Specifications include, but are not limited to: Quality of Peanuts (1) Shelled peanuts used in the manufacture of peanut butter, roasted peanuts, and peanut granules shall be: a. Tested for aflatoxin and shall not exceed 15 parts per billion (ppb). b. From current crop year stocks or as specified in the solicitation. c. Within the requirements of current grades as outlined in Table 1 or Table 2 below, provided that a tolerance of not more than 2 percent by weight will be permitted for minor defects and damage combined, including not more than 1.25 percent for damage. (i) For lots required to be U.S. Number 1 Grade or better, peanuts may contain not more than 3 percent split or broken kernels upon initial inspection of the lot. (ii) For lots removed from cold storage or remilled prior to usage, peanuts may contain not more than 6 percent split or broken kernels. Quality of Peanut Butter The peanut butter shall: (1) Be equivalent to the requirements for U.S. Grade A as defined in the "United States Standards for Grades of Peanut Butter," in effect at the time the applicable solicitation for offers is issued. The standards are available at http://www.ams.usda.gov/standards/peanutbu.pdf. (2) Be finely ground and have smooth texture. For chunky peanut butter, the texture will be partially fine or partially grainy with substantial amounts of peanut particles larger than 1/16 inch in any dimension. (3) Have the consistency to spread uniformly without tearing or breaking fresh white bread, and be free of any gelatin-like condition. (4) Be made of peanuts which have been blanched with the majority of the hearts and germs removed. (5) Be medium brown in color, but not lighter than USDA Color 2 nor darker than USDA Color 3, as described in the “U.S. Standards for Grades of Peanut Butter.” (6) Be of a stabilized type and contain a sufficient amount of stabilizers derived solely from vegetable sources so as to prevent oil separation. Vegetable oils shall be produced from non-tropical sources; i.e., coconut, palm, and palm kernel. U.S. origin certification is not required for sweeteners and stabilizers used in the manufacture of the finished product. (7) Not exceed 1.5 meg/kg for the perioxide value.