[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 3 (Wednesday, January 5, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 436-437]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-204]


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 Notices
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 3 / Wednesday, January 5, 2000 / 
Notices  

[[Page 436]]


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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

[[Page 437]]

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