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SECTION C

This document covers thermostabilized beef roasted with gravy packaged in a polymeric tray 

for use by the Department of Defense as a component of operational rations.

C-1 ITEM DESCRIPTION

PCR-B-046A, BEEF, ROASTED WITH GRAVY, PACKAGED IN A POLYMERIC 

TRAY, SHELF STABLE

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. Commercial sterility. The packaged food shall be processed until commercially sterile.

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

months at 80°F.

 D. Appearance.

(1) General. The finished product shall be roasted beef with gravy. The finished 

product shall be free from foreign materials.

(2) Beef. Prior to processing, the roasted beef chunks shall be produced from boneless 

whole muscle beef using a 1-3/4 inch dicer setting. The beef chunks shall be practically free 

of visible surface fat and shall visually exhibit natural muscle shred structure. The exterior 

surface of the roasted beef shall be a medium to dark brown color. The interior of the roasted

beef shall be a light to medium brown color and may have some areas of pinkish brown. The 

packaged food shall be practically free of bone or bone fragments, cartilage, coarse 

connective tissue, tendons or ligaments, and glandular material.
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(3) Gravy. The gravy shall be a medium to dark brown color and have a glossy sheen. 

The gravy shall be slightly to moderately thick and may contain a slight amount of roasted 

beef fines.

 E. Odor and flavor. The packaged food shall have an odor and flavor of roasted beef in a 

beef broth based gravy seasoned with onion, garlic, salt and black pepper. The packaged food 

shall be free from foreign odors and flavors.

 F. Texture. 

(1) Beef. The roasted whole muscle beef chunks shall be moist and tender and shall 

not be mushy. The roasted beef chunks shall have pull apart muscle fiber tendencies 

representative of whole muscle beef.

(2) Gravy. The gravy shall be smooth and slightly to moderately thick and may 

contain a slight amount of roasted beef fines.

 G. Net weight. The average net weight shall be not less than 88 ounces (2495 grams). The 

net weight of an individual polymeric tray shall be not less than 86 ounces (2438 grams). 

 H. Drained weight. The average drained weight of the whole muscle beef chunks shall be 

not less than 50.0 ounces (1418 grams). The drained weight of an individual polymeric tray 

shall be not less than 48.0 ounces (1361 grams).

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

the approved product standard in palatability and overall appearance.

 J. Analytical requirements.

(1) Fat. The fat content shall be not greater than 10.0 percent.

(2) Salt. The salt content shall be not less than 0.5 and not greater than 1.5 percent.

SECTION D

D-1 PACKAGING 

 A. Preservation. Product shall be filled into polymeric trays which shall conform to the 

requirements of section 3 of MIL-PRF-32004, Packaging of Food in Polymeric Trays. 

Government verification testing and inspection of trays, lids, sleeves and fiberboard pads

shall be in accordance with section 4 of MIL-PRF-32004 and the Quality Assurance 

Provisions of Section E of this Performance-based Contract Requirements document.
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D-2 LABELING

 A. Polymeric tray body. The polymeric tray body shall be clearly printed or stamped, in a 

manner that does not damage the tray, with permanent ink of any contrasting color, which is 

free of carcinogenic elements. One end of the polymeric tray (see figure 1 of MIL-PRF32004) shall be marked with the product name and number of portions. If the tray body end 

markings are not readily legible in low light conditions, a small, easily legible label shall be 

applied, but not over any existing tray markings. All other markings may be applied along 

the tray body side. The marking of trays with the product name, lot number and filling 

equipment number shall be applied prior to processing. Additional tray marking may be 

applied before or after processing. 1/

Tray body markings shall include:

(1) Product name. Commonly used abbreviations may be used.

(2) Tray code includes: 2/

 Lot number

 Filling equipment identification number

 Retort identification number

 Retort cook number

 Official establishment number

1/ As an alternate method, tray body markings may be clearly printed or stamped onto the 

polymeric tray lid prior to processing, in a manner that does not damage the lid, with 

permanent ink of any contrasting color, which is free of carcinogenic elements, provided that 

the required markings are applied onto the tray body after processing.

2/ 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 2018 would be coded as 8045). The Julian code shall represent the day the 

product was packaged into the tray and processed. Sublotting (when used) shall be 

represented by an alpha character immediately following the four digit Julian code. 

Following the four digit Julian code and the alpha character (when used), the other required 

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

 B. Polymeric tray lid. The lid shall be clearly printed or stamped in a manner that does not 

cause damage. Permanent ink of any contrasting color, which is free of carcinogenic 

elements, shall be used. As an alternate labeling method, a pre-printed self-adhering 0.002 

inch thick clear polyester label printed with indelible contrasting color ink may be used.

Note: The font tested by Natick was Microsoft Helvetica. The font used shall be similarly 

clear/easy to read as Helvetica. The recommended font sizes are as follows: 22 for the 
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product name, 14 for “yield” and “to heat in water.” If an additional note is required on the 

label, such as “fluff before serving,” it should also be in font size 14. All other information 

should be in font size 9. 

