1. Meeting the Whole Grain-Rich Criteria
Presented by:
Erlisa Levin, MPH, RD and Katie Hunter, RD
Erlisa:
Good morning and welcome to the Whole Grain Rich Criteria webinar. Presenting today are myself, Erlisa Levin, and Katie Hunter, we are Child Nutrition Specialists for the NJ Dept. of Agriculture. We are glad you joined us for informative webinar.

2. Objectives
Overview of the Whole Grain-Rich criteria for the National School Lunch (NSLP) and School Breakfast Programs (SBP)
Identify Whole Grain-Rich products and review meal pattern requirements
Review minimum serving size criteria and calculations of ounce equivalents
Provide helpful resources with links
The objectives of this webinar are to give you:
An Overview of the Whole Grain-Rich criteria for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs
Identify Whole Grain-Rich products and review meal pattern requirements
Review the minimum serving size criteria and calculations of ounce equivalents
And provide helpful resources at the end of the presentation
Sit back, relax, and lets begin learning about meeting the Whole Grain Rich Criteria process.

3. What Is a Whole Grain?
1st let’s discuss what a whole grain is. Pictured here is a diagram of a grain kernel. Whole grains contain all three parts of the grain kernel: the bran, the germ and the endosperm. The whole grain provides a good source of dietary fiber as well as B-complex vitamins and minerals.

4. Whole Grain-Rich
“Whole grain-rich products must contain at least 50% whole grains and the remaining grains in the product must be enriched.”
Before they are milled or refined, all grains are whole. Look for words like “whole grain” or “whole wheat” when selecting whole grain foods. Read the ingredient list; if whole grain is listed as the first ingredient, you’ve made a good choice. Some whole grains, however, do not show the word “whole” on the ingredient list. These whole grain foods include brown rice, oatmeal, popcorn, and wild rice.

5. Refined (Enriched) Grains
There is a big difference between whole and refined (also known as enriched) grains, and the difference is reflected in the nutrients and health benefits of each. How can we tell the difference between whole and refined grains? When grains are refined, or processed, the germ and the bran are removed. The result is white flour, a refined grain made from only the endosperm as seen in the picture on the right of this slide.
Refining or “Enriching” the grain gives the grain a finer texture and a longer shelf life, but it also removes most of the nutrients from the grain. Most refined grains are enriched, which means that certain B vitamins as well as iron are added back after processing. Although fiber is not added back to refined grains.
Examples of refined grain foods include white rice, white bread and foods made from white or wheat flour, an example is pictured on the right side of this slide – white rice.

6. Nutrition Facts Labels
To know if a food is a whole grain product, you must see the word “WHOLE” in the ingredient list.
Here is an example of an ingredients label that lists Whole Wheat Flour as the 1st ingredient. This indicates that the product is a whole grain product.
The best way to determine if a food is made from whole or refined grains is to read the labels. Look for the word “enriched” when purchasing foods made from refined grains. When reading the ingredient list: “wheat flour”, and “enriched flour” are words that describe refined grains.

7. Whole Grain-Rich Timeline
SY and : Half of all grains must be whole grain
SY : All grains offered during the school week must meet the whole grain-rich criteria
Not the same as 100 percent whole grain
Whole grain-rich = At least 50 percent whole grain and the rest of the product/flour must be enriched
SY : All grains offered during the school week must meet the whole grain-rich criteria.
SY : Menus must be 100% whole grain-rich. The USDA has granted this exemption in order to allow SFAs additional time to transition to a menu with 100% whole grain-rich products in SY
*Optional exemption request available*
On this slide we have listed an overview of the past 4 years of the whole grain-rich criteria. Whole Grain Rich is NOT the same as 100% whole grain. Whole Grain Rich equals at least 50% whole grain and the rest of the product MUST be enriched.
During school year , all grains offered during the school week during Breakfast & Lunch must meet the whole grain-rich criteria.
There is an optional exemption request available for up to 5 whole grain-rich products; if approved your SFA must still comply with the SY requirements to offer at least half of all the grains as whole grain. This exemption form can be accessed in SNEARs under the Resources tab, Equipment request/Waivers topic ; Form #279, and it must be submitted electronically.

