FPPS - Wild Caught Catfish Fillets 060624 DRAFT.pdf

DRAFT

FEDERAL PURCHASE

PROGRAM

SPECIFICATION (FPPS)

FOR FRESHWATER

WILD-CAUGHT

CATFISH FILLETS,

UNBREADED, RAW,

FROZEN

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Livestock and Poultry (LP) Program

Standards and Specification Division (SSD) Room 2628-S, STOP 0258

Phone: (202) 690-3148

Effective: xxxxxxx 2024

Approved by DRD.

Date Issued: XXXXXX Date Revised: N/A

100 Item Description

110 Freshwater Wild-Caught Catfish (WCC) Fillets, Unbreaded, Raw, Frozen

110.1

201.1

Catfish fillet portions shall be derived from wild-caught freshwater blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus).

Portion Weight – The weight for WCC fillet or fillet portions shall be 4.0 ounces.

Packing – The catfish fillets or fillet portions shall be packaged in four (4) 10-pound, five (5) 8-pound, eight (8) 5-pound, or twenty (20) 2-pound immediate containers and placed into shipping containers weighing 40 pounds.

Delivery Unit – Each delivery unit shall consist of 950 shipping containers with a net weight of 38,000 pounds.

Checklist of Requirement

All processing facilities used in fulfilling USDA contracts shall be a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS), Approved Establishment. For information regarding FSIS Inspection Service, see the following web site address: https://www.fsis.usda.gov

The contractor’s technical proposal, submitted to the Standards and Specification Division (SSD), shall adhere to the following checklist requirements.

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/

Approved by DRD.

Date Issued: XXXXXX Date Revised: N/A 2

210.1

210.2

210.3

Materials

Contractors’ technical proposal shall describe in detail the necessary processing steps and may be supported with digital images, to comply with the requirements below.

Residue Prevention – Harvest and production establishments shall have mandatory seafood Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system as required in 9 CFR 417 & 417.2 to control veterinary drug, pesticide, and environmental & chemical contaminant residues per FSIS regulations.

Information is available in the FSIS Compliance Guide for Establishments that Slaughter or Further Process Siluriform Fish and Fish Products – March 2017 (https://www.fsis.usda.gov/guidelines/2017-0003).

Processors shall confirm and document with suppliers that incoming fish (raw material) be harvested only from waters that permit commercial fishing of wild-caught freshwater blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus).

Fish Flesh

211.1 Domestic Origin of Fish Flesh –

211.1.1 Only wild-caught blue catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) produced in the United States (U.S.) shall be used. U.S. produced catfish shall be wild-caught fish harvested on U.S. waters on U.S. registered fishing vessels and processed in processing facilities based in the U.S. or U.S. Territories as defined in the AMS Master Solicitation for Commodity Procurements – Domestic Programs (MSCP-D) and Supplement.

211.2 Fresh Only – Only fresh (not previously frozen) catfish shall be allowed.

211.3 Flesh Characteristics - The catfish flesh shall have characteristics of good quality with minimal workmanship defects, including, but not limited to, flavor, texture, and odor and shall be evaluated during the prototype review.

211.4 Fillets – The end item will be derived from fish no greater than 30-inches in length and shall consist of boneless, trimmed, catfish fillets or fillet portions (without belly-flap section).

211.5 Objectionable Materials - The contractor shall identify and develop a strategy and have a written quality plan to effectively remove all bones, skin, organs, tails, fins, and foreign materials.

211.6 Added Ingredients – Catfish enhanced with added ingredients is prohibited.

Date Revised: N/A 3

212 Finished Product Requirements

212.1 Portion Weight – During production, the target portion weight for catfish fillets or fillet portions shall be 4.0 ounces. Quality assurance plans shall apply upper and lower specification limits of 5.0 and 3.0 ounces, respectively.

212.1.1 Portion weight compliance will be determined by the contractor. The contractors’ technical proposal shall describe the quality assurance steps taken to ensure this requirement is met.

212.2 Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) – The catfish fillets or fillet portions shall be IQF, so the individual fillets do not stick together. Glazing, in accordance with USDA requirements, is permitted. Catfish fillets or fillet portions shall be stored, shipped, and delivered at temperatures that does not exceed 0°F.

213 Preparation/Cooking Methods

213.1 Handling, preparation and cooking instructions for the end user shall be declared and appear on the individual bags (immediate container).

214 Metal Detection

214.1 Metal Detection - All products shall be free of metal contaminants. Detection of stainless steel, ferrous, and non-ferrous (e.g., lead, copper, and aluminum) metals is required. The contractor's technical proposal shall identify and describe the equipment, location, detection procedure, sensitivity levels, frequency of equipment validation, and corrective action procedures.

220 Preparation for Delivery

221 Packaging and Packing

221.1 Packaging – All immediate containers shall function as a tamper evidence indicator to provide added assurance of product integrity through the method of sealing or closure. The immediate container (individual bags) shall be closed by heat seal and may be commercially marked.

221.1.1 2-pound packages – 2-pound immediate containers shall be resealable.

221.2 Packing1/ – Four (4) 10-pound, five (5) 8-pound, eight (8) 5-pound, or twenty (20) 2-pound packages shall be packed in a 40-pound (net weight) shipping container.

221.3 Shipping Container - The shipping containers (cases) shall be in compliance with the National Motor Freight Classification or Uniform Freight Classification.

1/The contracting officer shall designate the packaging orientation permitted for each solicitation.