(1) Lid labeling shall include:

Product name 

Ingredients

Net weight

Name and address of packer

Official inspection legend

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

Education Act (NLEA) and all applicable USDA regulations

(2) Lid labeling shall also show the following statements:

YIELD: Serves 10 portions of approximately 1 cup each of roasted beef with gravy.

TO HEAT IN WATER: Submerge unopened tray in water. Bring water to a boil. Simmer 

gently 35-40 minutes. Avoid overheating (tray shows evidence of bulging).

WARNING: Do not heat tray in oven.

TO TRANSPORT AFTER HEATING: Insert tray back into protective sleeve to protect 

during transport. If sleeve is unavailable, stack trays lid-to-lid with fiberboard pads in 

between.

CAUTION: Use care when opening as pressure may have been generated within the tray.

TO OPEN: Using a clean knife, cut the lidding around the inside perimeter of the tray seals.

SUGGESTION: Cut lid along 3 sides and fold over uncut portion. Fold back to keep unused 

portions protected.

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

labeling regulations and policies. The lid shall be labeled with the following product name: 

BEEF, ROASTED WITH GRAVY
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D-3 PACKING

 A. Packing. Four filled, sealed and processed polymeric trays shall be packed with sleeves 

or fiberboard pads in a fiberboard shipping container constructed in accordance with style 

RSC-L of ASTM D5118/D5118M, Standard Practice for Fabrication of Fiberboard Shipping 

Boxes. The fiberboard shall conform to type CF, class D, variety SW, burst grade 200 or 

ECT grade 32 of ASTM D4727/D4727M, Standard Specification for Corrugated and Solid 

Fiberboard Sheet Stock (Container Grade) and Cut Shapes. Type I trays shall be placed flat 

with the first two trays placed with the lids together and the next two trays with the lids 

together. Type II trays shall be stacked with lids oriented upright. Each box shall be closed in 

accordance with ASTM D1974/D1974M, Standard Practice for Methods of Closing, Sealing, 

and Reinforcing Fiberboard Boxes.

D-4 UNITIZATION

 A. Unit loads. Unit loads shall be as specified in accordance with DLA Troop Support 

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

D-5 MARKING

 A. Shipping containers and unit loads. 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

RDNS-SEC-EMR

NATICK SOLDIER SYSTEMS CENTER

10 GENERAL GREENE AVENUE

NATICK, MA 01760

One lot shall be randomly selected during each calendar month of production or as otherwise 

specified in the contract. Two (2) sample units shall be randomly selected from that one 

production lot. The two (2) 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 trays. The sample unit shall be the contents of one tray. The 

inspection level shall be S-3 and the acceptable quality level (AQL), expressed in terms of 

defects per hundred units, shall be 4.0 for major defects and 6.5 for minor defects. Defects 
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and defect classifications are listed in table I. The trays shall be heated in accordance with the 

heating instructions from the tray label prior to conducting any portion of the product 

examination. The samples for drained weight inspection shall be selected using the same 

sampling criteria as above.

TABLE I. Product defects 1/ 2/ 

Category Defect

Major Minor

General

101 Product not roasted beef with gravy.

Appearance

102 Bone or bone fragment measuring more than 0.3 inch in any 

dimension. 

201 Roasted beef chunks not boneless whole muscle beef. 3/

202 Beef chunks not practically free of visible surface fat or do not visually 

exhibit natural muscle shred structure.

203 Exterior surface of the roasted beef not a medium to dark brown color.

204 Interior of the roasted beef not a light to medium brown color.

205 Total weight of cartilage, coarse connective tissue, tendons or 

ligaments, and glandular material more than 2.0 ounces (57 grams).

206 Gravy not a medium to dark brown color or does not have a glossy 

sheen.

207 Gravy not slightly to moderately thick.

Odor and flavor

103 Product does not have an odor or flavor of roasted beef in a beef broth 

based gravy seasoned with onion or garlic or salt or black pepper.
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TABLE I. Product defects 1/ 2/ - Continued

Category Defect

Major Minor

Texture

208 Roasted whole muscle beef chunks not moist or not tender or are 

mushy.

209 Roasted beef chunks do not have pull apart muscle fiber tendencies 

representative of whole muscle beef.

210 Gravy not smooth or not slightly to moderately thick.

Net weight

211 Net weight of an individual polymeric tray less than 86 ounces (2438 

grams). 4/

Drained weight

212 Drained weight of whole muscle beef chunks in an individual 

polymeric tray less than 48.0 ounces (1361 grams). 5/

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/ Requirement for boneless whole muscle beef (prior to processing) and dicer machine size 

requirement shall be verified by Certificate of Conformance (CoC).

4/ Sample average net weight less than 88 ounces (2495 grams) shall be cause for rejection of 

the lot.

5/ Sample average drained weight of whole muscle beef chunks less than 50.0 ounces (1418

grams) shall be cause for rejection of the lot.
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 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 polymeric tray shall be 

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

empty tray and lid. Results shall be reported to the nearest 1 ounce or to the nearest 1 gram.

