Rice_Products_Commodity_Requirements_Document.pdf

USDA COMMODITY REQUIREMENTS

RP4

RICE PRODUCTS

FOR USE IN DOMESTIC PROGRAMS

Effective Date: 05/15/08

USDA COMMODITY REQUIREMENTS

RP4

RICE PRODUCTS

FOR USE IN DOMESTIC PROGRAMS

Table of Contents

Part 1 COMMODITY SPECIFICATIONS Section 1.1 COMMODITIES Section 1.2 WARRANTY Section 1.3 FUMIGATION Section 1.4 INSPECTION Section 1.5 “KOSHER ONLY” PRODUCTS

Part 2 CONTAINER AND PACKAGING REQUIREMENTS Section 2.1 GENERAL Section 2.2 COMMERCIAL PACKAGING Section 2.3 CONTAINERS AND MATERIALS Section 2.4 UNITIZATION REQUIREMENTS

Part 1 COMMODITY SPECIFICATIONS

Section 1.1 COMMODITIES A. Quality of Rice Products

Rice products delivered shall meet the specifications of the class and grade offered as defined in the “United States Standards for Milled Rice,” in effect on the date the solicitation is issued. The standards are available at:

http://archive.gipsa.usda.gov/reference-library/standards/ricestandards.pdf. Rice products shall be a US No. 2 or better well milled rice, unless so specified.

(1) Rice products, excluding Brown rice products, produced and delivered shall be enriched.

(2) Rice products of special grades “parboiled light” or “parboiled” which meets class and grade specifications of U.S. No. 1 will only be acceptable for those items specifying “parboiled.” “Parboiled light” or “parboiled” shall not be substitutable for other classes of rice.

(3) Enriched rice products (including “parboiled light” or “parboiled”) shall comply with the standards for enriched rice established by the FDA, in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Chapter 1, Part 137, Subpart B, Section 137.350, which is available at:

http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_01/21cfr137_01.html, except that the optional enrichment ingredients will not be included.

(4) Rice coated with talc and/or glucose, is not acceptable and will be rejected if delivered. No specialty, including but not limited to aromatic rice, will be acceptable unless specified in the solicitation.

B. Brown Rice shall be U.S. No. 1 long grain, medium grain, or short grain brown rice for processing, as defined in the “United States Standards for Brown Rice for Processing,” which is available at http://archive.gipsa.usda.gov/reference-library/standards/ricestandards.pdf, in effect on the date the solicitation is issued.

C. Parboiled brown rice shall be U.S. No. 1 long grain brown rice or U.S. No. 1 medium grain brown rice which has a cooking time which falls within the range of 10 to 28 minutes.

D. All rice products for delivery to destinations in the State of Hawaii shall be U.S.

No. 1 Medium Grain (California grown) only.

E. Rice products for delivery to destinations in the State of Hawaii shall have a zero tolerance for Aeschynomene indica L., more commonly known as Kat sola, Indian joint vetch, Indian vetch seed or Indigo. The Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) will reject products destined for Hawaii which contain any portion of Aeschynomem indica L.

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F. The Government will accept delivery of rice products grading better than the specified contract grade, but no adjustment in contract price will be made for rice products better than the contract grade.

Section 1.2 WARRANTY Product shall not be manufactured more than 30 days prior to shipping.

A. The milled and parboiled rice products delivered shall have a shelf life of six months from the date of manufacture.

B. The brown rice products delivered shall have the following shelf life:

PRODUCT TEMPERATURE SHELF LIFE

Brown Rice 50˚ – 70˚ Fahrenheit 3 months Brown Rice 30˚ – 40˚ Fahrenheit 6 months

Section 1.3 FUMIGATION A. Not more than 10 days prior to packaging, the rice products shall be fumigated with Methyl Bromide or Phostoxin in a quantity and manner which will effect a kill in all stages of weevil or other insect infestation.

B. The contractor shall submit with his invoice for payment, a statement certifying that the rice products were fumigated in accordance with this requirement.

Section 1.4 INSPECTION A. Inspection of the product shall be performed by FGIS. Procedures to follow and a schedule of fees for this service may be obtained at http://www.gipsa.usda.gov/GIPSA/webapp?area=home&subject=grpi&topic=iws -rice, select Official Service Providers. The quality, weight, and packaging of the product shall be evidenced by commodity inspection certificates issued by FGIS.

Contractors are required to notify the Government immediately of lots that fail to meet contract requirements.

