Public Notice of Comment Period for Proposed Yields for Revision of the ``Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs''

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service

Public Notice of Comment Period for Proposed Yields for Revision

of the ``Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs''

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces that beginning December 15, 1999 the

Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) will post proposed yields on the

Healthy School Meals Resource System at http://

schoolmeals.nal.usda.gov:8001. The yields are for both new foods to be

included in the next revision of the ``Food Buying Guide for Child

Nutrition Programs'' (FBG) and for currently listed foods reexamined

using the most current appropriate food testing technology. FNS is

posting this yield information so that interested members of the

public, including industry representatives, can review and comment on

the findings prior to finalizing the yields for the next revision of

the FBG.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 15, 1999 to be

assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES: Address comments on proposed yields or yield research on

specific items to Lori French, Chief, Nutrition Promotion and Training

Branch, Child Nutrition Division, Food and Nutrition Service, USDA,

3101 Park Center Drive, Room 1004, Alexandria, Virginia 22302.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Janice Fabina at (703) 305-2621.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), USDA, administers various

child nutrition programs including the National School Lunch Program,

the School Breakfast Program, the Child and Adult Care Food Program,

and the Summer Food Service Program. Program guidance and training

materials prepared must be provided to food service personnel and

constantly updated in order to improve the quality of the food served

and to promote the efficient management of nutrition assistance

programs. An integral component of this guidance is laboratory-based

yield research on institutional packed foods that are used to prepare

meals in conformance with program regulations.

One of the basic program aids prepared by FNS is the ``Food Buying

Guide for Child Nutrition Programs,'' Program Aid No. 1331 (Food Buying

Guide). It is used extensively in several areas related to child

nutrition programs:

Food Service Personnel--The Food Buying Guide provides information

for planning and calculating the required quantities of food to be

purchased and used by school food authorities and other institutions

participating in child nutrition programs. It is the cornerstone upon

which meals are planned, prepared, and analyzed for meeting food-based

meal pattern requirements for each component of a federally

reimbursable meal. The Food Buying Guide defines the number of servings

(i.e., yield) per purchase unit for most foods used in these programs.

These yields are used in recipes to ensure that meal requirements for

child nutrition programs are being met. Precise data is essential. In

addition, it is an important tool to enable school food authorities

using a food-based menu planning system to comply with the Dietary

Guidelines for Americans as required by section 9(f)(1) of the National

School Lunch Act, 42 U.S.C. 1758(f)(1).

Child Nutrition (CN) Labeling--The Food Buying Guide is also used

in establishing a commercial product's contribution toward meal pattern

requirements in the CN label review process. Section 4(d) of the CN

labeling regulations found in Appendix C to 7 CFR parts 210, 220, 225,

and 226 states, ``Yields for determining the product's contribution

toward meal pattern requirements must be calculated using the Food

Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (Program Aid Number 1331).''

Therefore, the Food Buying Guide is a valuable tool for members of

the food industry serving child nutrition programs. Another use of the

Food Buying Guide in the CN labeling program is in determining

component yields for new products containing foods not listed in the

Food Buying Guide. If ingredients are not contained in the Food Buying

Guide, they can be compared to similar ingredients in the Food Buying

Guide. If a close match can be found, a yield can be assigned to the

new product without having to do extensive studies on the product to

determine a yield.

Child Nutrition Database--Finally, the Food Buying Guide provides

an essential data set in the Child Nutrition Database. This database is

required by 7 CFR 210.10(i)(4) of the National School Lunch Program and

7 CFR 220.8(e)(4) o f the School Breakfast Program to be used in USDA-

approved software programs for school food authorities using nutrient

standard menu planning systems. The database has incorporated the Food

Buying Guide so that there is on-line access to yield data, i.e.,

information for ready-to-serve, ready-to-cook, cooked, or otherwise

prepared food that would be obtained from a specific market unit of

food as purchased. This food yield data provides the user with

information necessary for the ``Yield Factor Method'' of nutrient

analysis of school recipes and menu plans. This is critical for

accurate analysis and to enable schools to plan meals that comply with

the established nutrient standards for school meals.