8. How to Meet the WGR Criteria
Meet at least one of the following criteria:
Product ingredient listing must list whole grain first:
(exception: if water is the first ingredient, then whole grain must be the second ingredient.)
Whole grains have become very popular in the market place. Unfortunately sometimes it’s hard to tell exactly how much whole grain is in a product. There are 5 ways in which you can meet the whole grain-rich criteria that are listed on these 2 slides. The USDA has set some requirements that a product must meet in order to be considered a “whole grain.” First an item must meet the serving size requirement standards (found in the food buying guide).
Then you MUST meet at least one of the 5 criteria in order to have a product that complies.
We will now read each of the 5 criteria, which continue on the next slide.
The 1ST option is to look at the product ingredient list. It must list whole grain first: (an exception is: if water is the first ingredient, then whole grain must be the second ingredient.)
By law ingredient lists must be in order of weight – starting with the heaviest ingredient.

9. How to Meet the WGR Criteria Continued
Whole grains per serving must be ≥ 8 grams OR
Product includes FDA’s whole grain health claim on its packaging:
“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.”
Have a valid Child Nutrition (CN) Label crediting oz. eq grain
Have recipe or manufacturer documentation verifying that the total weight of whole grain ingredients exceeds the weight of the non-whole grain ingredients
Other criteria options are:
-Whole grains per serving must be ≥ 8 grams OR
- The product includes FDA’s whole grain health claim on its packaging, which states: "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.“
OR – have a valid (CN) Child Nutrition Label crediting the ounce equivalent grain
OR – have a recipe or manufacturer documentation verifying that the total weight of the whole grain ingredients exceeds the weight of the non-whole grain ingredients.

10. How to Identify the Whole Grain Stamp
Products may have a whole grain stamp. There are 2 DIFFERENT TYPES OF this stamp
Here is a quick identifier when looking at the packaging of whole grains. If you see either of these 2 whole grain stamps, your product has met the whole grain rich criteria. There is a slight difference between the 2 stamps. The stamp on the left is the basic stamp that identifies the product which contains at least 8 grams or more of whole grains. The stamp on the right identifies the product is 100% whole grain.
100% Stamp = All grain ingredients are whole grain
Basic Stamp = product contains at least 8g (8 grams) of whole grain, but may also contain some refined grain.

11. Whole Grain?
Now lets look at some examples. Lets discuss whether we think this item is a whole grain or not.
This is a product that we see frequently, similar to an Uncrustable Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich.
Erlisa: How about this sandwich? Is it whole grain or not?
Katie: Yes, it is! Unbleached whole wheat flour is listed first, so therefore it is a whole grain.
Erlisa: Correct!

12. Whole Grain?
Erlisa: What do you think about these Whole Wheat Breadsticks? Do you think the product is a whole grain?
Katie: 1st, let me look at the ingredient list. Yes, this item is a whole grain, I know this because Whole Wheat Flour is listed first in the ingredient list.
Erlisa: You’re correct.

13. Whole Grain? 1.5lb > 1lb. Katie only:
Here is a recipe for Cornbread. The 1st step is to look at the ingredients list, circled on the left. Take the grains ingredients for this recipe which are flour enriched-bleached, flour whole-wheat, and cornmeal whole-grain. 1st add just the whole grain product weights circled on the right together, which would total 1.5 lbs. for the flour whole-wheat and cornmeal whole-grain weights.
PAUSE
2nd add the weights of the non-whole grain products. In this recipe’s case there is only one non whole grain flour, enriched-bleached flour. Sometimes there might be more than one. The enriched flour weighs 1 lb. When you add the whole-grain cornmeal and the whole-wheat flour weight circled on the right, they exceed the weight of the enriched flour, 1.5lb for whole-grain cornmeal and whole-wheat flour vs. 1lb the for enriched flour. So this product meets the whole-grain rich criteria.

