Sunflower Seed Butter CRD April 2026.pdf

Agricultural Marketing Service Commodity Procurement Program 1400 Independence Ave . SW Washington, DC 20250

USDA COMMODITY REQUIREMENTS

SUNFLOWER SEED BUTTER PEANUT & TREE NUT FREE

PRODUCTS

FOR USE IN DOMESTIC PROGRAMS

Effective Date: April 2026

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

USDA COMMODITY REQUIREMENTS

SUNFLOWER SEED BUTTER PEANUT & TREE NUT FREE PRODUCTS

FOR USE IN DOMESTIC PROGRAMS

Table of Contents Part 1 COMMODITY SPECIFICATIONS

Section 1.1 COMMODITIES

Section 1.2 WARRANTY

Section 1.3 KOSHER REQUIREMENTS

Section 1.4 QUALITY ASSURANCE Part 2 CONTAINER AND PACKAGING REQUIREMENTS

Section 2.1 GENERAL

Section 2.2 COMMERCIAL PACKAGING REQUIREMENTS

Section 2.3 MATERIAL CODES

Part 1 COMMODITY SPECIFICATIONS

Section 1.1 COMMODITIES A. The commodities delivered shall meet the requirements as specified in the following Commercial Item Description (CID):

Commercial Item Description Butter, Sunflower Seed A-A-20371 in effect at the date of the solicitation/invitation for bid.

B. Quality of Sunflower Seeds Sunflower seeds used in the manufacture of sunflower seed butter shall be:

(1) Human food quality confectionery kernels and within the requirements of

U.S. Grade No. 2 or better.

(2) Aflatoxin shall not exceed 15 parts per billion (ppb).

(3) 100 percent U.S. origin product in accordance with the contract clause, “United States Origin of Agricultural Products (48 CFR 470.103).

(4) Free of mildew stains, filth, or other extraneous material, and free from bitter, musty, sour, rancid, sprouty, or other objectionable tastes and odors.

(5) From current crop year stocks or as specified in the solicitation.

(6) For oil roasted sunflower seeds, the roasting oil shall be thoroughly refined, deodorized, and free from rancidity and objectionable flavor after heating to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and shall have a free-fatty acid content of not more than .08 percent (as oleic acid) prior to its first use. The roasting oil shall be stabilized using additives of a kind and at levels permitted in edible oil products under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Peanut oil is not permitted.

C. Quality of Sunflower Seed Butter The finished product shall:

(1) Not exceed the microbiological requirements contained in the table below:

Microbiological Standards Salmonella Negative E. Coli <3 MPN/g or

<10 CFU/g Coliform Aerobic Plate Count <10,000 CFU/g Yeast <50 CFU/gram Mold <50 CFU/gram

(2) Meet the requirements contained in the table below:

Per 32g Serving Minimum Maximum

Protein 7g --- Fats --- 16g Moisture --- 4% Peroxide (meq/kg) --- 1.5 Aflatoxin --- 15ppb Sodium --- 128mg1

1 400mg per 100g serving https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/CID%20Butter%2C%20Sunflower%20Seed.pdf https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-48/section-470.103

(3) Be of a stabilized type. Stabilizers shall be derived solely from vegetable sources so as to prevent oil separation. Vegetable oils shall be produced from non-tropical sources. Tropical oils such as, but not limited to, coconut, palm, and palm kernel are not permitted. Peanut oil is not permitted. U.S. origin certification is not required for sweeteners and stabilizers used in the manufacture of the finished product.

(4) Be finely ground and have a smooth texture. The consistency of the finished product shall be such that it spreads uniformly without tearing or breaking fresh white bread and shall be free of any gelatin-like condition.

(5) Be crisp, palatable, and free from bitter, musty, sour, rancid, sprouty, or other objectionable tastes and odors.

(6) Be brown in the color hue as USDA Color 1, USDA Color 2, USDA Color 3, and USDA Color 4 defined in the "United States Standards for Grades of Peanut Butter".

The color intensity, or degree of lightness or darkness, may vary; however, the Government reserves the right to reject products lighter than USDA Color 1, and those darker than USDA Color 4.

(7) Be peanut and tree nut free. There is zero tolerance for peanut and tree nut residue of any type in the finished product. Manufacturers must implement allergen controls in accordance with FDA Regulations 21 CFR 117.35, 40, 80, and 135.

