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Child Nutrition Program regulations require all schools, centers, and day care homes participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), National School Breakfast Program (SBP), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) to follow a food-based menu planning (FBMP) approach. FBMP helps Program operators serve cost-effective meals that are varied, balanced, safe, wholesome, and health promoting.
Meats and meat alternates (M/MA) include meat, poultry, fish, cheese, yogurt, soy yogurt, dry beans and peas, whole eggs, tofu, tempeh, peanut butter or other nut or seed butters, and nuts and seeds. Child Nutrition Program operators must serve meals that contain the amount of M/MA required in the lunch and supper Meal Pattern Charts as found in the Resource Center. Program operators have the choice to serve a M/MA as one of the two components of a snack served in the NSLP, CACFP, or as part of the breakfast for the SBP and CACFP.
For the NSLP and SFSP, enriched macaroni-type products with fortified protein as defined in 7 CFR Part 210 Appendix A, may be counted as meeting part of the M/MA requirement. Products formulated with alternate protein products may be counted as meeting all or part of the meats/meat alternates requirement for all Child Nutrition Programs.
Noodles made from bean or legume flours may credit toward the meat/meat alternate component when paired with another meat/meat alternate, such as meat or cheese. Yield data for bean flour is listed in Appendix C of the Food Buying Guide.
Dried and semi-dried meat, poultry and seafood products may be served in CNPs as part of a reimbursable meal or snack; however, these types of products (e.g., dried meat sticks) are not listed in the Food Buying Guide, as there is no standard yield data for these food items and the product formulations vary widely. Therefore, the meats/meat alternates contribution is based on the amount of meat, poultry, or seafood these products contain and the contribution is limited by the portion size. This is true of all food contributions with the exception of tomato paste, tomato puree, and dried fruit. A Child Nutrition (CN) label or a manufacturer’s Product Formulation Statement (PFS) must be used as documentation for dried meat, poultry, and seafood products. When a PFS is provided for a dried meat, poultry, or seafood product, it should be evaluated to ensure the following crediting principles are followed:
For detailed information and assistance on the proper use of these products, please contact your State agency.
To further strengthen the nutritional quality of meals served, Program operators are encouraged, but not required, to:
This section contains yield data for:
Note: Information for nonspecific products such as chicken, beef, or pork nuggets and patties, and dried and semi-dried meat, poultry and seafood products is not provided in this Food Buying Guide. Nonspecific products do not require a minimum amount of meat by FSIS labeling Standards of Identity. There is no general way to determine how much meat or poultry is contained in these products, especially since each manufacturer has its own formulation. Program operators using these products must either request the manufacturer to obtain a Child Nutrition label or request the manufacturer’s documentation known as the Product Formulation Statement to credit each specific product used. For more information on CN Labeling, please see Appendix C. Sample manufacturer’s product formulation statement (PFS) templates may be accessed via the CN Labeling website at: http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnlabeling/food-manufacturersindustry.
Note: Products named “Ham and Water Product, X% of weight is added ingredients” do not have standardized PFF values since the amount of water/ingredients added is not limited. For products labeled “Ham and Water Product, X% of weight is added ingredients” to be properly used in Child Nutrition programs, you should either:
Please note that luncheon meats that are not CN Labeled or listed in the FBG are not creditable toward meal pattern requirements.
Standard commercially prepared combination foods: The yields for commercially prepared combination foods having Federal standards of identity (see 9 CFR parts 319 and 381 for FSIS regulations pertaining to standards of identity for meat and poultry products) listed under Chicken Products (and Beef or Turkey Products) are based on the minimum meat and poultry requirements for food products that are packed for interstate shipment under Federal Meat and Poultry Inspection. The serving size listed for these products will provide at least one ounce equivalent of cooked meat or poultry. Purchasers of these products will need to ensure that the name of the food on the product label exactly matches the FBG description for the “Food As Purchased” in “Food As Purchased, AP” column before using the crediting information.
Breaded fish portions or sticks: Yields are based on raw fish portions or sticks and the amount of fish in the product. “Precooked” or “Fried” seafood is not fully cooked; only the breading or batter is flash-fried to set. The fish is raw. For serving purposes the product must be fully cooked. For crediting purposes, the calculations were done using the weights and yields for cooked fish.
Yields of cooked meat and poultry vary with type, age, fat content, and weight of the animal, and the method, time, and temperature of cooking. The quantities of food to purchase are based on average yields of cooked meat and poultry.
The yield information is presented in table form for easy reference. The data on M/MA in the following table include yield information on common types and customary serving sizes of products that you can buy on the market, as well as some USDA Foods products.
The columns are as follows:
Food As Purchased, AP: The individual foods are arranged in alphabetical order by species (for example, ham is listed under PORK, MILD CURED). Within each species, all of the raw items are listed first followed by cooked and/or canned products. For Chicken and Turkey, the raw items are presented starting with the whole bird followed by whole parts and then the remaining raw items. Other characteristics are given, such as fat content, with or without bone, percent of fish in fish products, and weight of individual pieces of chicken. The items are listed according to the forms in which they appear in the market – fresh, canned, frozen or dehydrated.
Purchase Unit: The purchase unit is generally given as either a pound, a No. 10 can, and, in many cases, a smaller size can.
Servings per Purchase Unit, EP (Edible Portion): This column shows the number of 1 or 1-1/2 ounce lean meat or equivalent servings you will get from each purchase unit. Numbers in this column have been rounded down in order to help ensure enough food is purchased for the number of servings stated.
Serving Size per Meal Contribution: The size of a serving is given as 1 or 1-1/2 ounce cooked lean meat or equivalent (1/4 cup or 3/8 cup of cooked beans or peas, 1 or 1-1/2 ounce of cheese, 1/2 large egg (1 ounce) or 1 large egg (2 ounces), or 2 or 3 tablespoons of peanut butter). Individual servings such as frankfurters, chicken pieces, or fish portions are listed by the piece along with the equivalent ounces of lean meat given in parentheses under the portion size.
Purchase Units for 100 Servings: This column shows the number of purchase units you need for 100 servings of the corresponding serving size listed in “Serving Size per Meal Contribution” column. Numbers in this column have been generally rounded up in order to help ensure enough food is purchased for the number of servings.
Additional Information: This column gives other information to help you calculate the amount of food you need to prepare meals. It shows the amount of cooked ready-to-serve meat you will get from 1 pound of meat, poultry, seafood, or acceptable meat alternate as purchased.
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