Supplement 304 Frozen Pork Roast and Chops - May 2026.pdf

Approved by DRD Date Issued: 06/10/11 Date Revised: 04/16/26 1

APPROVED

Supplement 304 to the AMS Master Invitation for Purchase of Pork Loin Roast and Pork Loin Chops, Center Cut, Boneless, Frozen for Distribution to Federal Food and Nutrition Assistance Programs Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Livestock and Poultry (LP) Program Standards and Specifications Division (SSD) Room 2702-S, STOP 0249 Phone: (202) 690-3148

Supersedes: Supplement 304 August 2017 – changes from previous requirements in blue

Effective: May 2026

100 Overview

110 This document provides additional program requirements for the purchase of Pork Loin Roast and Pork Loin Chops, Center Cut, Boneless, Frozen by the Department of Agriculture (USDA), including the applicable Federal Purchase Program Specification (FPPS) (Exhibit A and A1).

200 Instructions to Potential Contractors

210 The Pork Loin Roast and Pork Loin Chops, Center Cut, Boneless, Frozen shall be purchased on a competitive bid basis from qualified contractors who have met the requirements described in this Section. Interested contractors may submit sample(s) and a technical proposal at any time during the purchase program. Contractors should allow 10 working days, from USDA’s receipt of the product sample(s) and technical proposal for notification of evaluation results. A contractor is deemed eligible upon notification of approval of the sample(s) and technical proposal by the Standards and Specifications Division.

220 Submission of sample(s) and a technical proposal is not binding on USDA. Actual purchases shall be described in the AMS Master Invitation for Bids - Domestic Commodity Procurement (MIFB-D) and Solicitations.

230 Documentation Requirements

231 Technical Proposal Requirement

Date Revised: 04/16/26 2

231.1 Include a detailed description of the Pork Loin Roast and Pork Loin Chops, Center Cut, Boneless, Frozen offered and each of the technical proposals that are taken to meet or exceed the minimum product requirements set forth in the FPPS. (Plan/Do)

231.2 Describe all the quality assurance methods used to verify conformance to all requirements. This shall include the monitoring and measurements taken during the process to verify conformance with each requirement. All measurement results shall be recorded and made available to AMS. (Check)

231.3 Identify all corrective actions to be taken if deviations from contractual and specification requirements occur during production, and all preventative actions to be taken to preclude a reoccurrence. (Act)

231.4 The technical proposal shall follow the format as shown in Exhibit C. Technical proposals should be brief and concise.

231.5 The technical proposal shall be preceded by the following, as required by the template:

231.5.1 Table of Contents listing the major areas as they appear in the technical proposal; and

231.5.2 List of attachments, forms provided with the technical proposal, if appropriate with the applicable document name and reference number.

232 The SSD shall review each technical proposal to determine if the proposal is adequate and shall notify the contractor of the status of its technical proposal and its eligibility to bid.

233 Animal Welfare Requirements

233.1 All contractors and subcontractors shall meet the animal handling and welfare requirements set forth in the Federal Purchase Program Specification (FPPS) For Animal Handling and Welfare, effective April 2025 (Exhibit B).

300 Instructions for Submission of Technical Proposal

310 The following procedures establish the acceptable minimum requirements for the format and content of the technical proposal:

310.1 The Government has provided a technical proposal format which is to be used in preparing the technical proposal (see Exhibit C). The contractor shall submit the technical proposal as an email file attachment to AMS (Darin.Doerscher@usda.gov and TechnicalApprovals@usda.gov).

The technical proposal shall be saved in a non-portable document file format (not PDF; e.g., Microsoft Word). The technical proposal shall be submitted in its entirety. If the file size of the technical proposal is too large to send in a single email, it may be divided and sent in multiple emails (i.e., Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, etc.). The collection of attachments and appendices may be submitted as a separate document as well.

310.2 The technical proposal shall be submitted by an authorized agent of the company.

mailto:Darin.Doerscher@usda.gov mailto:TechnicalApprovals@usda.gov

Date Revised: 04/16/26 3

310.3 While it is not the desire of the Government to penalize an offeror for non-compliance with formatting instructions, technical evaluators may have difficulty evaluating the technical proposal to the fullest extent possible if the proposal is not presented in the proper format.

Technical evaluators shall not be required to search other subsections or sections of the offeror’s technical proposal for information requested in the evaluation.

320 Technical Proposal Revisions

321 Changes to a contractor’s technical proposal may be submitted at any time or at the request of the

SSD. All technical proposal revisions shall meet the following criteria:

321.1 Any changes to a technical proposal made by the contractor after its initial submittal shall be accomplished by submitting an entire technical proposal. A cover letter shall be submitted with the changes identified and an explanation of the need for the change. The contractor shall include the revision date and the appropriate page number(s).