D. Processing and Packaging Equipment Sunflower seed butter shall be processed and packaged using peanut and tree nut free equipment:

(1) No peanut or tree nut products shall be near or around sunflower seeds used in the manufacture of this product (must be manufactured in a peanut/tree nut free facility). Machinery used for the manufacture of peanut or tree nut butter shall not be used to produce sunflower seed butter.

(2) This mandatory requirement does not include any packaging or labeling equipment used after the primary container has been sealed.

(3) Product labels may not include allergen advisory statements.

E. Instructions for color determination

(1) The USDA Color Standards shall be viewed under standard lighting conditions. Compare the color of the USDA color standard with a representative sample of the finished product having an area and depth approximately equal to the color standard (2 inch x 3 inch x 1/8 inch). A suitable light source of approximately 250-foot candle intensity and having a spectral quality approximating that of daylight under a moderately overcast sky and a color temperature of 7500 degrees Kelvin ± 200 degrees is preferable. With a light source directly over the color standard and the product, observation is made at an angle of 45 degrees and at a distance of about 24 inches from the product.

(2) Though the appearance of the finished product should be similar to that of peanut butter, the product should never be directly compared with peanut https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/Peanut_Butter_Standard%5B1%5D.pdf https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/Peanut_Butter_Standard%5B1%5D.pdf https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/part-117 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/part-117 butter given the risk of peanut contamination.

(3) To purchase plastic plates of the USDA Peanut Butter Colors 1, 2, 3 and

4, please see: https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/how-purchase-equipment-and-visual-aids

Section 1.2 WARRANTY The product shall have a shelf life of at least one year from date of manufacture.

Product shall not be manufactured more than 60 days prior to shipping.

Section 1.3 KOSHER REQUIREMENTS A. For Material Code 100935: Sunflower Seed Butter shall be certified

Kosher and include the registered Kashrut certification symbol of the certifying agent on the label. List of acceptable Kosher certifications:

http://oukosher.org/ http://trianglek.org/ http://www.ok.org/ http://www.skskosher.com/ http://www.kof-k.org/ http://www.cor.ca/ http://www.star-k.org/default.htm http://scrollk.org/ http://www.crcweb.org/

B. For Material Code 110073 only: K Sunflower Seed Butter shall comply with applicable dietary (kosher) laws as established by the “613 Va’ad.”

Manufacturing plants shall be certified for compliance with the aforementioned requirement by contacting the Rabbinical Committee at the phone number listed in the New York State (NYS) Kosher Commodities Co-op Resource linked below. Additional information regarding practices and protocols required for kosher certified production for NYS Kosher Commodities Co-op can be found at the following link:

NYS Kosher Commodities Co-op Resource (usda.gov). At no cost to the vendor, 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 Va’ad” and must not bid on these purchase units unless they can be properly certified. Kosher products purchased solely for the #613 Va’ad do not require a symbol on the https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/how-purchase-equipment-and-visual-aids https://www.ams.usda.gov/grades-standards/how-purchase-equipment-and-visual-aids http://oukosher.org/ http://trianglek.org/ http://www.ok.org/ http://www.skskosher.com/ http://www.kof-k.org/ http://www.cor.ca/ http://www.star-k.org/default.htm http://www.star-k.org/default.htm http://scrollk.org/ http://www.crcweb.org/ https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/NewYorkState%28NYS%29KosherCommodities.pdf primary or secondary container.

Section 1.4 QUALITY ASSURANCE

A. The contractor shall perform the product testing and quality analysis to ensure that the product meets the commodity specifications. The results shall be evidenced by a Certificate of Analysis (COA) maintained by the contractor.

USDA requires the contractor to retain the COA for a minimum of seven years from the date of issuance.

B. Contractors shall notify the Government immediately of lots that fail to meet contract requirements.

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 REQUIREMENTS

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) Container, Packaging, and Unitization requirements in the AMS Master Invitation for Bids Domestic Commodity Procurement (MIFB- D).

(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.”

https://www.ams.usda.gov/selling-food/solicitations

Section 2.3 MATERIAL CODES

Material Code Product Description Cases Per Truck Net Weight Per Truck

100935 Sunflower Seed Butter, Smooth 6/5-lb.

1,232 36,960 lbs.

110073 K Sunflower Seed Butter, Smooth 6/5-lb.

1,232 36,960 lbs.