Supplement 509 Alaska Pollock

Approved by DRD Date Issued: 06/10/11 Date Revised: 05/01/26 1 APPROVED Supplement 509 to the AMS Master Invitation for Purchase of Frozen Alaska Pollock Products 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 509 dated November 2024 – changes from previous requirements in blue Effective: June 2026 _________________________________________________________________________ 100 Overview 110 This document provides additional program requirements for the purchase of frozen Alaska Pollock products by the Department of Agriculture (USDA), including the applicable Federal Purchase Program Specification (FPPS) (Exhibit A, A1 and A2). 200 Responsibility / Eligibility 201 Alaska Pollock products shall be purchased from qualified contractors which are operating in accordance with applicable Food and Drug Administrative (FDA) regulations and the U.S. Department of Commerce (USDC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Seafood Inspection Program (SIP) requirements. 202 All Alaska Pollock processors and processing facilities used to fulfill USDA contracts shall be a USDC/NOAA SIP Approved Establishment (AE). USDC/NOAA SIP AE must meet all pertinent Federal requirements applicable to processing fish and fishery products. USDC/NOAA SIP AE must comply with all applicable Federal regulations, including the following regulatory and USDC/NOAA SIP requirements: -- 1 of 42 -- Approved by DRD Date Issued: 06/10/11 Date Revised: 05/01/26 2 202.1 21 CFR Part 101-Labeling 21 CFR Part 117 Subparts A, B and F 21 CFR Part 123 50 CFR Part 260 and 261 NOAA SIP AE Requirements 202.2 To meet the requirements of a USDC/NOAA SIP AE, processors of fish and fishery products may participate in one of two USDC/NOAA SIP Inspection Types: 202.2.1 USDC/NOAA SIP Audit Based Grading. An audit-based inspection type whereby AE implement system controls and USDC/NOAA SIP verifies their adherence to regulatory compliance and quality conformance controls through a validation audit and routine surveillance audits. To meet eligibility requirements for this audit-based program, Approved Establishments must develop and implement a Product Management Plan (PMP) to substantiate, on a lot-by- lot basis, that finished products meet the criteria to bear the corresponding mark. Under the audit-based system, firms are authorized to use the USDC SIP mark for all eligible lots covered by a PMP without an inspector being present. A PMP should identify the specific criteria the firm will use to process the product, all production steps where quality controls are implemented, a method to verify the reliability of the PMP, and a corrective action plan in place to address non-conformities. Participation in Audit Based Inspection requires a USDC SIP accepted PMP for each process used that bears a Grade A or PUFI Mark and a defined procedure to trace product back to harvest. Petitions for Approval of Audit-Based Inspection may be submitted to USDC/NOAA SIP Audit Based PMP Submission link: Audit Based Grading and Certification Program (smartsheetgov.com) 202.2.2 USDC/NOAA SIP Onsite Finished Product Grading. A continuous onsite inspection type service whereby USDC/NOAA SIP is present during all hours of production and provides certification on complying and conforming lots on a lot-by- lot basis to fulfill USDA contracts. 203 All subcontractors and contractors of fishery products shall develop and maintain an AMS approved food defense plan. 203.1 The USDA, AMS, Quality Assessment Division (QAD) shall conduct a food defense audit that shall include, but is not limited to, a thorough evaluation of the potential contractors’ and subcontractors’ food defense plan. Documentation shall support the contractor’s or subcontractor’s food defense plan. -- 2 of 42 -- Approved by DRD Date Issued: 06/10/11 Date Revised: 05/01/26 3 204 Subcontractors or contractors of fish and fishery products are ineligible if they are: 204.1 Currently delivering late on USDA contracts, or USDA-approved subcontracts and late delivery is not due to causes beyond their control; 204.2 Not operating in accordance with the applicable FDA regulations and in alignment with USDC/NOAA SIP program requirements, and; 204.3 Have been suspended or debarred under the provisions of 48 C.F.R. Subpart 9.4. 300 Instructions to Potential Alaska Pollock Contractors 310 The frozen Alaska Pollock products shall be purchased on a competitive bid basis from qualified contractors who have met the requirements described in this Section. Interested contractors may submit a technical proposal at any time during the purchase program. Contractors should allow 10 working days, from USDA’s receipt of the technical proposal for notification of evaluation results. A contractor is deemed eligible upon notification of approval of the technical proposal by the Standards and Specifications Division (SSD). 320 Submission of 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. 330 Documentation Requirements 331 Technical Proposal Requirement 331.1 Include a detailed description of the frozen, Alaska Pollock blocks, Alaska Pollock oven ready fish sticks and nuggets or Alaska Pollock fillet portions and each of the production steps that are taken to meet or exceed the minimum product requirements set forth in the FPPS. (Plan/Do) 331.2 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 USDA AMS. (Check) 331.3 Identify all corrective a…