MEALS Request for Information(RFI)- Logistics Reduce Sodium and Survivor Meals

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) / SOURCES SOUGHT NOTIFICATION (SSN) FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT DIRECTORATE This is a Request for Information/Sources Sought Notice. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information regarding the 1) availability and capability of qualified sources and 2) availability of capable firms to provide the contemplated requirement listed below. The information provided herein is for informational purposes only. THIS NOTICE IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. This notice is issued for information and planning purposes only and does not itself constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP). The Government does not intend to award a contract based only on responses to this Sources Sought Notice. Responses to the notice will not be returned. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this notice. FEMA will not pay for information received in response to this notice. There is no commitment by the Government to issue an RFP, make an award or awards, or to be responsible for any monies expended by industry responses to this notice. The Government does not request any proprietary information be submitted, nor shall it be liable for any consequential damages for proprietary information. Any information submitted for this notice (e.g. capability statement) is subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 USC 552 (a). All information received in response to this notice marked - Proprietary will be protected and handled accordingly. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive information contained in their response. QUESTIONS TO INDUSTRY: Does your company have the ability to manufacture the meal types listed in the attached Meal Types and Specifications? Reduced Sodium Yes/No Short Shelf Life and Commercial Yes/No Survivor Daily Rations Yes/No Does your company have the ability to ship to any location CONUS and OCONUS? For OCONUS shipments can your company supply a minimum of 1 million meals (of any listed type)? Provide no more than two demonstrated experience examples with suppling large orders, 1 million meals or more. Does your company have the ability to respond to requests 24/7, 365 days a year including holidays and commence delivery within 48 hours of notification? Provide no more than two demonstrated experience examples with commencing delivery of large orders, 1 million meals or more, within 48 hours of notification. What is the maximum amount of meals that your company can deliver per single order? Are you the manufacturer or are your reduced sodium products sourced from other small business manufacturers? Does your company have the ability to store and manage meals inventory purchased by FEMA to be delivered/picked up at a later date? Can your company support loading meals onto FEMA provided transportation? RESPONSE FORMAT In order to better assist in the review of submittals to this RFI, respondents are encouraged to prepare a capabilities statement and respond to questions in a format that closely adheres to the following format: The document format shall be either Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx), or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) formats. Responses shall be prepared using 12 pt. font, 1-inch margins, and 8.5 by 11 paper and shall not exceed five (5) pages in length, including images, data displays, charts, graphs, and tables. Respondents are encouraged to ensure that their submittals are complete and address all items outlined within this notice. Respondents may provide additional promotional literature in addition to their response as long as the literature conforms to the response format. RESPONSE DEADLINE & POINT OF CONTACT INFORMATION FEMA will only consider submissions in response to this notice that are in the form of Microsoft Word and/or PDF (searchable format) documents attached to emails received no later than 3 PM EST, Thursday, May 6, 2021 to linda.osseiboateng@fema.dhs.gov and Isaac.Chapple@fema.dhs.gov. No phone calls will be accepted or returned. Interested parties may also submit as part of their statement of capability, a summary of past work that is related to this requirement. Administratively, the vendor's statement of capability shall also include the information listed below. Company Name/Division, mailing address, e-mail address, telephone, and website Single point-of-contact name, title, telephone, and email address DUNS number, CAGE Code, Tax Identification Number (TIN), and company structure (Corporation, LLC, partnership, joint venture, etc.). Please note that companies must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) to be considered potential sources (https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/). Applicable NAICS code under which the company customarily does business. Business size for NAICS Codes _______ and ____________. Socio-economic status, if qualified as one or more of the following: 8(a) firm (must be certified by SBA) Small Disadvantaged Business (must be certified by SBA) Woman-Owned Small Business HUB Zone firm (must be certified by SBA) Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Attachment I MEAL TYPES AND SPECIFICATIONS Reduced Sodium Meals Specification All meals shall be shelf stable, self-heating, and include an entr'e along with additional meal components that can be consumed either as part of the meal or reserved for a supplemental snack. The meals shall provide a variety of nutrient dense foods that reflect the basic food groups. Saturated and Trans fats, sodium and added sugars shall be limited. Nuts are NOT to be included due to diverticulitis and allergy conditions. Meal components shall be appropriate for consumption by the full range of disaster