[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 136 (Wednesday, July 16, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38056-38058]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-18662]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Consumer Service
Public Notice of Findings in Yield Research for Revision of
``Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs''
AGENCY: Food and Consumer Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces that beginning in July, 1997 the Food
and Consumer Service (FCS) will post monthly notices concerning
preliminary yield research findings on the Healthy School Meals
Resource System at http://schoolmeals.nal.usda.gov:8001. The yield
research information will be both for new foods to be included in the
next revision of the ``Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs''
and for currently listed foods reexamined using the latest in food
testing technology. FCS is posting this yield information so that
interested members of the public, including industry representatives,
can review and comment on the findings and the related methodology
prior to finalizing the yield data for the next revision of the Food
Buying Guide.
DATES: This notice is effective July 16, 1997.
ADDRESSES: Address comments on research findings or requests for yield
research on specific items to Linda Ebert, Nutritionist, Nutrition and
Technical Services Division, Food and Consumer Service, USDA, 3101 Park
Center Drive, Room 607, Alexandria, Virginia 22302.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Linda Ebert at (703) 305-2632.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Regulatory Flexibility Act
This action is not a rule as defined by the Regulatory Flexibility
Act (5 U.S.C. 601-612) and thus is exempt from the provisions of that
Act.
[[Page 38057]]
Paperwork Reduction Act
This notice does not contain reporting or recordkeeping
requirements subject to approval by the Office of Management and Budget
in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C.
3507).
Executive Order 12372
The National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program,
the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and the Summer Food Service
Program are listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance under
Nos. 10.555, 10.553, 10.558, and 10.559, respectively, and are subject
to the provisions of Executive Order 12372, which requires
intergovernmental consultation with State and local officials (7 CFR
part 3015, Subpart V, and the final rule-related notice published at 48
FR 29112, June 24, 1983).
Background
The Food and Consumer Service (FCS), 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 food 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 FCS 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 state, ``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) and 220.8(e)(4) 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
has 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
which will be gathered will be for basic ingredients only, not
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 will be 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 will ensure that the resultant yields will
be consistent with school food service preparation methods. Careful
documentation records will be 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
will be conducted by the contractor using specified quantities of
product. For example, one case of at least two brand name products will
be used for the canned fruits and vegetables tested. The remaining
items tested, including fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables, meat,
poultry, meat alternates, and grain/breads will have between 50 and 100
portions used for the yield study.
Final data will include 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 will be
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 will address 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 FCS at the address in the ADDRESSES section of this
notice.
Review of Yield Research Data
The Food and Consumer 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
[[Page 38058]]
data will have implications for industry in future marketing and new
product development FCS believes it is imperative that interested
persons from appropriate industries review the findings as yield
research progresses. Rather than waiting until all the yield research
is complete and the revised Food Buying Guide developed, FCS will be
posting the new yield information on the Healthy School Meals Resource
System's web site at http://schoolmeals.nal.usda.gov:8001 as it becomes
available. Therefore, interested parties should periodically review the
web site to check for new information. A hard copy of these findings
may be obtained by writing to the address contained in the ADDRESSES
section of this notice.
FCS encourages all interested parties, especially affected industry
representatives, to submit written comments indicating concerns about
the preliminary yield data. Any comments disagreeing with the yield
findings should include supporting data. Written comments should be
sent to FCS at the address in the ADDRESSES section of this notice. FCS
will consider all timely comments prior to publishing the final yield
data findings.
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 be preliminary and will not be incorporated into the Child
Nutrition Database nor may it be relied upon for CN Labeling or meal
planning purposes until finally announced at the time the Food Buying
Guide revisions are made. The Food and Consumer Service does not expect
to finalize the final yield data until late 1998. The final Food Buying
Guide is expected to be printed and distributed by the Spring of 1999.
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: 42 U.S.C. 1751-1760, 1779.
Dated: July 9, 1997.
William E. Ludwig,
Administrator, Food and Consumer Service.
[FR Doc. 97-18662 Filed 7-15-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-U