321.2 Changes from the original technical proposal shall be highlighted and deletions in strikeouts.

400 Food Defense

410 Food Defense Requirements – Refer to Section 452.246-70 of the MIFB-D for Commodity Procurements.

420 Regardless of the contract compliance service utilized for the contract (see section 500), the

USDA, AMS, LP Quality Assessment Division (QAD) shall conduct a food defense audit on the contractor’s and/or subcontractor’s documented and operational Food Defense Plan for approval.

430 A QAD-approved Food Defense Plan is required prior to the bid opening date for submitted bids to be considered.

500 AMS Contract Compliance

510 The contractor may request to use either AMS’s QAD Grading-based Monitoring and Certification service or QAD Audit-based Verification service, for assessing contract compliance of the finished product. AMS will seek to honor the request but reserves the right to make a final determination Once an option is implemented, the contractor shall remain under that service until completion of the contract, at which time it may request a change in oversight option for any subsequent contract

520 The cost of all audits, grading and certification services performed by the AMS agents shall be borne by the contractor. This includes, but is not limited to, audits, examinations, supervision, official documentation, and related services.

Date Revised: 04/16/26 4

530 Questions concerning charges and the availability of AMS agents can be directed to a USDA/AMS, LP Program’s QAD field office or to:

USDA, AMS, LP, QAD Business Operations Branch, 1200 Cherry Brook Drive, Suite 100, Little Rock, AR 72211 phone: 501-312-2962 email: QAD.BusinessOps@usda.gov

540 Option A: QAD Grading-Based Monitoring and Certification

540.1 Monitoring of production and processing and product certification shall be conducted through the direct continuous supervision of a USDA grader in accordance with the requirements listed in the FPPS and AMS/LP/QAD Policies and Procedures for certifying USDA commodity foods. A technical proposal is not required to be submitted when the contractor is operating under Option A. Pork raw materials will be subjected to QAD audit-based verification and the pork raw material supplier is required to submit a technical proposal.

540.2 Pre-Production Onsite Plant Survey

540.2.1 QAD shall contact the contractor to set up a pre-production plant survey and discuss production and certification requirements.

540.3 Post-Award Monitoring and Certification

540.3.1 The USDA grader shall be present at all times during production and processing of the commodity food.

540.3.2 The USDA Grader may select samples for laboratory analyses or inspect the commodity at any point in transit and after delivery to point of destination.

540.3.3 The contractor shall perform checkloading examinations as described in the FPPS at the time of shipment and issue a Contractor’s Checkloading Certificate & Certificate of Conformance to accompany each shipment.

540.3.4 The AMS Grader shall be responsible for certification of compliance with the requirements of the FPPS for raw material, formulation, marinating, cooking, freezing, packaging and packing, metal detection, labeling and marking and net weight.

mailto:QAD.BusinessOps@usda.gov

Date Revised: 04/16/26 5

550 Option B: Audit-Based Verification

550.1 Verification of production and processing shall be conducted through routine audits performed by QAD according to the suppliers’ and contractor’s approved technical proposal (see section 1000 Technical Proposal Requirements) and the applicable FPPS. Poultry raw materials will be subjected to the QAD grading-based certification process prior to being utilized to manufacture finished products.

550.1.1 Interested contractors may submit sample(s) and a technical proposal at any time during the purchase program. Contractors should allow 10 working days, from USDA’s receipt of the product sample(s) and technical proposal for notification of evaluation results. A contractor is deemed eligible upon notification of approval of the sample(s) and technical proposal by the

SSD.

550.1.2 Once a contractor is notified by the SSD that the technical proposal meets the applicable criteria, QAD shall contact the contractor to set up a pre-award onsite capability assessment audit.

550.2 Pre-Award Onsite Capability Assessment Audit

550.2.1 QAD shall conduct an onsite capability assessment that shall consist of reviewing:

550.2.2 Food Defense Requirements – Refer to Section 400 of this Supplement;

550.2.3 Production of the commodity that complies with the applicable FPPS and approved technical proposal;

550.2.4 Records related to purchasing, receiving, production, quality control, inventory, shipping; and

550.2.5 Interviews with management and production personnel.

550.2.6 Upon completion and if necessary, due to time constraints QAD may provide the

SSD either with a verbal or email notification of the audit findings. SSD shall notify the contractor of their status based on the audit findings as well as QAD and the Commodity Procurement Program (CP). The official final audit report shall be sent to the contractor once released from QAD.

550.2.7 After bid opening, CP shall contact QAD and SSD to determine that contractors have met all requirements to deem the bids responsive or non-responsive.

550.2.8 Bids that are determined to be non-responsive bids, CP shall notify the contractor(s) directly.

Date Revised: 04/16/26 6

550.3 Post-Award Assessment Audit

550.3.1 Contractors who receive contracts shall have their required documentation readily available for review upon request by SSD, QAD, or other AMS agents. Records may be maintained in hard copy or electronic media. However, records maintained as electronic media shall be made available in printed form immediately upon request.

