US canned tuna standard
INCH-POUND
A-A-20155A
November 16, 1992
SUPERSEDING
A-A-20155
April 28, 1989
COMMERCIAL ITEM DESCRIPTION
TUNA, CANNED
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has authorized the use
of this
Commercial Item Description in lieu of Federal Specification
PP-T-771b.
This Commercial Item Description (CID)
covers canned tuna, packed in commercially acceptable containers,
suitable for use by the Federal Government.
Salient characteristics.
The canned tuna shall conform to one or more of the following
forms, colors, packing media, seasonings/flavors, and salt/sodium
levels as specified in the solicitation, contract, or purchase
order. Canned tuna shall meet the requirements of 21 CFR Part
161.190.
Forms.
Form I - Chunk
Form II - Solid
Colors.
Color A - Light
Color B - White (Albacore)
| Beneficial comments, recommendations,
additions, deletions, clarifications, etc., and any data
which may improve this document should be sent to: Technical
Services Unit, Inspection Services Division, National
Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Department of Commerce,
One Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930. |
DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. Approved for public
release; distribution is unlimited.
A-A-20155A
Packing media.
Packing media 1 - Water
Packing media 2 - Vegetable oil
(except olive oil)
Packing media 3 - Olive oil
Seasonings/Flavorings. If used, shall be in accordance
with 21 CFR Part 161.190 (6),
Standard of Identity for Canned Tuna.
Salt/Sodium levels.
Level a - Regular (no more than
1.5 percent salt)
Level b - No salt added (no sodium
chloride added during processing)
Level c - Very low sodium (35
milligrams or less sodium per serving)
Level d - Low sodium (140 milligrams
or less sodium per serving)
Processing.
Tuna shall be the only fish used and shall be in good condition;
i.e., exposed surfaces shall be of a color and bloom typical
of tuna which has been properly stored and handled. Cut surfaces
and naturally exposed surfaces shall show no more than slight
darkening or discoloration due to dehydration, aging, and/or
microbial activity. No odors foreign to fresh tuna shall be
present. Changes in color and odors characteristically associated
with frozen tuna in excellent condition shall be acceptable.
Frozen tuna shall show no evidence of having been defrosted
and refrozen or other evidence of mishandling.
Failure to meet pressed cake weight specified in the contract
shall be basis for rejection of the
entire lot.
Analytical requirements.
Chemical analyses shall be made in accordance with the Official
Methods of Analysis of the
AOAC International.
| Test |
Chapter and Section |
Paragraph Number |
| Salt (Sodium Chloride) |
Chapter: Fish and Other |
937.09 |
| |
Marine
Products |
976.18 |
| |
Section: Salt (Chlorine as Sodium
Chloride) |
|
| Sodium |
Chapter: Fish and Other |
969.23 |
| |
Marine
Products |
|
| |
Section: Sodium and Potassium in
Seafood |
|
Contractor's certification.
By submitting an offer, the contractor certifies that the product
offered meets the specified salient characteristics and requirements
of this CID; conforms to the producer's own specifications and
standards, including product characteristics, manufacturing
procedures, quality control procedures, and storage and handling
practices; has a national or regional distribution from storage
facilities located within the United States, its territories,
or possessions; and is sold on the commercial market. The Government
reserves the right to determine proof of such conformance prior
to the first delivery from point of origin and any time thereafter,
up to and including delivery at final destination, as may be
necessary to determine conformance with the provisions of the
contract.
Regulatory requirements.
The delivered product shall comply with all applicable Federal
and State mandatory requirements and regulations relating to
the preparation, processing, packaging, labeling, storage, distribution,
and sales of the product in the commercial marketplace. All
deliveries shall conform in every respect to the provisions
of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and regulations
promulgated thereunder. All products shall also meet with the
provisions of Regulations found in CFR 50, Subchapter G - Processed
Fishery Products, Processed Products Thereof, and Certain Other
Processed Food Products, Part 260, Inspection and Certification.
Quality assurance.
Compliance with this CID shall be determined by the U.S. Department
of Commerce (USDC), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).
NMFS will determine the degree of inspection and supervision
necessary to assure specification compliance. The cost of all
services performed by NMFS agents involving examination, supervision,
official documentation, and related service shall be borne by
the contractor.
The canned tuna shall be inspected by the USDC, NMFS, under
Type I continuous inspection
and in accordance with this CID.
A-A-20155A
External examination for condition of containers will be conducted
using the U.S. Standards for Condition of Food Containers (7
CFR Part 42) in accordance with NMFS policies and procedures.
Internal examination for condition of containers shall be in
accordance with NMFS policies and procedures. Assurance of can
requirements may be based on the acceptance of a certificate
of conformance.
Sampling for inspection and determination of acceptability shall
be done in accordance with provisions set forth in Military
Standard MIL-STD-105. Defects found during inspection shall
be classified in accordance with Tables II through V at the
inspection levels and acceptable quality levels (AQL's) as shown
below. AQL's shall be expressed in defects per hundred units.
The lot size shall be expressed in cans.
TABLE I. Inspection levels and acceptance numbers
| Table |
Inspection level
1/ |
AQL |
| |
|
Major |
Minor |
| II |
S3 |
- |
4.0 |
| III |
S3 |
- |
10.0 |
| IV |
S3 |
1.0 |
10.0 |
| V |
S2 |
1.5 |
6.5 |
1/ Sample shipping containers shall be selected randomly
on a proportionate basis from not less than 90 percent of the
codes listed in a lot. In the event that the referenced levels
result in a sample size that is too small to provide for sampling
90 percent of the codes in a lot, a level suffi-ciently large
to accommodate this requirement shall be selected. Not more
than one primary container per shipping container shall be examined
for the defects within the tables listed in Table I.
The sample unit for USDC Inspection is the contents of one can.
For sampling purposes, the maximum lot size will be the quantity
of product produced on a single line during an eight hour production
shift. The lot size may be reduced by the USDC inspector if
necessary. If a plant operates two or more lines under inspection
simultaneously, the products from each line will be inspected
as separate lots. Also, if a plant wishes to extend the processing
day beyond a normal eight hour shift, the product produced after
the end of the eight hour shift will be inspected as a new lot.
For labeling and identification purposes, production lots shall
be numbered in sequence. For purposes of lot dentification,
in addition to the requirements contained in 21 CFR Part 113,
a code change will be necessary when a shift concludes or a
new shift begins.
If a plant operates more than one line under inspection, it
may be necessary to assign an inspector to each line. This is
to enable the inspector to have sufficient time to perform a
sanitation inspection, examination for product characteristics,
condition of container examination, etc. and still have sufficient
time to observe the materials being processed to ensure their
suitability for processing.
The contractor shall obtain a USDC Certificate of Inspection
which state(s) the product meets all requirements of this CID.
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