Request For Information - Shelf Stable Unrefrigerated Milk

Description: This is a Request for Information (RFI) as defined in FAR 15.201(e). The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is interested in purchasing Shelf‐Stable Unrefrigerated Milk for Domestic Food Distribution Programs. To better serve the needs and meet the requirements of product recipients and to expand the potential pool of offerors, USDA is considering altering the acquisition methodology, revising the Commodity Requirements Document (CRD) and proposing changes to the Commercial Item Description (CID) to focus more on product properties rather than processing technology. This Request for Information (RFI) will serve as market research to obtain information for the availability and specifications of Shelf‐Stable Unrefrigerated Milk made under a variety of processing techniques, including, but not limited to, retort processing, ultra‐high temperature (UHT) processing, and other aseptic processing methods. All information gathered in response to this RFI/Notice will be used solely for planning purposes. This is not a formal solicitation, but a request for interested parties to provide information. The current Commodity Requirements Document for Ultra‐High Temperature Milk (Aseptic), which USDA is considering revising, is here: https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/UltraHighTemperatureMilkCRDFebruary2021.pdf The current Commercial Item Description, Milk, in which USDA is considering revising the definitions of “ultrapasteurized” (Section 6.1.2) and “aseptically processed and packaged” (Section 6.1.3), is here: https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/CIDMilkFluid.pdf