550.3.2 QAD shall conduct an onsite audit of the contractor’s and subcontractor’s facilities and processes when production commences for the first contract awarded. Additional audits, and their frequency, shall be conducted as determined by the QAD, but not less than once per month for contractors or subcontractors with continuous or multiple contracts, or once per contract for intermittent contractors. At the discretion of the QAD, more frequent audits may be conducted when audit deficiencies are detected.

550.4 Post-Award Actions

550.4.1 Any deviation from contractual requirements shall be immediately reported by the contractor to the Contracting Officer and SSD. The Contracting Officer or SSD shall notify the contractor regarding eligibility to continue to participate as a contractor.

550.4.2 Contractor shall ensure that the delivered product complies with the provisions of the

FPPS, the applicable assessment by USDA, and the contractor’s technical proposal approved by the SSD.

550.4.3 In the instance that any non-conformance is cited by the USDA auditor, or when a complaint is received by commodity recipient agencies, the supplier or contractor shall submit a cause-and-effect analysis and corrective actions to address the non-conformance or complaint.

600 Domestic Origin Certification Clause

610 The contractor agrees to include this domestic origin certification clause in its entirety in all subcontracts for meat or meat products used in fulfilling any contracts awarded under this Supplement and MIFB-D. The burden of proof of compliance is on the Contractor. All raw materials shall be shipped in containers labeled as “Domestic Only Product” on the principal display panel and the bill of lading accompanying the shipment shall contain the statement “Domestic Only Product.”

700 Certificate Of Conformance (COC)

710 In addition to the referenced payment documents required in the MIFB-D, please include a copy of the Contractor’s Certificate of Conformance (Exhibit D).

Date Revised: 04/16/26 7

800 Contractor Checkloading

810 The contractor shall perform checkloading examinations as described in the FPPS at the time of shipment and issue contractor’s certificate to accompany each shipment that includes all of the following information:

810.1 Purchase Order Number and Purchase Order Line-Item Number;

810.2 Sales Order and Sales Order Item Number;

810.3 Destination of shipment;

810.4 Name of product and applicable material number;

810.5 Shipping Date;

810.6 Production lot number(s) and date each lot was produced along with shipping case and primary package code(s) and the code used that provides traceability to establishment number, production lot and date;

810.7 Count of shipping cases and total projected net weight in each production lot and delivery unit;

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

810.9 Product temperature at time of loading to final destination;

810.10 Contractor certification that product conforms with the FPPS;

810.11 Count and projected net weight verified; and

810.12 Signature of company official responsible for checkloading.

900 Exhibits

APPROVED

Federal Purchase Program Specification (FPPS) for Pork Loin Roast, Boneless, Frozen Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Livestock and Poultry (LP) Program Standards and Specifications Division (SSD) Room 2702-S, STOP 0249 Phone: (202) 690-3148

Supersedes: FPPS Pork Loin Roast dated November 2018 – changes from previous requirements in blue

Effective: May 2026

Date Issued: 8/22/18 Date Revised: 04/16/26 1

100 Item Description

110 Pork Loin Roast (PLR), Boneless, Frozen – This item is as described in the

Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications (IMPS) Item Number 413A, Purchaser Specified Option (PSO) 3. Individual boneless roast units shall not be marinated, weigh 3.5 – 6.5 pounds, and be vacuum packaged.

200 Applicable Documents

210 IMPS for Fresh Pork - Series 400, effective November 2014.

300 Checklist of Requirements

310 All items shall be produced in accordance with Food Safety and Inspection

Service (FSIS) regulations. The contractor’s technical proposal, submitted to the Standards and Specifications Division (SSD), shall adhere to the following

Checklist of Requirements. A technical proposal is not required to be submitted when the contractor is operating under the Quality Assessment Division (QAD) Grading-based Monitoring and Certification service option (See Section 1120).

Supplement 304 to AMS Master Invitation Exhibit A

Date Revised: 04/16/26 2

400 Materials

410 The contractor’s production plan shall include procedures to address conformance with the following material requirements.

420 Meat Component

421 Pork derived from hog carcasses shall be the only meat component allowed. Pork derived from boar and sow carcasses is not permissible.

422 Domestic Origin – All meat shall originate from livestock that are born, raised, and harvested in the United States, its territories or possessions (U.S.). If the establishment receives and processes livestock from outside the U.S., a segregation plan shall be put in place to preclude non-conforming product from being introduced into federal nutrition assistance programs

423 Harvesting (Slaughter) – Hogs shall be harvested in facilities that comply with the following requirements:

423.1 Humane Handling – Hogs shall be humanely handled in accordance with all applicable FSIS regulations and AMS requirements.

423.2 Non-Ambulatory Disabled Animals – Meat from carcasses of non-ambulatory disabled livestock will not be included in USDA Purchase Programs.

423.3 Spinal Cord Removal – All spinal cord tissue shall be removed during the harvesting process.

424 Pork – Pork shall comply with the following requirements:

424.1 Traceability – Contractors are responsible for providing sufficient product traceability and shall have records to verify the source of raw materials used in each lot of product.

424.2 Handling – All pork shall be maintained in excellent condition. The contractor’s production plan shall include detailed production scheduling that addresses time and temperature controls necessary to maintain excellent condition of the pork.

