1、 AMSC N/A FSC 8905 A-A-20081F August 22, 2011 SUPERSEDING A-A-20081E April 7, 2006 COMMERCIAL ITEM DESCRIPTION BACON, PRECOOKED, SLICED, IN FLEXIBLE POUCHES The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has authorized the use of this Commercial Item Description (CID). 1. SCOPE. This CID covers precooked
2、, sliced, shelf-stable bacon in flexible pouches (precooked, sliced bacon), packed in commercially acceptable containers, suitable for use by Federal, State, local governments, and other interested parties; and as a component of operational rations. 2. PURCHASER NOTES. 2.1 Purchasers shall specify t
3、he following: - Type(s) required (Sec. 3). - When analytical requirements are different than specified (Sec. 6.1). - When analytical requirements need to be verified (Sec. 6.2). - Manufacturers/distributors certification (Sec. 9.1) or USDA certification (Sec. 9.2). 2.2 Purchasers may specify the fol
4、lowing: - When product examination is required (Sec. 9.3). - Packaging requirements other than commercial (Sec. 10). 3. CLASSIFICATION. The precooked, sliced bacon shall conform to the following list which shall be specified in the solicitation, contract, or purchase order. Types. Type I - Instituti
5、onal Size Pouch - 100 slices Type II - Institutional Size Pouch - 150 slices Type III - Institutional Size Pouch - 300 slices Type IV - Other METRICProvided by IHSNot for ResaleNo reproduction or networking permitted without license from IHS-,-,-A-A-20081F 2 4. MANUFACTURERS/DISTRIBUTORS NOTES. Manu
6、facturers/distributors products shall meet the requirements of the: - Salient characteristics (Sec. 5). - Analytical requirements: as specified by the purchaser (Sec. 6). - Manufacturers/distributors product assurance (Sec. 7). - Regulatory requirements (Sec. 8). - Quality assurance provisions: as s
7、pecified by the purchaser (Sec. 9). - Packaging requirements other than commercial: as specified by the purchaser (Sec. 10). 5. SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS. 5.1 Preparation. The precooked, sliced bacon shall conform to the applicable provisions of the USDA, Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), Mea
8、t Inspection Regulations (9 CFR Parts 301-350), the Food Standards and Labeling Policy Book, be manufactured under sanitary standard operation procedures (SSOP) (9 CFR Part 416), and be in compliance with hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) system requirements (9 CFR Part 417). 5.2 Ra
9、w material. The precooked, sliced bacon shall originate from fresh, not frozen pork bellies. The skinless bellies should have a weight range of 7-13 pounds. 5.2.1 Slicing. The pressed, cured and smoked slabs should be uniformly sliced yielding 12-15 slices per inch. 5.3 Finished product. The precook
10、ed, sliced bacon shall be skinless, fully cooked and placed layout style with edges abutting on sheets of parchment or commercial style food grade paper with ovenable, grease proof, and wet-strength characteristics. The bacon shall be placed in flexible pouches and hermetically sealed under not less
11、 than 20 inches of mercury. 5.3.1 Size. The precooked, sliced bacon shall be uniform and not less than 12.7 cm (5.0 in) or more than 20.3 cm (8.0 in) long and not more than 3.8 cm (1-1/2 in) wide. 5.3.2 Odor and flavor. The precooked sliced bacon shall have a smoky, salty, cured, cooked bacon odor a
12、nd flavor. There shall be no foreign odor or flavor (e.g. burnt, scorched, stale, sour, rancid, musty, or moldy). 5.3.3 Color. The precooked sliced bacon shall have a reddish brown lean portion and off-white to yellow tan fat portion. 5.3.4 Defects. There shall be no bacon slice cut or torn more tha
13、n one half the width of the slice; nor have burnt edges or burnt areas measuring 7.6 mm (0.3 in) or more in any dimension (a burnt edge is one in which the black color of carbonation is evident to the eye). Slices shall not Provided by IHSNot for ResaleNo reproduction or networking permitted without
14、 license from IHS-,-,-A-A-20081F 3 break or crack when the ends are brought together. The bacon shall not contain glandular tissue measuring 12.7 mm (0.5 in) or more in any dimension; nor bone, cartilage, skin, or bruises measuring 7.6 mm (0.3 in) or more in any dimension. No individual bacon slice
15、shall separate more than one half the length of the slice. 5.4 Foreign material. All ingredients and finished product shall be clean, sound, wholesome, and free from evidence of rodent or insect infestation. There shall be no foreign material such as, but not limited to, dirt, insect parts, hair, wo
16、od, glass, or metal. 5.5 Date of pack. Unless otherwise specified in the solicitation, contract, or purchase order, the bacon shall be processed and packaged not more than 90 days prior to shipment. 6. ANALYTICAL REQUIREMENTS. 6.1 Analytical requirements. Unless otherwise specified in the solicitati