(4) Drained weight. Weigh a U.S. Standard No. 4 sieve to obtain the sieve tare 

weight. The polymeric tray contents shall be poured into a flat-bottom container. A minimum 

of three times the volume of the polymeric tray of not less than 140°F and not greater than 

190°F water shall be added to the container so as to cover the contents. The contents and 

water shall be gently agitated so as to liquefy rendered fat and to remove the gravy without 

breaking the beef chunks. The contents shall then be poured into a U.S. Standard No. 4 sieve

in a manner that will distribute the product over the sieve without breaking the beef chunks. 

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 such an angle to assure complete drainage 

of liquid from the product. Drain product for two minutes before determining the drained 

weight by subtracting the sieve tare weight from the gross weight. The drained weight shall 

be reported to the nearest 0.5 ounce or to the nearest 1 gram.

(5) Analytical. The sample to be analyzed shall be a one-pound composite of three 

filled and sealed polymeric trays that have been selected at random from the production lot. 

The composite sample shall be prepared and analyzed in accordance with the following 

methods of the Official Methods of Analysis (OMA) of AOAC International.

Test Method Number

Fat 991.36, 2007.04, or 2008.06 

Salt 935.47 or 971.27

Test results shall be reported to the nearest 0.1 percent. Government verification will be 

conducted through actual testing by a Government laboratory. Any result not conforming to 

the analytical requirement shall be cause for rejection of the lot.
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E-6 QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS (PACKAGING AND PACKING 

MATERIALS, POLYMERIC TRAY)

 A. Packaging and labeling.

(1) Polymeric tray testing. For purposes of clarification, the polymeric tray without 

the lid will be referred to as the “tray” and the polymeric tray with the lid shall be referred to 

as the “container”. The tray, container and packaging materials shall be examined for the 

characteristics listed in table I of MIL-PRF-32004, Packaging of Food in Polymeric Trays. 

The lot size, sample unit, and inspection level criteria are provided in table II for each of the 

test characteristics. Any test failure shall be classified as a major defect and shall be cause for 

rejection of the lot. For rough handling survivability at frozen temperature, polymeric tray 

survival rate shall be at least 85 percent.

TABLE II. Polymeric tray quality assurance criteria

Prior to processing

Characteristic Lot size expressed in Sample

unit

Inspection 

level

Tray configurations and dimensions trays 1 tray S-1

Oxygen gas transmission rate of tray trays 1 tray S-1

Oxygen gas transmission rate of lid yards 1/2 yard S-1

Water vapor transmission rate of tray trays 1 tray S-1

Water vapor transmission rate of lid yards 1/2 yard S-1

Camouflage containers 1 container S-1
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After processing

Characteristic Lot size expressed in Sample 

unit

Inspection 

level

Processing trays 1 tray S-2

Rough handling survivability shipping containers 1 container S-2

Protective sleeve (as applicable) sleeves 1 sleeve S-1

Fiberboard pad (as applicable) fiberboard pads 1 pad S-1

Residual gas containers 1 container S-1

Closure seal containers 1 container S-1

Internal pressure containers 1 container S-1

Lid opening containers 1 container S-1

(2) Examination of container. The container shall be examined for the defects listed in 

table II of MIL-PRF-32004 and the labeling defects listed in table III. The lot size shall be 

expressed in containers. The sample unit shall be one processed and labeled container. 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.

TABLE III. Container labeling defects

Category Defect

Major A Minor

101 Polymeric tray lid or body labeling missing or incorrect or 

illegible.

201 When a pre-printed self-adhering label is used, the label not 

adhering to tray lid (for example, label raised or peeled back 

from edge to corner) or presence of any areas of gaps along the 

perimeter of the label where the label is not properly adhered.

(3) Label adhesive examination. When self-adhering labels are used, the adhesive 

shall be tested in accordance with ASTM D3330/D3330M, Standard Test Method for Peel 

Adhesion of Pressure-Sensitive Tape. In lieu of testing, a CoC shall be provided.
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 B. Packing.

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

containers shall be examined for the defects listed in table IV. 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 IV. Shipping container and marking defects

Category Defect

Major Minor

101 Marking missing or incorrect or illegible.

102 Inadequate workmanship. 1/

201 Arrangement or number of polymeric trays not as specified.

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.

 C. Unitization.

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

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

Any nonconformance shall be classified as a major defect.

SECTION J REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

Unless otherwise specified, the applicable version of these documents is that which is active 

on the date of the solicitation or contract.

DLA Troop Support Forms

Form 3507 Loads, Unit: Preparation of Semiperishable Subsistence Items

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

Perishable and Semiperishable Subsistence

MILITARY SPECIFICATIONS

MIL-PRF-32004 Packaging of Food in Polymeric Trays
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GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS

Federal Meat Inspection Act and regulations promulgated thereunder (9 Code of 

Federal Regulations (CFR) Parts 1-391)

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

D3330/D3330M Standard Test Method for Peel Adhesion of PressureSensitive Tape

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 

AOAC INTERNATIONAL www.aoac.org

Official Methods of Analysis (OMA) of AOAC International 

North American Meat Processors Association (NAMP) www.namp.com

Meat Buyers Guide