424.3 Lean Quality – Fresh-chilled pork shall be reasonably uniform in color (slightly two-tone color is permissible) ranging from light pink to red. The pork muscles shall not exhibit any evidence of pale, soft, and/or exudative conditions.

424.4 Objectionable Materials – Pork shall be free of skin, bone, cartilage, organ tissue, significant glandular tissue, heavy connective tissue and foreign materials.

Date Revised: 04/16/26 3

425 Mechanical Separation – Pork that is mechanically separated from bone with automatic deboning systems or advanced lean (meat) recovery (AMR) systems is not allowed.

500 Processing

511 Processing Date – Pork loin roasts shall be processed into finished product form no more than 60 days prior to shipment.

512 IMPS Accordance - Pork loin roasts shall be produced as outlined in Section 100 –

Item Descriptions and as defined in IMPS Item Number 413A, PSO 3.

512.1 Pork loin roasts shall have the belly strap removed.

514 Weight – Individual pork loin roasts shall weigh 3.5 - 6.5 pounds each.

530 Metal Detection

530.1 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.

Validation must be performed with all three metals during each testing interval.

530.2 The contractor's production plan shall identify and describe the equipment, location, detection procedure, sensitivity levels, frequency of equipment validation, and corrective action procedures.

600 Finished Product Limitations

610 The declared serving size, fat content and sodium level shall be stated on the nutrition facts panel on each label according to FSIS nutritional labeling regulations.

611 Fat

612 The fat content of the finished product shall not exceed 10 percent.

613 (Declared Fat [g] / Declared Serving Size [grams; Reference Amount Customarily

Consumed] X 100) ≤ 10 percent.

614 External (subcutaneous) fat thickness of individual pork loin roasts shall be an average of one-eighth (⅛) in. (3 mm) with the maximum thickness at any one point not to exceed one-quarter (¼) in. (6mm).

Date Revised: 04/16/26 4

620 Sodium

621 Sodium level shall not exceed 70 mg per 100-gram basis

622 (Declared Sodium Level [mg] X 100) / (Declared Serving Size [grams; Reference

Amount Customarily Consumed]) ≤ 70.

700 State of Refrigeration

710 Pork loin roasts shall be frozen to an internal temperature of not higher than 0°F (-17.8°C) within 72 hours from the time of final fabrication of the production lot.

800 Preparation for Delivery

810 Packaging

811 Individual pork loin roasts (3.5 – 6.5) shall be placed into a flexible primary package and vacuum packed.

820 Packing

821 Six (6) individual pork loin roasts (3.5 - 6.5 pounds each) shall be packed per shipping case with a net weight of 30 ± 4 pounds.

830 Labeling

831 The shipping cases shall be in compliance with the National Motor Freight

Classification, or the Uniform Freight Classification, as applicable. Both the primary package and shipping cases shall be labeled to include all information required by FSIS regulations, be illustrated in the contractor’s production plan, and contains the following information:

832 Primary Package Labels – labels shall be commercially labeled (e.g. “Brand X”) and contain the following information:

832.1 Product name;

832.2 Manufacturer name and address;

832.3 Ingredient declaration (including single ingredient products);

Date Revised: 04/16/26 5

832.4 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: _________;

For additional information refer to the FSIS Compliance Guidance at:

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/import/Allergens-Ingredients.pdf

832.5 A traceability code that includes information regarding production establishment, production date and production lot;

832.6 Nutrition Facts panel based on actual nutritional analysis of the product;

832.7 Cooking Instructions;

832.8 Safe handling instructions; and

832.9 A “Best-If-Used-By” date that is 365 calendar days from the date of production.

833 Shipping Case Labels – Shipping case labels will contain the following information:

833.1 USDA shield at least 2 inches high and appearing on the top or on the principal display panel of each case or a label affixed to the shipping case;

833.2 Applicable purchase order number;

833.3 A traceability code that is traced back to establishment number, production lot, and date;

833.4 A nutrition facts panel based on actual nutritional analysis of the product;

833.5 Material number: 111940;

833.6 Product Name: Pork Loin Roast, Boneless, Frozen; and

https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/guidance-industry-questions-and-answers-regarding-food-allergen-labeling-edition-5 https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/guidance-industry-questions-and-answers-regarding-food-allergen-labeling-edition-5 https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/guidance-industry-questions-and-answers-regarding-food-allergen-labeling-edition-5

Date Revised: 04/16/26 6

833.7 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:

For additional information refer to the FSIS Compliance Guidance at:

840 Closure

841 Shipping cases 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.

850 Palletized Unit Loads

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

900 Delivery Unit

910 Each delivery unit shall consist of 1280 cases (7,680 individual pork loin roasts) with a net weight not to exceed 40,000 lbs.