14. Examples of Whole Grains
Cracked wheat
Crushed wheat
Whole-wheat flour
Graham flour
Entire-wheat flour
Bromated whole- wheat flour
Whole durum wheat flour
Quinoa
Millet
Amaranth
Faro
The word whole listed before a grain - e.g. whole wheat
Berries & groats are used to designate whole grains – e.g. wheat berries or oat groats
Rolled oats & oatmeal (includes old-fashioned, quick cooking, instant
Brown rice, brown rice flour, wild rice
Triticale, teff
Sorghum
Buckwheat
Here we have included examples of commonly seen whole grains. See also our Grains Factsheet; Form#104; on Nj.gov/forms tab for a printable list.

15. Examples of NON-Whole Grains
This slide list some commonly mistaken grains. These grains are NOT whole grains. NOTE: Wheat flour is commonly mistaken for a whole grain.

16. Breakfast Requirements
Breakfast: Grains Component
ALL grains must be whole grain-rich – unless exemption has been approved.
Breakfast Meal Pattern
Meal Pattern
Grades
K-5
6-8
9-12
K-8
Minimum Per Week (Minimum Per Day)
Grains (oz. eq)
7(1)
8(1)
9(2)
The Breakfast requirements for whole grains are 1 oz equivalent to meet the daily minimum requirements as noted inside the parenthesis. The minimum weekly requirements are listed on this slide also. They are between 7-9 oz of whole grain equivalents depending on the grade level.

17. Lunch Requirements
The Lunch requirements for whole grains are 1 oz equivalent to meet the daily minimum requirements, as noted inside the parenthesis. The minimum weekly requirements are listed on this slide also. They are between 7-10 oz of whole grain equivalents depending on the grade level.
ALL grains must be whole grain-rich – unless exemption has been approved.

18. Sample Lunch Entrees
Here we’ve included a list of sample entrees for lunch for grades 6-8 for a week, to show how easy it is to meet the Whole Grain Rich requirements. Remember, in grades 6-8 they need to meet the weekly minimum requirement of 8 oz of whole grains. Using this weekly example, they met, and went slightly over the whole grain requirement, which is great.
PAUSE.

19. Ounce Equivalents?!?! 3 Ways to determine oz. eq for grains:
Servings of grains are called “ounce equivalents” (oz. eq)
3 Ways to determine oz. eq for grains:
Calculate using “Exhibit A”
CN Label listing oz. eq of grain, if available (easiest method)
Calculate based on creditable grains in the product
Let’s move onto ounce equivalents: this is sometimes a confusing term for a serving of food from the grain group!
Foods from the grain group include a great variety of textures, shapes, and sizes. MyPlate uses the term “ounce equivalent” to help an individual determine just how many servings of grains he or she is consuming.
There are 3 ways we will review how to determine ounce equivalents for grains. 1. Calculate using Exhibit A form. 2. Using a CN label that lists the oz. equivalent of grains. 3. Calculate based on the amount of credible grains in the product. The following slides will go into further detail.

20. Exhibit A
Here is the Exhibit A form, which we call Whole Grain Rich Ounce Equivalency Requirements for School Meal Programs; Form#33 available on department of agriculture website NJ.gov. One significant change you will see is that the wording “oz eq” replaces “serving size.” This is noted on the right side of the chart.
There are certain limitations expressed in the footnotes of Exhibit A that meal planners need to consider. For example, footnote 3 indicates which products are considered desserts for lunch and cannot be used at breakfast.

21. Grain-Based Desserts Sugar in grain items is allowed:
Limited to 2 oz eq/week
Formulated grain-fruit products credit as a grain, not a fruit, noted in Group E of Exhibit A. Example: Cereal bars or toaster pastry
Sugar in grain items is allowed:
Some grain products can only be served as desserts in lunch and are not allowable in breakfast (brownies, cake, cookies).
Graham Crackers are considered to be a dessert item at lunch.
Grain-based desserts can be confusing as well. Here please note that grain based desserts are limited to 2 oz eq per week. This calculation is based on the grain portion of the dessert only. Sugar is allowed in the grain item. Some grain products can only be served as desserts in lunch and are not allowable in breakfast (brownies, cake, cookies). Remember that grain-based desserts are a big source of sugar and added fats. A widely confused item is Graham Crackers, noted in Group B of Exhibit A, graham crackers are considered to be a dessert item at lunch. This means at breakfast they can be served every day, but at lunch they are a dessert item and are limited to 2 oz equivalent per week.