survivors including children (5 years and older*) and seniors (65 years and older). Each case shall include at least six varieties of an entr'e meal. All meals/kits shall have 36 months long shelf-life remaining upon delivery. No beverages or drink mixes are required. Meals shall include utensil package, napkin, salt and pepper, and salt free seasoning packet. Nutritional Requirements for - Reduced Sodium Meals Maximum calories: 1200 per meal Minimum calories: 1050 per meal Saturated Fat: 13 grams or less (<10% of total calories) Trans Fat: Between 0 - 2.5 gram per meal Total Fat: 47 grams or less (<35% of total calories) Maximum sodium: 800mg or less per meal Short Shelf-Life (SSL) and Commercial Meals Specifications Short Shelf Life meals are only procured to support large complex to catastrophic events i.e. Hurricanes Katrina, Sandy and Maria. Short Shelf and Commercial meals will not be procured for - Steady State storage meals. All meals must be - nutrient-dense form - with limited added sugars, sodium, salt and saturated fat. The meals shall provide the basic food groups. Nuts shall NOT be included due to diverticulitis and allergy conditions. Vendors shall provide a statement that that no cross contamination has occurred during meal production and packaging. Meal components shall be appropriate for consumption by the full range of disaster survivors including children (5 years and older*) and seniors (65 years and older). Each case shall include at least six (6) varieties of entr'e meals. All meals/kits shall at least have a minimum nine (9) to twelve (12) months shelf-life remaining upon delivery to disaster location. No beverages or drink mixes required. Meals shall include: utensil package, napkin, salt and pepper, and salt free seasoning packet. Meals shall be - easy to open and shall require no additional utensils or items to open or prepare. Nutritional Requirements for - Short shelf-life Meals Maximum calories: 1460 per meal Minimum calories: 1050 per meal Saturated Fat: 1 gram or less per label servings or <10% per total calories Trans Fat: 0 gram per label serving (<0.5g) Added Sugars: <13g of added sugars per label serving Sodium range: <210 mg per label serving Total Meal Package (Caloric Range) Protein: 46-56g/5 1/2-oz/eq. per day (source: 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, Table 1-1, pg.18) Saturated Fat: 1 gram or less per label serving and no more than 22 g/day Trans Fat: 0 gram per 100g (<0.5g) Added Sugars: <13g of added sugars per label serving Sodium: <750mg per meal and no more than 2,300mg/day Nutritional Requirements for - Commercial Meals Maximum calories: 1460 per meal Minimum calories: 1050 per meal Saturated Fat: 13 grams or less (<10% of total calories) Trans Fat: Between 0 - 2.5 gram per meal Total Fat: 47 grams or less (<35% of total calories) Sodium range: 685mg up to 1570mg Survivor Daily Rations (SDR) Specifications Survivor Daily Ration composed of the following entrees and complementary components may be used by Offerors as a general guide to show the types of components that have been found to be acceptable. This is in no way intended to limit selections of entrees or complementary components nor is it intended to excuse any of the requirements found in the Salient Characteristics of this document. Each meal bag is for one person for one day. MENU EXAMPLE Lentil stew Beans and rice Fig bar Fruit pastry Shortbread cookie Crackers Peanut butter Fruit flavored spread Salt Pepper Spoon Each meal bag shall additionally contain: One packet red cayenne pepper One packet refined sugar One book plain paper safety matches One plain paper napkin Accessory and condiment items Salient Characteristics The SDR shall be comprised of the following salient characteristics: All food components shall be ready to eat (no preparation necessary). The meal bag shall contain at least two unprohibited entrees and unprohibited complementary items sufficient to provide a nutritionally balanced feeding adequate to sustain a moderately malnourished individual for one day and containing the minimum nutritional requirements set forth in b.(1) and b.(2). Entrees and complementary items may include dairy products however, dairy amounts shall not exceed levels considered acceptable for lactose-intolerant individuals. Bread and grain products, as well as fortified cereals and biscuits, milk-based puddings, fruit rolls and fruit sauces, which can be easily digested by infants and children, are considered important components. Prohibited products as described in paragraph b.(3) shall not be included. Further examples of unprohibited products are listed in paragraph b.(4) (1) Total calories per meal bag shall be not less than 2200. (2) Nutrient and micronutrient levels shall meet the requirements in the tables below: NUTRIENT GRAMS CALORIES AS PERCENT Fat 67-73 600-660 27-30 Protein 55-70 220-286 10-13 Carbohydrate NLT 345 NLT 1380 NLT 60 MICRONUTRIENT AMOUNT Vitamin A 900.0 mc stabilized retinol equivalent Vitamin C 60 mg Vitamin D 10 mcg Iron 12 mg Calcium 1300 mg Phosphorous 1300 mg Folate 400 mcg B-1 1.5 mg B-12 2 mcg B-6 2 mg B-2 1.7 mg Niacin 18 mg Zinc 15 mg Magnesium 350 mg Calcium/Phosphorous ratio shall be 1 to 1 (3) Prohibited products is defined as the total exclusion of beef, pork, poultry, fish, or any other animal product or animal by-product from all ration components or from use in the preparation or processing of all ration components, including animal-based cooking fats or oils, except that dairy products are permitted in amounts digestible by lactose-intolerant individuals. In addition, products containing ethyl alcohol or ingredients derived from or containing ethyl alcohol are prohibited. (4) Examples of unprohibited entrees include, but are not limited to, cereal, grain, legume, vegetable, or a combination of vegetable, grain, fruit, and nut-based products. Other