1000 Delivered Product

1010 Size and Style

1011 Only one size and style of primary package and shipping case shall be offered in an individual shipping unit.

1020 Temperature

1021 All products shall not exceed 0°F at the time of loading, throughout shipment, and at delivery.

https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/guidance-industry-questions-and-answers-regarding-food-allergen-labeling-edition-5 https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/guidance-industry-questions-and-answers-regarding-food-allergen-labeling-edition-5

Date Revised: 04/16/26 7

1030 Sealing

1031 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 MIFB-D. The seal number(s) must be recorded on the Bill of Lading (BOL) and correspond with the applied seal at the time of arrival at each destination when destined for multiple recipients.

1100 Product Assurance

1110 Warranty and Complaint Resolution

1111 Warranty – The contractor shall guarantee that the product complies with all contractual requirements required under the Master Invitation and the Supplement.

1112 Complaint Resolution – The contractor’s production plan shall provide steps taken to resolve complaints received on the product (i.e. point of contact, cause and effect analysis, corrective and preventative actions taken, and product replacement).

1120 AMS Monitoring and Production Assessment

1121 The contractor may request to use either AMS’s QAD Grading Based Monitoring and Certification service or QAD Audit-Based Verification service, for assessing contract compliance of the finished product.

1122 If the contractor uses the AMS QAD Grading-Based Monitoring and Certification service, it shall be implemented in accordance with Section 540 Supplement 304.

1123 The contractor’s technical proposal shall specify that the AMS QAD Audit based Verification service option will be used.

1130 Non-Conforming Product

1131 The contractor shall have documented procedures that assure nonconforming product identification, segregation, and disposition in order to prevent misuse and that nonconforming product is not delivered to USDA. The plan must 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, or destroyed).

Date Revised: 04/16/26 8

1132 The Contractor shall be deemed ineligible to supply to USDA purchase programs (while under contract) should one of the following circumstances arise:

1132.1 The Contractor is subject to a Class I recall for Pork Items; and

1132.2 The Contractor’s supplier for any ingredient is subject to a Class I recall for that ingredient.

1133 The Contractor shall be ineligible until it:

1133.1 Submits a written corrective action to the SSD;

1133.2 The SSD approves the written corrective action;

1133.3 The Quality Assessment Division verifies implementation of the written corrective action through an onside audit.

1140 Contractor Checkloading

1141 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:

1141.1 Purchase Order Number and Purchase Order Line Item Number;

1141.2 Sales Order Number and Sales Order Line Item Number;

1141.3 Destination of shipment;

1141.4 Name of Product and applicable Material Number;

1141.5 Shipping Date;

1141.6 The information required for traceability includes the production lot number(s) and the corresponding production date for each lot. Additionally, the shipping case and primary package code(s) must be provided, along with the code that facilitates traceability back to the establishment number, production lot, and date;

1141.7 Count of shipping cases and total projected net weight in each production lot, and delivery unit;

Date Revised: 04/16/26 9

1141.8 Identity of car or transportation trailer numbers, letters, license, etc., including all serially numbered door seal(s), as applicable;

1141.9 Contractor certification that product conforms with the applicable specification

(FPPS-PLR-2026);

1141.10 Count and projected net weight verified;

1141.11 Product temperature at time of loading to final destination; and

1141.12 Signature of company official responsible for checkloading.

APPROVED

Federal Purchase Program Specification (FPPS) for Pork Loin Chops, Center Cut Boneless, Frozen Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Livestock and Poultry (LP) Program Standards and Specifications Division (SSD) Room 2702-S, STOP 0249 Phone: (202) 690-3148

Supersedes: FPPS Pork Loin Chops dated July 2017 – changes from previous requirements in blue

Effective: May 2026

Approved by DRD 1 Date Issued: 04/26/13 Date Revised: 04/16/2026

100 Item Description

110 Pork Loin Chops (PLC), Center Cut, Boneless, Frozen – This item is as described in the Institutional Meat Purchase Specifications (IMPS) Item Number 1413 PSO 1.

Individual boneless chops shall not be marinated and weigh four (4) oz. (114g) +/-one-half (½) oz. (14g), exhibit a tail length of ≤ one (1) in. (26mm) and be frozen prior to packaging.

200 Applicable Documents

210 IMPS for Fresh Pork - Series 400, effective November 2014.

300 Checklist of Requirements

310 All items shall be produced in accordance with Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) regulations. The contractor’s technical proposal, submitted to the Standards and Specifications Division (SSD), shall adhere to the following Checklist of Requirements. A technical proposal is not required to be submitted when the contractor is operating under the (Quality Assessment Division (QAD) Grading-based Monitoring and Certification service option (See Section 1120).

Supplement 304 to AMS Master Invitation Exhibit A1

Date Issued: 04/26/13 Date Revised: 04/16/2026 2

400 Materials

410 The contractor’s technical proposal must include procedures to address conformance with the following material requirements.

420 Meat Component

421 Pork derived from hog carcasses will be the only meat component allowed. Pork derived from boar and sow carcasses is not permissible.

