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

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

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 https:// 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