Supplement 303 Ham Products - September 2026

The Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service issued an updated Supplement 303 specification for ham products on September 30, 2026, with a response deadline of December 31, 2026. The supplement establishes procurement requirements for cured, boneless, fully cooked, water-added ham products in five varieties—3-pound bulk hams, 10-pound bulk hams, 5-pound sliced hams, 5-pound diced hams, and 2-pound sliced hams—plus smoked pit ham, for distribution through federal food and nutrition assistance programs. Key updates include revised language on domestic origin of meat components, approval for using two 2-pound saddle packs to satisfy the 5-pound sliced ham pack requirement, and clarified spinal cord removal requirements. Contractors must submit technical proposals documenting quality assurance procedures following Plan/Do/Check/Act methodology, including monitoring, measurements, corrective and preventative actions. Product specifications include 97 percent fat-free composition for standard hams, 94 percent fat-free for smoked pit ham, minimum 17 percent protein fat-free, full cooking with shipment no more than 60 days after processing, and metal detection validation for stainless steel, ferrous, and non-ferrous metals. All meat and ingredients require domestic origin certification with contractor-maintained segregation plans if processing non-U.S. livestock. Delivery must meet frozen temperature requirements (0 degrees Fahrenheit or below) with tamper-proof sealing and traceability codes. Contractors may select QAD Grading-Based Monitoring and Certification service or QAD Audit-Based Verification service, with a QAD-approved Food Defense Plan required prior to bid opening.