422 Domestic Origin – All meat shall originate from livestock that are born, raised, and harvested in the United States, its territories or possessions (U.S.) If the establishment receives and processes livestock from outside the U.S., a segregation plan shall be put in place to preclude non-conforming product from being introduced into federal nutrition assistance programs.

423 Harvesting (Slaughter) – Hogs will be harvested in facilities that comply with the following requirements:

423.1 Humane Handling – Hogs will be humanely handled in accordance with all applicable FSIS regulations and AMS requirements.

423.2 Non-Ambulatory Disabled Animals – Meat from carcasses of non-ambulatory disabled livestock will not be included in USDA Purchase Programs.

423.3 Spinal Cord Removal – All spinal cord tissue will be removed during the harvesting process.

424 Pork – Pork must comply with the following requirements:

424.1 Traceability – Contractors are responsible for providing sufficient product traceability and must have records to verify the source of raw materials used in each lot of product.

424.2 Handling – All pork must be maintained in excellent condition. The contractor’s technical proposal shall include detailed production scheduling that addresses time and temperature controls necessary to maintain excellent condition of the pork.

424.3 Lean Quality – Fresh-chilled pork must be reasonably uniform in color (slightly two-tone color is permissible) ranging from light pink to red. The pork muscles must not exhibit any evidence of pale, soft, and/or exudative conditions.

Date Revised: 04/16/2026 3

424.4 Objectionable Materials – Pork will be free of skin, bone, cartilage, organ tissue, significant glandular tissue, heavy connective tissue and foreign materials.

425 Mechanical Separation – Pork that is mechanically separated from bone with automatic deboning systems or advanced lean (meat) recovery (AMR) systems is not allowed.

500 Processing

510 The contractor’s technical proposal shall describe the necessary processing steps

(including pictures) to comply with the items below.

511 Processing Date – Pork chops will be processed into finished product form no more than 30 days prior to shipment.

512 IMPS Accordance - Pork chops will be produced as outlined in Section 100 – Item

Descriptions and as defined in IMPS Item Number 1413, PSO 1.

513 Freezing/Tempering - To facilitate portioning into chops, pork loins may be frozen and/or tempered, one time only.

514 Weight – Individual pork chops shall weigh four (4) oz. (114g) +/- one-half (½) oz.

(14g).

515 Tail Length – Individual pork chops shall exhibit a tail length of ≤ one (1) in. (26 mm).

530 Metal Detection

530.1 All products will be free of metal contaminants. Detection of stainless steel, ferrous, and non-ferrous (e.g., lead, copper, and aluminum) metals is required. Validation must be performed with all three metals during each testing interval.

530.2 The contractor's technical proposal must identify and describe the equipment, location, detection procedure, sensitivity levels, frequency of equipment validation, and corrective action procedures.

600 Finished Product Limitations

610 The declared serving size, fat content and sodium level will be stated on the nutrition facts panel on each label according to FSIS nutritional labeling regulations.

Date Revised: 04/16/2026 4

611 Fat

612 The fat content of the finished product will not exceed 10 percent.

613 (Declared Fat [g] / Declared Serving Size [grams; Reference Amount Customarily

Consumed] X 100) ≤ 10 percent.

614 External (subcutaneous) fat thickness of individual pork loin chops will be an average of one-eighth (⅛) in. (3 mm) with the maximum thickness at any one point not to exceed one-quarter (¼) in. (6mm).

620 Sodium

621 Sodium level must not exceed 70mg per 100 gram basis.

622 (Declared Sodium Level [mg] X 100) / (Declared Serving Size [g; Reference Amount

Customarily Consumed]) ≤ 70.

700 State of Refrigeration

710 Pork chops will be frozen to an internal temperature of not higher than 0°F (-17.8°C) within 72 hours from the time of final fabrication of the production lot.

800 Preparation for Delivery

810 Packaging

811 Four (4) pork chops shall be placed into a flexible primary package and vacuum packed to a net weight of one (1) pound.

812 Individual pork chops shall be prepared in a manner (e.g. individually quick frozen

[IQF] or inter-leaving) which prevents them from sticking together after they are packaged and packed.

820 Packing

821 Forty (40) primary packages shall be placed into a shipping case to a net weight of 40 pounds.

Date Revised: 04/16/2026 5

830 Labeling

831 The shipping cases shall be in compliance with the National Motor Freight

Classification, or the Uniform Freight Classification, as applicable. Both the primary package and shipping case shall be labeled to include all information required by FSIS regulation, be illustrated in the contractor’s technical proposal, and contains the following information:

832 Primary Package Labels – Labels may be contractor’s own retail (i.e., commercially available, off-the- shelf) label. Products offered in consumer and individual serving sizes shall include one color other than black and white (exclusive of package color).