22. Calculating Oz Eq Grains Using Exhibit A
Example: 60 gram hamburger bun (2.1 oz.)
Hamburger bun is in Group B on Exhibit A
For Group B: 1 oz eq = 28 g or 1.0 oz.
Product weight (g) ÷ 28 = oz eq
60 ÷ 28 = 2.1 oz eq = 2 oz eq
Here is how to calculate oz equivalents for a commonly used product, the hamburger bun.
To calculate the oz eq for this product based on its group and its weight or volume, 1st look at Exhibit A form, and identify what group it is in; Group B, and then identify the 1 oz eq for the grams under “Oz Eq for Group” on Exhibit A. 2nd look at the products nutrition facts label for the serving size oz information. Take this products weight in grams (g) from the nutrition facts label and ÷ 28 = oz eq. 60 grams ÷ 28 = 2.1 oz eq = 2 oz eq. This hamburger bun is 2 oz eq of whole grain, exceptable for your lunch entrée.

23. More Examples
5 mini pancakes contain 30 grams creditable grains (from manufacturer)
Grams of creditable grains ÷ 16 = oz eq grains (Group C, Exhibit A )
30 ÷ 16 = oz eq = 1.75 oz eq
This slide shows a calculation of a commonly used product – pancakes.
5 mini pancakes from the manufacturer, contain 30 grams of credible grains.
The credible grains from exhibit A group C for pancakes = 16 oz equivalents. Take your 30 grams of creditable grains and divide by 16 to equal oz equivalents, which translates to 1.75 oz equivalents for whole grains.

24. More Examples Example: 1 cup cooked spaghetti (pasta)
Pasta is in Group H on Exhibit A
For Group H: ½ cup cooked pasta = 1 oz eq
1 cup cooked pasta = 2 oz eq
Example: 1.1 oz. round ready-to-eat (RTE) breakfast cereal
RTE breakfast cereal is in Group I on Exhibit A
For Group I: 1 cup or 1 ounce = 1 oz eq
1.1 oz. = 1.0 oz eq
Here are more examples of calculating the oz equivalents of pasta and cereal. Using the same method as the hamburger bun, you would calculate the oz eq for this product based on its group and its weight or volume, looking at Exhibit A and the products nutrition facts label for this information.

25. (CN) Child Nutrition Label
Here we have an example of an CN label, the chicken stir fry bowl. The CN label is the easiest of the 3 ways (but not always available) to identify if your product is whole grain rich. Manufacturers may apply for CN labeling. CN labeling is being updated to report whole grain-rich contributions to the whole grain component. “Oz eq Grains” indicates if the product meets the whole grain criteria.

26. How to Determine Creditable Grains
Recipe or product information
Creditable grains in grams:
whole grain meal and/or flour per serving; OR
whole grain plus enriched meal or flour per serving
Use Exhibit A:
Divide by 16 to get oz eq grains for Groups A-G
Divide by 28 to get oz eq grains for Group H
Group I (RTE cereals) is reported by volume or weight
ERLISA STARTS AGAIN:
To determine if your grain is creditable, you will need to gather the following items:
the recipe, the product information, the credible grains in grams, and Exhibit A.
Note the box at the bottom of the slide of non-creditable grains. If those products are being used they do NOT count towards your grain requirement. Examples will follow on the next slide.
Non-creditable grains do not credit toward meal pattern components and must be present at less than 2 percent of product formula (or 0.25 oz eq):
Ex: oat fiber, bran, germ, modified food starch, corn starch

27. Example 1
There are 2 ways to determine your creditable grains. Program operators have the ability to credit ounce equivalencies for grain products based on the ounce weights listed in Exhibit A, or by the grams of credible grain in each product portion.
Notice how this slide shows that the bread will credit differently, depending on whether:
You use the total weight of creditable product (Exhibit A, Group B) OR
You use the amount of creditable grain (provided by manufacturer using the product formulation statement). We will show both ways using the product formulation statement (PFS) on the following slides. This allows flexibility for the menu planner.