17、on, contract, or purchase order, the analytical requirements for precooked, sliced bacon shall be as follows: 6.1.1 Fat content. The average fat content of the precooked bacon shall not be more than 52.0 percent. 6.1.2 Salt content. The average salt content of the precooked bacon shall not be more t
18、han 6.5 percent. 6.1.3 Water activity. The average water activity (Aw) shall not exceed 0.780. The individual pouch sample Awshall not exceed 0.860. 6.2 Product verification. When USDA verification of analytical requirements is specified in the solicitation, contract, or purchase order, the followin
19、g procedures will be followed. 6.2.1 Sampling procedures for water activity analysis. USDA certification service will select at least six pouches or the number of product containers based on USDA certification service sampling procedures and plans. A test will be performed to determine the in-packag
20、e equilibrium water activity of each flexible pouch and its contents. A stepwise selection of 15 slices of bacon per pouch shall be chopped to less than or equal to 6.35 mm ( in) pieces. The chopped pieces shall be mixed and a sample of no less than 2.5 grams shall be analyzed for water activity. (D
21、etailed description of USDA Standard Operating Procedure for Analysis of Water Activity in Bacon, Precooked, Sliced, in Flexible Pouches - SOP No: MRE-0001 dated 7/21/08 is available upon request). Water activity shall not be determined from individual slices, core samples, or blended bacon. Provide
22、d by IHSNot for ResaleNo reproduction or networking permitted without license from IHS-,-,-A-A-20081F 4 6.2.2 Sampling procedures for fat and salt content analyses. After completion of the pouch filling and heat processing operations for each lot, 9 pouches of precooked, sliced bacon shall be random
23、ly selected from the lot. These 9 pouches shall be randomly distributed as follows: - Three shall be submitted to the laboratory for analysis (these can be part of the Aw sample pouches). - Three shall be submitted to the contractor. - Three shall be retained by the AMS agent as a reserve sample. An
24、alysis of reserve samples at the request of the contractor shall not be permitted unless the original analysis indicated that the involved lot will be discounted or rejected because of noncompliance with the fat or salt content requirement. When the reserve sample is analyzed, the analyses for both
25、fat and salt shall be made and will be considered final. Unused reserve samples shall be returned to the contractor for inclusion in the same lot. 6.3 Analytical testing. Analytical testing shall be made in accordance with the following methods described in the Official Methods of Analysis (OMA) of
26、the AOAC International. Test Method Fat 985.15, 991.36, 2007.04, 2008.06 1/ Salt 935.47 1/ Aw 978.18 2/ 1/ Product shall be prepared according to AOAC OMA 983.18 in that the pouch samples (3 per lot) shall be homogenously blended. 2/ See Sec. 6.2.1. 6.4 Test results. The test results for fat and sal
27、t shall be reported to the nearest 0.1 percent. Water activity shall be reported to the nearest 0.001 value. A mean shall be calculated for the water activity unit values (see Sec. 6.1.3). The mean water activity shall not exceed 0.780 and no individual sample shall exceed a value of 0.860. Any resu
28、lt not conforming to the analytical requirements shall be cause for rejection of the lot. 7. MANUFACTURERS/DISTRIBUTORS PRODUCT ASSURANCE. The manufacturer/ distributor shall certify that the precooked, sliced bacon provided shall meet the salient characteristics of this CID, conform to the their ow
29、n specifications, standards, and quality assurance practices, and be the same precooked, sliced bacon offered for sale in the commercial market. The purchaser reserves the right to require proof of conformance. Provided by IHSNot for ResaleNo reproduction or networking permitted without license from
30、 IHS-,-,-A-A-20081F 5 8. REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS. The precooked, sliced bacon shall originate and be produced, processed, and stored in compliance with all applicable provisions of the Meat Inspection Regulations of the USDA. The delivered precooked, sliced bacon shall comply with all applicable Fed
31、eral, State, and local mandatory requirements and regulations relating to the preparation, packaging, labeling, storage, distribution, and sale of precooked, sliced bacon within the commercial marketplace. 9. QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS. Purchaser shall specify 9.1 or 9.2; purchaser may specify 9.3
32、. 9.1 Manufacturers/distributors certification. When required in the solicitation, contract, or purchase order, the manufacturer/distributor will certify that the finished precooked, sliced bacon distributed meets or exceeds the requirements of this CID. 9.2 USDA certification. When required in the
