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Vegetables are one of the required components of reimbursable meals in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Vegetables may be served as part of a reimbursable meal for the School Breakfast Program (SBP) and the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). They may also be served as part of the reimbursable snack for the NSLP Afterschool Snack Service. The meal pattern requirements are described in the Charts located in the Resource Center.
Specific requirements:Fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables and full-strength vegetable juice may contribute toward the vegetables requirement.
Program requirements for vegetables are based on nutritional standards and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which identify vegetables as important sources of many key nutrients, including potassium, dietary fiber, folate (folic acid), Vitamin A, and Vitamin C. The following tips can help you to increase the variety of nutrients offered to program participants:
During menu development, you will decide whether or not to take advantage of flexibility in crediting Vegetables and Meats/Meat Alternates (M/MA) toward the required breakfast components. If you include Vegetables or M/MA at breakfast, remember the following:
Tomato paste and tomato puree can be credited using the whole food equivalency (volume of tomatoes prior to pureeing) rather than on the actual volume served. All other vegetables and vegetable purees credit based on the finished volume served.
The following examples demonstrate how to credit tomato paste and tomato puree:
How to Use Information on Tomato Paste and Tomato Puree Concentrates
Example Using Pounds of Concentrate
Multiply the number of pounds of concentrate by the creditable 1/4 cup servings per pound of concentrate as listed in the FBG.
EXAMPLE: A recipe calls for 4 lb 12 oz (4.75 lb) of tomato paste. The vegetables yield table shows that each pound of tomato paste provides 27.6 creditable servings of vegetable. Thus, 4.75 x 27.6 = 131.1 servings. Therefore, the tomato paste in the recipe provides 131.1 creditable 1/4 cup servings of vegetable (red/orange vegetable subgroup in school meals).
Example Using Cans of Concentrate
Multiply the number of No. 10 cans of concentrate in the recipe by the number of creditable 1/4 cup servings provided by one No. 10 can of the concentrate.
EXAMPLE: Two No. 10 cans of tomato puree are used in a recipe. The vegetables yield table shows that one No. 10 can of tomato puree provides 96 creditable 1/4 cup servings of vegetable. Thus, 2 x 96 = 192. Therefore, 192 creditable 1/4 cup servings of vegetable are provided by the tomato puree.
Yield figures for vegetables are for on-site preparation. They do not allow for losses that may occur in prepared products (both pre-portioned and bulk) during freezing, storage, heating, and serving. Other factors may affect your yields: quality and condition of the food, storage conditions and handling, equipment used in preparation, cooking and holding times, serving utensils, and portion control.
Yields of vegetables vary according to the form of the food when purchased. For example:
The following products do not contribute to the vegetables component in any meal served under the Child Nutrition Programs:
Vegetables information includes:
The data on vegetables in the yield tables includes 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.
Purchase Unit: The purchase unit is specified, for example, 1 can (generally No. 10, No. 2-1/2, or No. 300), 1 pound, or 1 package. You can use data for one purchase unit to determine how much product you need for a specific number of servings.
Servings per Purchase Unit EP (Edible Portion): This column shows the number of servings of a given size (found in “Serving Size per Meal Contribution” column) from each purchase unit (found in “Purchase Unit” column). Numbers in this column have sometimes been rounded down in order to help ensure enough food for the number of servings.
Serving Size per Meal Contribution: The size of a serving is given as a measure and/or weight or number of pieces. In most cases the serving size and contribution to the meal pattern are the same. When they differ, the contribution is stated along with the serving size.
Purchase Units for 100 Servings: This column shows the number of purchase units (found in “Purchase Unit” column) you need for 100 servings. Numbers in this column are 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. This information is not available for every food item.
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