B. Contractors shall not ship the product unless informed by FGIS that the containers and markings meet the Acceptable Quality Level (AQL) of the “U.S. Standards for Condition of Food Containers,” which are available at:

http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_04/7cfr42_04.html. Notice by FGIS that a designated lot scheduled for shipment does not meet the AQL will constitute rejection to the contractor of such lot. Except with respect to shipments that do not meet the AQL standards, the contractor may ship the product prior to receipt of the commodity testing and analysis results (when required) in which event the contractor assumes all risks and liabilities that arise with respect to the failure of the shipped product to meet contract specifications.

C. If the product fails to meet contract specifications on one or more factors on the first inspection, the contractor may arrange with FGIS subsequent inspections of the commodity. The inspections may be conducted at origin or a subsequent point

RP4 Page 2 http://www.gipsa.usda.gov/GIPSA/webapp?area=home&subject=grpi&topic=iws-rice http://www.gipsa.usda.gov/GIPSA/webapp?area=home&subject=grpi&topic=iws-rice http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_04/7cfr42_04.html of delivery if the provisions of Title 7 CFR 68.44 through 68.63 issued under the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, as amended, with respect to retest, appeal, and new inspections can be met. When subsequent inspections of the product are made, the results of the last inspection will be used as the basis for payment under the contract.

Section 1.5 “KOSHER ONLY” PRODUCTS “Kosher Only” products will be identified in the solicitation. Kosher only products shall comply with applicable dietary (kosher) laws as established by the “613 Council of Kashruth.” Manufacturing plants shall be certified for compliance with the aforementioned requirement by contacting the Board of Jewish Education of Greater New York (BJENY) at 646-472-5365. A rabbinic supervisor will be sent to certify compliance of the manufacturing plant with the dietary (kosher) laws.

Offeror shall certify that their manufacturing plant is capable of meeting applicable dietary (kosher) laws as established by the “613 Council of Kashruth” and certification by BJENY.

Part 2 CONTAINER AND PACKAGING REQUIREMENTS

Section 2.1 GENERAL This part provides the container specifications and packaging materials requirements used under this contract.

Section 2.2 COMMERCIAL PACKAGING A. Contractors shall supply commercial brand products only and shall certify at the time of submission of an offer that the commercial product being delivered has a history of successful distribution and use in domestic commercial channels and is sold on the commercial market with an established level of consumer acceptance.

B. Container and packaging requirements are those used in the current commercial shipping practices and shall comply with:

(1) Unitization requirements in Section 2.4.

(2) At contractor’s option, a statement such as “Not for Retail Sale” may be printed on the principal display panel of the food label.

(3) The manufacturer’s lot code/lot identification number shall be shown on the commercial bill of lading.

(4) Shipping containers shall be marked to show the maximum safe stacking height. It is the responsibility of the contractor in cooperation with the shipping container manufacturers to determine the safe stacking height.

(5) For identification upon receipt at delivery warehouses, all commercial-labeled product shipping documents shall specify “FOR USDA FOOD

DISTRIBUTION PROGRAMS.”

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Section 2.3 CONTAINERS AND MATERIALS A. All containers and packaging shall be constructed to meet the requirements of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for safe contact with the packaged product. The contractor shall obtain and maintain documentation from the container or packaging material manufacturer to verify that the containers and packaging materials used in this contract were in compliance with the Government’s regulatory requirements for safe contact with food products as required in the Master Solicitation, Part 3, Section A, Number 3.

B. Questions concerning the containers and materials should be directed to:

USDA/FSA/DACO

Room 5755 – South Bldg, STOP 0551 1400 Independence Avenue SW Washington, DC 20250-0551 ATTN: Packaging

C. If the contractor purchases packaging and container ingredients from a foreign country and/or the package and container is manufactured in a foreign country, the package and container SHALL NOT display country of origin labeling. Phrases similar to but not inclusive of, “Made in [Name of Foreign Country.]” or “Product of [Name of Foreign Country.]” are strictly prohibited.

Section 2.4 UNITIZATION REQUIREMENTS Shipments shall comply with the following unitization requirements:

A. Unless otherwise specified by the Government, all shipments of packaged products shall be unitized (palletized and stretch wrapped).

B. Pallets shall be:

(1) Constructed to facilitate the safe handling and transportation of the packaged product, as a unit, without loss or damage.

(2) A Number 2, four-way, reversible flush stringer with no broken runners or slats.

(3) Suitable for use in the shipment of food products.

C. Plastic stretch wrap shall be:

(1) Constructed of a plastic film which is to be stretched a minimum of 50 percent beyond its original length when stretched around the pallet load.

(2) Applied as tightly as possible around all tiers of the palletized shipping containers. The shipping containers shall be held firmly in place by the stretch wrap.

D. Pallet loads shall be:

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(1) Stacked in such a way as to minimize the amount that shipping containers overhang the edges of pallets.

(2) Blocked and braced or otherwise loaded into the conveyance in a manner that prevents shifting during transit.

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