28. Product Formulation Statement by Weight
The first example is a Product Formulation Statement (PFS) that will use the crediting standards based on the weight of a product, as shown in Exhibit A.
The manufacturer will complete the Product Formulation Statement to provide documentation of oz eq grains in a serving of the product.
A serving of pancakes credits as 1.25 oz eq grains in this example, using crediting standards from Exhibit A.

29. Product Formulation Statement by Creditable Grain
The second Product Formulation Statement example will show how a grain product is credited using the grams of creditable grain in a product. Using this method, a serving of pancakes credits as 2 oz eq grains.
Notice the difference between the same product using the different methods. Either method maybe used to determine how qualified products meet ounce equivalency requirements.

30. Q & A
Q: Does the breading on meat/meat alternate chicken nuggets count toward the grain requirement?
A: If the breading meets the whole grain-rich criteria and meets the minimum creditable amount per serving, (from Exhibit A, Group B, .25oz or 7gm = ¼ oz eq), the breading credits toward the grains component
Erlisa continues:
Now, we are moving into the question and answer portion of our webinar;
 Q: Does the breading on meat/meat alternate chicken nuggets count toward the grain requirement?
Katie;
A: Yes! If the breading meets the whole grain-rich criteria and meets the minimum creditable amount per serving, the breading credits toward the grains component.

31. Q & A
Q. Does the Chicken Corn Dog count towards the grain requirement? A: No. The breading on the chicken corn dog DOES NOT meet the WGR criteria because Yellow Corn Meal is not a whole grain.
Erlisa: Next question:
Q. Does the Chicken Corn Dog count towards the grain requirement?
Katie: A. NO! If you look at the ingredients list on the left, the product ingredient listing must list whole grain first. The chicken corn dog DOES NOT meet the WGR criteria because Yellow Corn Meal is not a whole grain.

32. Q & A
Q. Does the RTE Breakfast Cereals meet the Whole Grain-Rich Criteria? A. Yes. It list’s a whole grain as the first ingredient.
Erlisa: Final question:
Q. Will the Ready to eat breakfast cereal meet the whole grain rich criteria?
Katie: Yes! Look at the ingredients label on the left. Whole grain wheat is listed as the 1st ingredient, therefore, it meets the Whole grain rich criteria.

33. In Conclusion or Summary
·         Reviewed how to calculate oz equivalents
·         Showed many examples of WGR; where to find them
·         Easily  read the label to identify WGR items
·         Reviewed the Meal pattern requirements
Erlisa:
In conclusion, we have  explained in detail how to identify and evaluate acceptable whole grain-rich items for your successful implementation of the current WGR requirements criteria for this school year.

34. Resources
Whole Grain Resources for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program:
Form #104 School Lunch Meal Pattern Grains Fact Sheet
Form #33 Exhibit A Form
Form #279 Temporary Exemption Form
Complete details of this exemption are found in USDA Memo SP , found at:
USDA Best Practices Sharing Center:
  Alliance for a Healthier Generation:
 Smarter Lunchroom Techniques:
 Team Nutrition Resources:
(CN) Child Nutrition Labeling Resources:
Katie:
Here are some helpful resources that you can access for further information. Note especially the 1st resource, the Whole Grain Resources Guide by the USDA, this is a great place that you can access Exhibit A, Recipes, Entrée examples, and oz eq calculations.

35. Thank you for attending Meeting the Whole Grain-Rich Criteria webinar!
This webinar will count toward 1 hour of professional standards training:
Key Area- 1000
Learning Topic- 1150
Please forward any questions to SNP at :
Department of Agriculture
School Nutrition Programs
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer
Katie:
This is the final slide, and we would like to Thank You for attending the meeting the WGR webinar.
Thank you for your commitment to feeding the children of New Jersey nutritious, safe, and balanced meals.
I know that together we can successfully implement whole grains! Please forward any questions to SNP at :
Please keep a copy of this last slide for proof for your professional standards hours.