTL-32347

 4 March 2010

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PACKAGING REQUIREMENTS AND QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS FOR 

MIL-DTL-32347, FILLED WRAP, SHELF STABLE, FOR OPERATIONAL 

RATIONS

SECTION C

C-1 ITEM DESCRIPTION

Packages.

 Package J – First Strike Ration® (FSR®)

SECTION D

D-1 PACKAGING

 A. Packaging. Two filled wraps and one oxygen scavenger shall be packed in a preformed 

or form-fill-seal barrier pouch as described below. The temperature of the filled wrap at the 

time of pouch filling shall be not greater than 135oF (57oC).

(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 5-1/4 inches in width by 9 inches in length. 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 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 
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E-6,B(1)c. A tear nick, notch or serrations 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. Two filled wraps 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 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 
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flat cover shall be in the form of a flat sheet of the barrier material taken from roll stock. Two 

filled wraps 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 (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 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 8-1/2 inches long. A tear nick, 

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

(2) Ingredients

(3) Date 1/

(4) Net weight

(5) Contractor's name and address

(6) Official inspection legend and establishment number (for example, EST-38)

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

Act (NLEA) and all applicable FDA/USDA 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 2011 would be coded as 1045. The Julian day code shall represent the day the 

product was packaged into the pouch.
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D-3 PACKING

 A. Packing. Not more than 20 pounds of product shall be packed in a fiberboard shipping 

box constructed in accordance with style RSC-L, of ASTM D 5118/D 5118M, Standard 

Practice for Fabrication of Fiberboard Shipping Boxes. The fiberboard shall conform to type 

CF, class D, variety SW, grade 200 of ASTM D 4727/D 4727M, Standard Specification for 

Corrugated and Solid Fiberboard Sheet Stock (Container Grade) and Cut Shapes. Each box 

shall be closed in accordance with ASTM D 1974, Standard Practice for Methods of Closing, 

Sealing, and Reinforcing Fiberboard Boxes.

D-4 UNITIZATION

 A. Unit loads. Shipping containers shall be palletized into unit loads in accordance with 

DSCP Form 3507, Loads, Unit: Preparation of Semiperishable Subsistence Items.

D-5 MARKING

 A. Shipping containers and unit loads. Shipping containers and unit loads 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. 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 D 2103 1/

Aluminum foil thickness D-1,A(1)a and D-1,A(2)a 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 and D-1,A(2)a 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 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 I. The lot size shall be expressed in pouches. The 

sample unit shall be one pouch. The inspection level shall be I and the acceptable quality 

level (AQL), expressed in terms of defects per hundred units, shall be 0.65 for major defects 
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and 2.5 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.

TABLE I. Filled and sealed pouch defects 1/

Category Defect

Critical Major Minor

1 Tear or hole or open seal.

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

101 Presence of delamination. 3/

102 Unclean pouch. 4/

103 Pouch has foreign odor.

104 Any impression or design on the heat seal surfaces which 

conceals or impairs visual detection of seal defects. 5/

105 Not packaged as specified.

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

201 Labeling missing or incorrect or illegible.

202 Tear, nick, 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 insect or rodent 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 

delamination 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 

delamination area shall then be rapidly flexed 10 times by rotating both hands in alternating 

clockwise-counter clockwise 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 the 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 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 scored 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 delaminated 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 (+ 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 scored 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, etc.) or generally detracts from the 

clean appearance of the pouch. The following examples shall not be scored 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 then 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 pouches 

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 each seal shall be 

calculated by averaging the strengths of the three test 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 and the distant 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 

as close to 1/2 inch as possible while accommodating the thickness of the product, the 

product may be manipulated to fit within the confines of the restraining apparatus. 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 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 20 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.

 D. Unitization.

(1) Unit load examination. The unit load shall be examined in accordance with the 

requirements of DSCP Form 3507, Loads, Unit: Preparation of Semiperishable Subsistence 

Items. Any nonconformance shall be a major defect.

SECTION J REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

Unless otherwise specified, the issues of these documents are those active on the date of the 

solicitation or contract.

DEFENSE SUPPLY CENTER PHILADELPHIA (DSCP) FORMS

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

Perishable and Semiperishable Subsistence

DSCP Form 3507 Loads, Unit: Preparation of Semiperishable Subsistence Items

FEDERAL

FED-STD-595 - Colors Used in Government Procurement

NON-GOVERNMENT STANDARDS

AMERICAN NATIONAL STANDARDS INSTITUTE (ANSI) www.asq.org

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

Attributes

ASTM International www.astm.org

B 479 Standard Specification for Annealed 

Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Foil for 

Flexible Barrier, Food Contact, and Other 

Applications

D 1238 Standard Test Method for Melt Flow Rates 

of Thermoplastics by Extrusion Plastometer
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D 1505 Standard Test Method for Density of Plastics 

by the Density-Gradient Technique 

D 1974 Standard Practice for Methods of Closing, 

Sealing, and Reinforcing Fiberboard Boxes

D 2103 Standard Specification for Polyethylene Film 

and Sheeting 

D 4727/D 4727M Standard Specification for Corrugated and Solid 

Fiberboard Sheet Stock (Container Grade) and Cut 

Shapes

D 5118/D 5118M Standard Practice for Fabrication of 

Fiberboard Shipping Boxes

F 88 Standard Test Method for Seal Strength of 

Flexible Barrier Materials