Mary Joan McLarney MS, RD Special Nutrition Programs Nutritionist FNS-USDA-NERO April, 2013 Grain Requirements in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program

Evidence indicates whole grains play a role in disease prevention.  the 2010 DGA’s recommends all Americans consume ½ of their grains as whole grains  whole grains are a source of; iron, Mg, selenium, B vitamins, and dietary fiber  evidence indicates whole-grain intake;  may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease  lower body weight  associated with a reduced incidence of type 2 diabetes

Whole grains:  consist of the entire cereal grain seed or kernel ▪ The kernel has three parts—the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. ▪ If the finished product retains the same proportions of bran, germ, and endosperm as the original grain, it is considered a whole grain. 3

1. Ounce Equivalent Servings a serving must meet the portion size requirement for a grain/bread component in ounce equivalents (oz eq) 2. Whole Grain-Rich (WGR) all whole grain-rich foods must contain => 50% whole grains (and the remaining grains must be enriched)

 50% of grains offered must be whole grain-rich beginning;  for the NSLP  for the SBP  a whole grain rich item does not need to be offered daily provided ½ of all grains for the week are whole grain rich  100% of grains offered must be whole grain-rich for both in

The majority of whole grains contain the word “whole” in their description. Common Whole Grains barley wheat (red) brown rice wheat (white) corn wild rice oats rye

Ounce Equivalent Crediting Requirements:  the grain component weights in Exhibit A: School Lunch and Breakfast have been updated to reflect the change from grams of creditable grain to 16 grams of creditable grain per oz eq  original Exhibit A for Grains/Breads using weights and volumes can be used through June 30, 2013 for lunch and breakfast  Exhibit A using WGR ounce equivalents must be used July 1, 2013 (SY ) 7

 schools must offer the daily minimum serving amounts and must meet and not exceed the weekly ranges of grains by age group  all grains offered should be counted toward meeting these minimum and maximum requirements using the ounce equivalent or “bread” or “bread alternate” criteria in Lunch Meal Pattern Grades K-5Grades 6-8Grades 9-12 Meal PatternAmount of Food Per Week (Minimum Per Day) Grains (oz eq) 8-9 (1)8-10 (1)10-12 (2)

 in SFA’s will be considered compliant with the components for m/ma’s and grains if the menu meets the daily & weekly minimums, regardless if the maximums are exceeded  SFA’s are still required to meet the calorie and saturated fat requirements if maximums are exceeded

 breaded and battered products do not have to count toward the grain requirement in SY  beginning July 1, 2013 (SY ), all grains including those which are part of battered and/or breaded products offered must be counted towards the weekly grain requirement

Grain-Based Desserts only two (2.0) ounce equivalencies of grain-based desserts allowed at lunch per school week they must be included in the weekly grain ranges for the week

 Exhibit A: contains the equivalent minimum weights for a wide variety of purchased food items to meet the oz eq criteria required in  program operators may use Exhibit A instead of calculating the actual amount of grains in a product  it provides the equivalent minimum weights to provide one oz eq of grains for a range of school products 12

Group A Savory Crackers- saltines 22g Group A Savory Crackers- saltines 22g Group B Sweet Crackers- grahams 28 g Group B Sweet Crackers- grahams 28 g Oz Eq 13

Group H & I 14 Group E

Groups A-G  the contribution of grains may be calculated based on 16 grams of creditable grain ingredients per ounce equivalent (oz eq) Groups H & I  for the types of food items listed in Groups H and I use the standard of 28 grams of creditable grain;  Group I is typically reported by volume or weight for one full serving

Grain products must be credited using oz eq  Baked goods - Groups A-G 16 grams of creditable grain/oz eq  breads  biscuits  bagels  Cereal grains – Group H-28 grams (approximately 1.0 ounce by weight) of dry product or ½ cup cooked  oatmeal  pasta  brown rice  Ready-to-eat cereal - Group I 28 grams OR 1.0 ounce of product is considered an ounce equivalent  1 cup of flakes or rounds  1 ¼ cups puffed cereal  ¼ cup granola

 one quarter of an oz eq (0.25) is the smallest amount allowable to be credited for grains  all weights must be rounded down to the nearest.25 oz  1.70 = 1.5 oz eq 17

 if the minimum daily requirement for grains is 1 oz eq, this minimum can be met by offering multiple food items .5 oz eq of bread and 0.5 oz eq of pasta = 1.0 oz eq 18

 whole grain-rich products must contain at least 50% whole grains and the remaining grain content must be enriched  the grain content of a product must contain 50 % or more whole grains by weight 19

a) whole grains per oz. eq. must be => 8 grams for Groups A-G (volumes or weights used to credit for H and I) b) the product contains the *FDA approved whole grain health claim on its label c) a whole grain must be the first ingredient on the product ingredient list (with an exception for water) * FDA Health Claim-“Diets rich in whole grain foods and other plant foods and low in total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers.”

 grain products must be credited using oz eq  whole Grain-Rich Foods must contain >= 8grams per oz eq  Groups A-G contain 16 grams of creditable grain/oz eq  8gm/16 oz eq = 50%

Non Mixed Dishes & Mixed The product ingredient statement lists whole grains first, specifically:  Non Mixed Dishes  breads  cereals  Mixed dishes  pizza  corn dogs 22

Non-Mixed Dishes  a whole grain must be the primary ingredient by weight  when the whole grain content comes from multiple ingredients, the combined whole grain ingredients can be the primary ingredient by weight even though a whole grain is not listed as the first ingredient 23