Date Revised: N/A 4

221.4 Style and Size of Container – Only one size and style of immediate and shipping container may be offered in an individual delivery unit.

221.4.1 Shipping containers shall be closed by strapping, taping, or gluing. When strapping is used, the initial closure (usually the bottom of container) shall be secured by the gluing or taping method.

222.1

Labeling

Processor shall meet all labeling laws. Both immediate and shipping containers shall be labeled to include all information required by FSIS regulations, be illustrated in the contractor’s technical proposal, and contain the required information listed below.

222.2 Immediate Container – The following information shall be on each bag:

222.2.1 Product name.

222.2.2 Manufacturer name and address.

222.2.3 Ingredient declaration.

222.2.4 The allergen statement shall be provided in the format which complies with the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) and the Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research (FASTER) Act which define milk, egg, fish, Crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, soybeans, and sesame as well as any food ingredient that contains protein derived from one of these foods, with the exception of highly refined oils, as “major food allergens.”; e.g. Contains: _________.

222.2.5 A traceability code that includes information regarding production establishment, production lot and production date.

222.2.6 Nutrition Facts panel based on actual nutritional analysis of the product.

222.2.7 Cooking Instructions.

222.2.8 Safe handling instructions.

222.2.9 2-pound packages – Labels for the 2-pound packages shall include at least one color, other than black and white, exclusive of the package color.

Date Revised: N/A 5

222.3 Shipping Container –The following information shall be on each case:

222.3.1 USDA Shield – The Shield shall be at least 2-inches high and shall appear on top or on the principal display panel of each shipping container or on a label affixed to the shipping container.

222.3.2 The applicable purchase order number.

222.3.3 A traceability code that includes information regarding production establishment, production lot and production date.

222.3.4 A nutrition facts panel based on actual nutritional analysis of the product.

222.3.5 Safe handling and cooking instructions (optional).

222.3.6 Material Number – XXXXXX

222.3.7 Product name – CATFISH FILLETS, WILD, UNBREADED, RAW, FROZEN

222.3.8 The allergen statement shall be provided in the format which complies with the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) and the Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education, and Research (FASTER) Act which define milk, egg, fish, Crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts,soybeans, and sesame as well as any food ingredient that contains protein derived from one of these foods, with the exception of highly refined oils, as “major food allergens.”; e.g. Contains: _________.

222.3.9 Ingredient declaration.

223 Palletized Unit Loads

223.1 All products shall be stacked on new or well-maintained pallets and palletized with shrink wrap plastic, unless otherwise specified in the invitation. Pallet loads shall be stacked in a manner that minimizes the overhang of the shipping containers over the edges of the pallets and exposes each shipping container’s principal display panel to facilitate certification examinations.

Date Revised: N/A 6

231.1

231.2

Product Assurance

Quality Assurance

Facilities used in fulfilling USDA contracts shall operate in accordance with all applicable FSIS regulations. All catfish fillets (frozen) shall be produced under continuous FSIS inspection.

Verification of Raw Material Requirements for Domestic Origin – Contractors shall provide documentation (e.g., a Letter of Conformance, etc.) from their suppliers for all raw material wild-caught catfish used to produce finished products. The documentation shall include the name and location of the raw fish supplier and verification that the raw catfish meets the domestic origin requirements as defined in the Master Solicitation. The raw material receiving documentation shall provide sufficient information to enable traceability that demonstrates compliance with the above requirements. Routine audits conducted by the Quality Assessment Division will verify adherence to the raw material requirements for traceability and domestic origin.

Delivered Product

232.1 Delivery Unit - Each delivery unit shall consist of 950 shipping containers with a net weight of 38,000 pounds.

232.2 Sealing – All products shall be delivered to AMS assigned destinations, including multi-stop deliveries, under seal(s) with tamper proof, tamper resistant, serially numbered seals as required under the current AMS

MSCP-D.

233 Warranty and Complaint Resolution

233.1 Warranty – The contractor shall guarantee that the product complies with all contractual requirements.

233.2 Complaint Resolution – Customer complaint resolution procedures shall be developed by the contractor. The contractor’s technical proposal shall provide the steps taken to resolve complaints received on the product, i.e., point of contact, cause and effect analysis, product replacement, monetary compensation and corrective and preventative actions taken.

240 Non-Conforming Product

241.1 The contractor shall include a plan and supporting documentation to assure that non-conforming product is not delivered under USDA contracts. The plan shall address 1) control and segregation of non-conforming product, 2) removal of any USDA markings, and 3) disposition of non-conforming product, including vendor documentation of final disposition (e.g., diverted to commercial production, cooked, or destroyed).

Date Revised: N/A 7

250 Contractor Checkloading

251 Contractor shall perform checkloading examinations at the time of shipment and issue a contractor’s certificate to accompany each shipment that includes all of the following information:

251.1 Purchase Order Number/Purchase Order Line-Item Number;

251.2 Sales Order Number/Sales Order Line-Item Number;

251.3 Destination of shipment;

251.4 Name of Product and applicable Material Number;

251.5 Shipping Date;

251.6 Production lot number(s) and date each lot was produced along with shipping container and immediate container code(s) and the code used that provides traceability to establishment number, production lot and date;

251.7 Count of shipping containers and total projected net weight in each production lot and delivery unit;

251.8 Identity of car or transportation trailer numbers, letters, license, etc., including all serially numbered door seal(s), as applicable;

251.9 Contractor certification that product conforms with the applicable specification

(FPPS-WCC-2024);

251.10 Count and projected net weight verified and;

251.11 Signature of company official responsible for checkloading.