The last laboratory research incorporated into the Food Buying

Guide was completed in May, 1980. The Food Buying Guide has since

received minor revision in 1984, and again in 1990 and 1995. Because

food technology and processing have changed so dramatically in the last

fifteen years, it is now imperative to update the current edition. USDA

contracted with the U.S. Army's Research, Development, and Engineering

Center's Armed Forces Recipe Team in Natick, Massachusetts to conduct

new research on the yield of approximately 400 new foods for inclusion

in the Food Buying Guide and to review the yield information of 200

foods currently found in the publication. Yield information was

gathered for basic ingredients only, not

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commercially processed products such as chicken and beef patties or

combination items such as lasagna, chili, or macaroni and cheese, etc.

Methodology

The yield information was gathered by using various types of

cooking and processing equipment. The equipment and cooking procedures

commonly used in school food service preparation were determined in a

study conducted by the National Food Service Management Institute in

March 1996: Issues Related to Equipment and the Dietary Guidelines for

Americans. Use of this study ensured that the resultant yields would be

consistent with school food service preparation methods. Careful

documentation records were kept by the contractor concerning the

equipment used and the preparation/processing methods employed in using

this equipment.

This laboratory-based yield research of institutional packed food

was conducted by the contractor using specified quantities of product.

Final data includes net weight and volume, drained solids weight and

volume, drained liquids weight and volume, and weight/volume ratios for

canned fruits and vegetables. Data for meat/poultry is percent yields

based on the state of the materials (frozen, thawed, trimmed, cooked,

sliced), with skin, gristle, and bone removed. Factors for fresh fruits

and vegetables addresses the end-stage of the food (peeled, pared,

husked, hulled, cored), as well as weight/volume ratios for diced,

cubed, sliced, and chopped; the size of the cut will be specified.

Interested parties may obtain the complete, detailed methodology

for any of the food categories (meat/meat alternates, vegetables and

fruits, grains/breads, milk/dairy products and other foods) upon

written request to FNS at the address in the ADDRESSES section of this

notice.

Review of Proposed Yields

The Food and Nutrition Service welcomes input from industry and

other interested members of the public in the revision of the Food

Buying Guide. Modifications to the Food Buying Guide could determine

how a company markets their product, develops new products, or it could

even cause processing procedures or formulations to change. Because the

resultant yield data will have implications for industry in future

marketing and new product development, FNS believes it is imperative

that interested persons from appropriate industries review the

findings. FNS has posted the new yield information on the Healthy

School Meals Resource System's web site at http://

schoolmeals.nal.usda.gov:8001. Interested parties should review the web

site to check for the complete set of new information. FNS encourages

all interested parties, especially affected industry representatives,

to submit written comments indicating concerns about the proposed

yields. Any comments disagreeing with the yield findings should include

supporting data. Written comments should be sent to FNS at the address

in the ADDRESSES section of this notice by April 15, 1999. FNS will

consider all timely comments prior to publishing the revised Food

Buying Guide.

Yield Research on Specific Items

Interested parties may also submit requests for yield research on

specific food items by sending such requests, in writing, to the

address listed in the ADDRESSES section of this notice.

Food Buying Guide Revision

Note that the yield information to be published on the web site

will not be incorporated into the Child Nutrition Database nor may it

be relied upon for CN Labeling or meal planning purposes until the

final Food Buying Guide revisions are made. The Food and Nutrition

Service does not expect to finalize the yield data until late spring

2000. The final Food Buying Guide is expected to be printed and

distributed in late fall 2000. It will be distributed in printed copy

to all school food authorities and other institutions participating in

the child nutrition programs. Printed copies will be made available for

sale. It will also be made available on the Internet.

Authority: The authority citation for 7 CFR part 210 continues

to read as follows: 42 U.S.C. 1751-1760, 1779.

Dated: December 23, 1999.

Samuel Chambers, Jr.

Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.

[FR Doc. 00-204 Filed 1-4-00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410-30-U