acceptable products include, but are not limited to, vegetable stews, potato/other nutritious tubers, soy products, pastas, lentils/other beans, wheat/rice/corn/other cereal products, pasta, fruit rolls, fruit/grain bars, wet pack/dried fruits, fortified biscuits, nuts/nut pastes, iodized salt and/or other spices. Each meal bag shall include a 7-inch plastic spoon and a non-alcohol-based, premoistened towelette, containing an anti-microbial agent in a leak-proof package. The cleansing solution in the towelette shall comply with the Consumer Products Safety Act and shall not be hazardous or toxic under normal conditions of use. The minimum shelf life shall be THIRTY-SIX MONTHS at 80 degrees F from the time components are placed into the meal bag. A Certificate of Conformance shall be furnished to the Contracting Officer prior to award certifying that the product and packaging offered will meet the required shelf life. Offerors shall provide a minimum of two entree varieties per shipping container. No entrees shall be duplicated within a menu. Each shipping container shall contain ten meal bags. Packaging, labeling, packing, marking. and unitization shall be as specified in Section VI of this document. Other Requirements A nutritional profile of each menu and complete ingredient descriptions of each component shall be provided by the contractor. All menu configurations and nutritional data shall be approved by FEMA, prior to any awards that may result from solicitation. Such submission shall not relieve successful Offerors from complying with any of the provisions of these requirements. The nutrients included shall be as follows: Weight (grams); Vitamin A (retinol equivalents); thiamin Bl (mg); riboflavin-vitamin B2 (mg); niacin - vitamin 133 (mg); vitamin E6 (mg); vitamin Bl2 (mcg); calcium (mg); iron (mg); folate (mcg); vitamin C (mg); phosphorus (mg); zinc (mg). Evidence of an insect or rodent infestation, foreign material, or contamination involving any component item, tilled and sealed meal bag, or final assembly packed case shall be cause for rejection of the involved lot. In addition, evidence of an insect or rodent infestation, foreign material, or contamination involving any component item, filled and scaled accessory packet, filled and sealed menu bag, or final assembly packed case shall be cause for rejection of the involved lot. All products shall comply with all applicable Federal and State mandatory requirements and regulations relating to the preparation, processing, thermoprocessing, packaging, labeling, packing, storage, and distribution of those products and with all applicable provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and regulations promulgated thereunder. Marking/Labeling/Packaging Labeling: NOTE: ALL LABELING SHALL BE IN ACCORDANCE WITH FDA AND USDA REQUIREMENTS INCLUDING NUTRITIONAL FACTS LABELING IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE NUTRITIONAL LABELING AND EDUCATION ACT (NLEA). MAXIMUM SIZE OF PRINT FOR SUCH REQUIRED USDA/FDA LABELING SHALL BE THE MINIMUM SIZE PERMITTED BY THOSE REQUIREMENTS. a. Thermostabilized entree pouches and canons shall be labeled including the Nutrition Facts label in accordance with the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) and all other applicable FDA/USDA regulations. b. Other component packaging material shall be labeled with the Nutrition Facts label in accordance with the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act ~~NLEA) and all other applicable FDA/USDA regulations. In addition, a handclasp emblem shall be printed on each package in accordance with figure one, attached. The emblem may be on one side of the material and the dimensions shall be not less than 7/8 inch wide and 1-1/4 inch high. The handclasp emblem is not required on condiments or spreads. Pictorial utilization instructions shall be included on each package. Alternatively, for components other than the entrees, an insert may he placed inside each meal bag showing pictorial utilization instructions for each component. c. Meal bags shall be labeled: - SURVIVOR DAILY RATION and with the number of the menu packed inside. In addition, the meal bag shall be marked with a pictorial representation indicating that the bag should be opened and the contents eaten. The following information shall also be printed prominently on each meal bag in English and Spanish: - THIS BAG CONTAINS ONE DAY'S COMPLETE FOOD REQUIREMENT FOR ONE PERSON. Packing: a. It shall be the responsibility of the assembly contractor to ensure that SDR entree items shipped to a unit packager and /or assembly point are packed so as to assure product compliance with applicable end item requirements. b. Ten meal bags shall be snugly packed into V2s fiberboard boxes with liner. Time-Temperature Indicator (TTI) labels shall be applied to the shipping containers. Configuration of the meal bags within the shipping container shall be at the discretion of the contractor as determined by dimensions of filled meal bags but such packing shall be without crushing or otherwise causing damage to the meal bags or product. Marking: a. Marking of SDR entr'e item shipping containers shipped to a unit packager and/or to the assembly point shall be in accordance with applicable Federal and/or State requirements provided a production lot number that indicates the production date of the contents is included. The lot number on the shipping container shall be in the clear or a Julian date code. b. Shipping containers for complementary products shall be marked in accordance with Paragraph 5.1.6 of ASTM D 3951 - - Standard Practice for Commercial Packaging c. Shipping containers for assembled meal bags shall be marked in accordance with the following: SURVIVOR DAILY RATIONS NO. OF MEALS _____ WEIGHT CUBE______ CONTRACT NO. TOT NO.___ NAME AND ADDRESS OF ASSEMBLER DATE PACKED:______ INSPECTION/TEST DATE