Distributor’s labels shall not be used. Product labels will contain the following information:

832.1 A “Best-If-Used-By” date that is 180 calendar days from the date of production;

832.2 A nutrition facts panel based on actual nutritional analysis of the product;

832.3 A traceability code that is traced back to establishment number, production lot, and date;

832.4 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: _________;

For additional information refer to the FSIS Compliance Guidance at:

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/import/Allergens-Ingredients.pdf

832.5 Safe handling instructions;

832.6 Ingredient declaration (including single ingredient products); and

832.7 Cooking instructions.

https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/guidance-industry-questions-and-answers-regarding-food-allergen-labeling-edition-5 https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/guidance-industry-questions-and-answers-regarding-food-allergen-labeling-edition-5

Date Revised: 04/16/2026 6

833 Shipping Case Labels – Shipping case labels will contain the following information:

833.1 USDA shield at least 2 inches high and appearing on the top or on the principal display panel of each case or on a label affixed to the shipping case.

833.2 Applicable purchase order number.

833.3 A traceability code that is traced back to establishment number, production lot, and date.

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

833.5 Material number: 110380

833.6 Product Name: Pork Loin Chops, Boneless, Center Cut, Frozen

833.7 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: _________.

For additional information refer to the FSIS Compliance Guidance at:

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/import/Allergens-Ingredients.pdf

840 Closure

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

https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/guidance-industry-questions-and-answers-regarding-food-allergen-labeling-edition-5 https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/guidance-industry-questions-and-answers-regarding-food-allergen-labeling-edition-5

Date Revised: 04/16/2026 7

850 Palletized Unit Loads

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

900 Delivery Unit

910 Each delivery unit will consist of 950 cases and 38,000 pounds.

1000 Delivered Product

1010 Style and Size

1011 Only one size and style of primary package and shipping case shall be offered in an individual shipping unit.

1020 Temperature

1021 All products will not exceed 0°F at the time of shipment and delivery.

1030 Sealing

1031 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 MIFB-D. The seal number(s) must be recorded on the Bill of Lading (BOL) and correspond with the applied seal at the time of arrival at each destination when destined for multiple recipients.

1100 Product Assurance

1110 Warranty and Complaint Resolution

1111 Warranty – The contractor will guarantee that the product complies with all contractual requirements required under the Master Invitation and the Supplement.

Date Revised: 04/16/2026 8

1112 Complaint Resolution – The contractor’s technical proposal must provide steps taken to resolve complaints received on the product (i.e. point of contact, cause and effect analysis, corrective and preventative actions taken, and product replacement).

1120 AMS Monitoring and Production Assessment

1121 The contractor may request to use either AMS’s QAD Grading Based Monitoring and Certification service or QAD Audit-Based Verification service, for assessing contract compliance of the finished product.

1122 If the contractor uses the AMS QAD Grading-Based Monitoring and Certification service, it shall be implemented in accordance with Section 540 of Supplement 304.

1123 The contractor’s technical proposal shall specify that the AMS QAD Audit based Verification service option will be used.

1130 Non-Conforming Product

1131 The contractor must have documented procedures that assure nonconforming product identification, segregation, and disposition in order to prevent misuse and that nonconforming product is not delivered to USDA. The plan must 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, or destroyed).

1132 The Contractor shall be deemed ineligible to supply to USDA purchase programs (while under contract) should one of the following circumstances arise:

1132.1 The Contractor is subject to a Class I recall for Pork Items.

1132.2 The Contractor’s supplier for any ingredient is subject to a Class I recall for that ingredient.

Date Revised: 04/16/2026 9

1133 The Contractor shall be ineligible until it:

1133.1 Submits a written corrective action to the SSD.

1133.2 The SSD approves the written corrective action

1133.3 The Quality Assessment Division verifies implementation of the written corrective action through an onside audit.

1141 Contractor will 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:

1141.1 Purchase Order Number and Purchase Order Line Item Number;

1141.2 Sales Order Number and Sales Order Line Item Number;

1141.3 Destination of shipment;

1141.4 Name of Product and applicable Material Number;

1141.5 Shipping Date;

1141.6 The information required for traceability includes the production lot number(s) and the corresponding production date for each lot. Additionally, the shipping case and primary package code(s) must be provided, along with the code that facilitates traceability back to the establishment number, production lot, and date;

1141.7 Count of shipping cases and total projected net weight in each production lot; and delivery unit;

1141.8 Identity of car or transportation trailer numbers, letters, license, etc., including all serially numbered door seal(s), as applicable;

1141.9 Contractor certification that product conforms with the applicable specification (FPPS-PLC-2026);

1141.10 Count and projected net weight verified;

Date Revised: 04/16/2026 10

1141.11 Product temperature at time of loading to final destination; and

1141.12 Signature of company official responsible for checkloading.

Date Issued: 08/11/08 Date Revised: 04/17/25 1

APPROVED

Federal Purchase Program Specification (FPPS) for Animal Handling and Welfare

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Livestock and Poultry (LP) Program Standards and Specifications Division (SSD) Room 2702-S, STOP 0249 Phone: (202) 690-3148

Supersedes: FPPS-AHW-July 2024- changes from previous requirements in blue

Effective: April 2025

100 General

101 This document is for use by the Department of Agriculture (USDA), AMS, LP Program to ensure that the animal handling and welfare requirements for Federal nutrition assistance programs reflect industry best practices.