33、solicitation, contract, or purchase order that product quality and acceptability or both be determined, the Meat Grading and Certification (MGC) Division, Livestock and Seed Program (LSP), Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), USDA, shall be the certifying program. MGC graders shall certify the qual
34、ity and acceptability of the precooked, sliced bacon in accordance with MGC procedures which include: selecting random samples of the packaged precooked, sliced bacon, evaluating the samples for conformance with the salient characteristics of this CID and other contractual requirements, and document
35、ing the findings on official MGC score sheets and/or certificates. In addition, when required in the solicitation, contract, or purchase order, MGC graders will examine the precooked, sliced bacon for conformance to the United States Standards for Condition of Food Containers in effect on the date o
36、f the solicitation. 9.3 Product examination. FOR NON-DOD PROCUREMENTS ONLY. When required in the solicitation, contract, or purchase order, USDA shall conduct the following product examinations. 9.3.1 Pouch vacuum examination. The filled and sealed pouches shall be visually examined for conformance
37、to the vacuum requirement not less than 96 hours after filling and sealing. The sealed pouch shall continue to exhibit tight adherence to the surface contours of the contents when a pulling force is applied at the center of each side seal. This force shall be applied by holding each side seal betwee
38、n thumb and forefinger of each hand, while simultaneously exerting a slight pull with both hands. Any evidence of loss of vacuum shall be classified as a major defect and shall be cause for rejection of the lot. The lot size shall be expressed in pouches. The sample unit shall be one filled and seal
39、ed pouch. The inspection level shall be I of ANSI/ASQ Z1.4-2008, Sampling Procedures and Tables for Inspection by Attributes and the AQL, expressed in terms of defects per hundred units, shall be 0.65. Provided by IHSNot for ResaleNo reproduction or networking permitted without license from IHS-,-,-
40、A-A-20081F 6 9.3.2 End item examination. The end item lot size, expressed as number of pouches, shall be declared to the AMS agent by the contractor. Product from opened pouches used for product examination shall remain the property of the contractor. The sample size and acceptance and rejection cri
41、teria shall be as indicated by Table I. The sample unit shall be one filled and sealed pouch. Pouches selected for examination must be free of damage. The product shall be examined for defects listed in Table II. TABLE I. Sampling criteria for product examination Lot size Sample size Defect categori
42、es (pouches) (number of pouches) Major Minor Major Minor AC RE AC RE 2 to 150 5 2 0 1 0 1 151 to 35,000 5 8 0 1 1 2 TABLE II. Product examination 3/ Category Defect Major Minor 101 Less than 99 whole slices for Type I, less than 148 whole slices for Type II, or less than 297 whole slices for Type II
43、I per pouch. 4/ 201 Product not arranged on parchment paper or layered as specified. 3/ Defects shall be scored once per sample unit. 4/ The lot shall be rejected if the average total slice count is less than the specified number per pouch. 9.3.3 Slice examination. The finished precooked, sliced bac
44、on shall be examined for the salient characteristics of this CID. The sample size and acceptance and rejection criteria shall be as indicated by Table III. The precooked, sliced bacon shall be examined for the defects listed in Table IV. Slices shall be selected proportionately from the pouches used
45、 in the product examination or from the number of pouches necessary to comply with the sample size. Failure of the sample to meet the acceptance criteria specified in Table III for the salient characteristics of this CID shall be cause for rejection of the lot. The product shall be examined at a tem
46、perature of 21.1 to 26.7oC(70 to 80oF). Provided by IHSNot for ResaleNo reproduction or networking permitted without license from IHS-,-,-A-A-20081F 7 TABLE III. Sampling criteria for slice examination Lot size Sample size Defect categories (slices) (number of slices) Major Minor Major Minor AC RE A
47、C RE 501 to 1,200 80 80 5 6 10 11 1,201 to 3,200 125 125 7 8 14 15 3,201 to 10,000 200 200 10 11 21 22 10,001 to 35,000 315 200 14 15 21 22 35,001 or more 500 200 21 22 21 22 TABLE IV. Slice examination Category Defect Major Minor 101 Presence of bone measuring 7.6 mm (0.3 in) or more in any dimensi
48、on. 102 Presence of cartilage measuring 7.6 mm (0.3 in) or more in any dimension. 103 Burnt edge or burn area measuring 7.6 mm (0.3 in) or more in any dimension. 5/ 104 Slice which breaks or cracks when the ends are brought together. 201 Presence of skin measuring 7.6 mm (0.3 in) or more in any dimension. 202 Presence of bruise measuring 7.6 mm (0.3 in) or more in any dimension. 203 Presence of glandular tissue measuring 12.7 mm (0.5 in) or more in any dimension. 204 Slice cut or torn more than one-half the width of the slice. 205 Slice less