Whole Grain-Rich Criteria Example – Non Mixed Dishes A bread item with three grain ingredients:  enriched wheat flour (40% of grain)  whole wheat flour (30% of grain)  whole oats (30% of grain) manufacturers documentation would be required to determine that whole grains are the primary (60%) ingredient by weight 24

Mixed Dishes  whole grains must be the primary grain ingredient by weight –a whole grain ingredient is the first grain ingredient  weights listed on school-made recipes determine whether the total whole grain ingredients exceed the total of non-whole grain ingredients 25

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The crediting of a food item as oz eq grains is determined by : 27 Grams Whole-grain plus enriched meal and/or flour ÷ Number of servings per recipe ÷ 16 grams per oz eq standard = the number of oz eq servings

Convert the grain ingredients to grams. 1 lb of whole corn meal +1 lb of enriched flour = 2 lbs of creditable grains 2 lbs X grams/pound = grams of creditable grains grams/50 servings =18.14 grams ÷ grams/16 grams per oz eq 1.134= 1.0 oz eq per serving

Primary Ingredient by Weight – Flour Blends Example:  ingredients: Flour blend (whole wheat flour, enriched flour), sugar, cinnamon, etc.  the whole grain content is at least 8.0 grams per oz eq or  the weight of the whole grain is greater than the first ingredient listed after the flour blend such as sugar 29

Exhibit A  the oz eq for grains may be determined by using either the weights or volumes listed in Exhibit A Or Child Nutrition (CN) Labels or Product Formulation Statements  documentation from a manufacturer certifying the grams of creditable grains per portion to determine the oz eq 30

Vitamin A, Vitamin C Cereal Bar Serving Size 1 bar (25g) Calories 105 Calories From fat 30 % daily value* Total fat 3g 5% Saturated fat 1g 6% Trans fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg 0% Sodium 75mg 3% Total Carbohydrate 17g 6% Dietary Fiber 1g 4% Sugar 7g Protein 1g Calcium 8% Iron 2% Not a significant source of Cholesterol, *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs Ingredients: Whole grain rolled oats, brown sugar, crisp rice, whole grain rolled wheat, soybean oil, whole wheat flour, almonds, water, freeze dried bananas, corn flour, sodium bicarbonate, malted barley extract, soy lecithin, natural flavor, caramel color, alpha tocopherol acetate, BHT. 31 Serving size = 25 gm Group E oz eq = 69 gm 25 gm/69 gm=.36 oz eq =.25 oz eq It will credit as a ¼ oz eq grain for the NSLP or SBP in

 CN labels determine & ensure the food provides the stated contribution as to how the food products contribute to meal pattern requirements  CN labels are only available for items that contribute to the meat/meat alternate component 32

 manufacturers may apply for a Child Nutrition (CN) label for qualifying products (meat/meat alternate entrées containing grains) to indicate the number of oz eq grains that meet the whole grain-rich criteria  products must contain at least 1/4 oz eq grains per serving to include grains crediting on the CN label 33

 the term “oz eq grains” on the CN Label indicates the product meets the whole grain-rich criteria  the terms “bread” or “bread alternate” on the CN Label indicates the product meets previous requirements for grains/breads  refer to the CN Labeling Program website for details regarding qualifying products at:

35 Chicken Stir-Fry Bowl Ingredient Statement: Chicken, brown rice, broccoli, red peppers, carrots, onions, water, olive oil, soy sauce, spices. Net Wt.: 18 pounds Chicken Wok Company 1234 Kluck Street Poultry, PA Each 4.5 oz. Chicken Stir-Fry Bowl provides 1.5 oz. equivalent meat, 1.0 oz eq Grains, ¼ cup dark green vegetable, ¼ cup red/orange vegetable, and ⅛ cup other vegetable for Child Nutrition Meal Pattern Requirements. (Use of this logo and statement authorized by the Food and Nutrition Service, USDA XX/XX). CN

 a Product Formulation Statement (PFS) will provide specific information about how the product credits to meet CN meal patterns  Product Formulation Statements are available for;  meat/meat alternates  grain components  vegetables  fruits 36

 PFS are required for processed foods or foods with added ingredients  the Food Buying Guide can be used for foods in their natural state (cooked or un-cooked) that do not have added ingredients such as a bone-in chicken breast with no additives 37

 program operators are responsible if a menu item does not fulfill meal pattern requirements and must keep documentation on file  when purchasing a processed product without a CN label a program operator should have a completed, signed and dated PFS from the manufacturer 38

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 creditable ingredients in the Product Formulation statement must match a description in the Food Buying Guide (FBG)  verify that the credit a product contributes to meal pattern requirements is not greater than the serving size of the product  a 2.2 oz beef patty cannot credit for more than 2.0 oz 40

 the creditable items must be visible in the finished products  a product Formulation statement does not provide any warranty against audit claims where as a CN label does  crediting information from a manufacturer other than a CN label must be checked by the SFA for accuracy to be used in a reimbursable meal 41

 only grain ingredients that are whole or enriched are creditable for school lunch or breakfast in  examples of some grain ingredients that are not creditable include;  oat fiber  corn fiber  wheat starch  corn starch  bran  germ  modified food starch 42

 if purchased grain products include these ingredients they should be present at a level of less than 2 % of the product formula (or less than 0.25 oz eq)  the manufacturer needs to include the grams of non- creditable grain per serving on their product formulation sheet 43

 manufacturers should list the grams of non-creditable grains >=.25 oz eq present in the product on their formulation statement  items that include more than this amount may be served, however are not practical for school meals as the amount of non-creditable grains must be reflected in the weekly maximum for grains, but may not be included in the daily minimum 44

More whole grain resources are on the way! 45

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 for more information go to the USDA Team Nutrition website; Thank you Mary Jo McLarney fns.usda.gov