110 Program Approach

111 All animal harvest facilities that supply raw materials from bovine, porcine and ovine species for the production of AMS destined finished products must develop and implement a written program that is consistent with a systematic approach to humane animal handling and welfare as outlined in 69 FR 54625. The program will ensure proper animal handling and welfare techniques are conducted from the time the transportation conveyance enters the facility’s premises through the stunning and exsanguination of the animal.

120 Program Submission

121 The program will be submitted as a supporting document to the organization’s approved technical proposal and must address the requirements outlined in Sections 200 – 241 (Sections 300 & 400 are not required to be listed in the contractor’s technical proposal - these sections are provided for information only.)

200 Program Components

201 The contractor must ensure that any facility that harvests animals has a:

Supplement 304 to AMS Master Invitation Exhibit B

Date Revised: 04/17/25 2

210 Management Commitment

211 Steering Committee (internal) which is ultimately accountable for animal handling and welfare initiatives within the organization.

212 Mission Statement on animal handling and welfare that is distributed to all employees and conspicuously displayed at the premises.

220 Training Program

221 Training program on Animal Handling and Welfare that:

221.1 Is provided to all employees interacting with animals;

221.2 Covers the Meat Institute Recommended Animal Handling Guidelines & Audit Guide:

A Systematic Approach to Animal Welfare;

221.3 Is facilitated by an employee that has earned and maintained a certification of animal handling and welfare training, such as that offered through the Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization (PAACO) or an equivalent;

221.4 Is conducted no less frequently than once a year for each designated employee;

and,

221.5 Requires signed documentation from each employee and confirmation by signature of the designated, certified trainer upon successful completion of training.

230 Quality Management Plan

231 Written quality management plan (internal) which addresses all provisions of Chapter 4: Transportation Audit Guidelines, 7 Core Criteria and Chapter 5: Auditing Animal Handling and Stunning, 7 Core Criteria, of the Meat Institute Recommended Animal Handling Guidelines & Audit Guide: A Systematic Approach to Animal Welfare, found at the following web site address:

231.1 https://www.meatinstitute.org/Animal_Welfare/Guidelines_and_Audits

232 This internal quality management plan must also provide for routine assessment and monitoring of humane handling through the use of a numerical scoring system conducted by a trained employee.

233 All animal harvest facilities that supply raw materials from bovine, porcine and ovine species for the production of AMS destined finished products must have a fully functioning back-up stunning device onsite wherever animal stunning is performed.

Date Revised: 04/17/25 3

240 Regulatory Oversight

241 For all species, animals/carcasses that are inspected and passed by the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) are eligible for AMS purchase programs

Sections 300 – 400 are provided for contractors’ information only.

300 Program Evaluation and Eligibility

301 The program will be audited (external) by AMS or a firm accredited by AMS. The accreditation of the firm will be conducted by the Quality Assessment Division (QAD) through the USDA ISO Guide 17065 Program.

302 Audit findings will be communicated to the establishment’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Inspector in Charge (IIC) or designee.

310 Audit Format

311 Audits will be conducted utilizing the following format:

312 Transportation Segment (Chapter 4: Meat Institute Recommended Animal Handling Guidelines & Audit Guide: A Systematic Approach to Animal Welfare).

312.1 Audited organizations must pass Core Criteria 1 and 6 with a minimum scoring of excellent, Core Criteria 2 through 5 with a minimum scoring of acceptable and Core Criteria 7 must be adhered to with full compliance (zero tolerance) each time an audit is performed.

313 Animal Handling and Stunning Segment (Chapter 5: Meat Institute Recommended Animal Handling Guidelines & Audit Guide: A Systematic Approach to Animal Welfare).

313.1 Audited organizations must adhere to Core Criteria 1, 2, 6 and 7 with full compliance (zero tolerance) and to Core Criteria 3, 4 and 5 with a minimum scoring of Acceptable each time an audit is performed.1/

313.2 The auditor shall inform FSIS and organization officials in writing of all audit findings, including any observations of missed stuns and/or animals regaining sensibility following stunning, upon completion of the audit during the exit interview.

320 Initial Audit

321 Initial audit must be performed prior to award of contracts.

1/Religious harvest (Kosher and Halal) shall be exempt from the AMS auditing of Core Criteria 6: Effective Stunning.

Date Revised: 04/17/25 4

330 Audit Failure

331 If an audit is failed for any of the Core Criteria, the organization is not eligible to provide product until such a time that corrective and preventative actions are approved by SSD, implemented and proven effective.

340 Audit Frequency and Status

341 Standard - Until four (4) consecutive successfully passed audits are attained, an audit must be conducted within three (3) months of the previous audit.

342 Monthly - If at any time an audit identifies any of the Core Criteria not meeting the pass requirements while in the Standard phase, auditing will be required to be conducted on a monthly basis once corrective and preventative actions have been approved by SSD, implemented and proven…