State and Local Burden

Attachment T7. Nutrient Analysis and Validation Checklist

This information is being collected from State agencies, school food authorities, schools. This
is a revision of a currently approved information collection. The Richard B. Russell National
School Lunch Act (NSLA) 42 U.S.C. § 1758, as amended, authorizes the National School
Lunch Program (NSLP). This information is required to administer and operate this program
in accordance with the NSLA. Under the Privacy Act of 1974, any personally identifying
information obtained will be kept private to the extent of the law. According to the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is
not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control
number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0584-0006. The
time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 47.5 hours of
reporting burden per response. The burden consists of the time it takes for the State agency
to conduct the off-site portion of the review which includes scheduling of the review and the
completion of the Off-site Assessment, Resource Management Risk Indicator, and Site
Selection Tools. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this
collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to: U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Services, Office of Policy Support, 3101 Park
Center Drive, Room 1014, Alexandria, VA 22302, ATTN: PRA (0584-0006). Do not return
the completed form to this address.

OMB# 0584-0006
Expiration Date xx/xx/20xx

Nutrient Analysis & Validation Checklist

Completion of this checklist is only required when conducting or validating a nutrient analysis.
SFA/School:

1)

Is the targeted menu review site in compliance with the meal
pattern requirements (meal components and quantities)?
• If YES, proceed with conducting/validating nutrient
analysis.

YES

NO

2) If required, has the SFA/school implemented corrective
action as agreed to during the on-site review to ensure the
appropriate source documents are accurate before starting
the nutrient analysis process?
• If YES, proceed with conducting a nutrient analysis.
• If NO, immediate corrective action is required. Establish a
time frame for the school to locate or develop the
necessary documentation for the reviewer to perform an
accurate nutrient analysis. Conduct analysis once
documentation is received.
• If documentation is not received by the established date,
proceed with noncompliance actions (i.e., withholding
funds).
Source Documents Required For Analysis/Validation
Review all documentation the SFA provided in support of menus
for the menu/nutrient analysis evaluation. Indicate whether the
school/SFA provided the following documentation/materials
needed to complete/validate the nutrient analysis. Request
additional information, if needed.

COMMENTS

N/A

YES

NO

COMMENTS

Are the necessary materials available?
a. Menus
• The reviewer should conduct a weighted nutrient
analysis based on meals offered for each USDA
established age/grade group and menu type offered at
lunch and breakfast.
b. Production records include all required information for
each age/grade group and menu type
• Production records (including salad bar/theme bar
production records) must list all food or menu items
offered as part of the reimbursable meal. Additional
items such as condiments, gelatin, butter, must also
be included. Portion sizes, total food quantity used to

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Nutrient Analysis & Validation Checklist

prepare each menu item or food item, and leftovers
must be recorded.

YES

NO

COMMENTS

c. Number of a la carte sales, adult, and “other” meals
differentiated on production records
• If the same food items are used for reimbursable
meals, a la carte sales and/or “other” meals (e.g.,
adult meals, meals for special diets), production
records differentiate the number of menu items
planned for each type of meal, or for a la carte sales.
d. Standardized recipes include preparation instructions,
portion sizes and yield used in the menus for the period
of evaluation.
e. Nutrition information is available for commercially
prepared foods (e.g., Nutrition Facts Labels or
Manufacturer’s Data Submission Forms).
f.

Food product descriptions/specifications indicate the
specific form of the foods used (e.g., canned in light
syrup, frozen, no added salt, 1 % lowfat milk).

g. Crediting Information is available.
• CN labels are useful because they give information on
creditable food items for identifying a food-based
reimbursable meal and help to identify specific
commercially prepared foods in the CN Database.
However, Child Nutrition labels do not provide
nutrient information for data input when conducting a
nutrient analysis.
PROCEED BELOW ONLY IF VALIDATING AN EXISTING NUTRIENT ANALYSIS
VALIDATING NUTRIENT ANALYSIS CHECKLIST
YES NO
COMMENTS
1) Was the nutrient analysis software:
a) USDA approved?
• If SFA is not using USDA-approved software to conduct
their nutrient analysis, the SA must conduct a nutrient
analysis.
b) Using most recent version of CN database?
• It is important for schools to update their software in
order to ensure they are using the updated CN
Database, as it will ensure a more accurate nutrient
analysis. Software companies may issue newer

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Nutrient Analysis & Validation Checklist

versions of their software to update computer
functions that are not related to the CN Database. The
version of the software and CN Database release is
generally located under the "Help" pull-down menu. If
not, the SFA may need to contact the software
company to determine the version they are currently
using.

YES

NO

COMMENTS

2) What credentials, qualifications, and/or training, does menu
planner have?
• Record the qualifications of the computer specialist who
will enter data. List any credentials, training, and/or
related experience.
3) Are source documents missing that prevent the reviewer
from validating the analysis?
4) Were the appropriate Age/Grade groups used?
• Determine if the age/grade groups used are appropriate.
Review the nutrient analysis printout to determine if the
age/grade groups entered are appropriate to the
age/grade groups used for menu planning and portioning.
5) Was a separate analysis completed for breakfast and lunch,
each age/grade group, and each menu type?
• Determine if separate analyses were completed for
breakfast and lunch.
• A separate nutrient analysis is required for each
age/grade group. Also, if a school has different menu
offerings for different segments of students in the school,
separate analyses are required for each population
segment.
6) Validating weighted averaging:
Interview the menu planner to determine the method used
to calculate the number of offered menu items. Does the
method described yield a correct weighted nutrient analysis?
• If the answer is "No", reviewer must provide the
necessary TA and request immediate corrective action.
• If the answer is "Yes" meaning that the method used
seems reasonable, validate the weighted nutrient
analysis:
a. Was the weighting done
correctly?
o If the weighted averaging was done for the
individual school, determine if it was done
correctly. Was the weighting of individual menu

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Nutrient Analysis & Validation Checklist

or food items based on information from past
production records at the school?
b. Were a la carte sales, adult
meals, and special needs meals
excluded from the analysis?
7) Were all menu and food items, condiments, and foods of
minimal nutritional value served as part of a menu item,
included in the nutrient analysis?
• Determine if the school included all offered menu and
food items, condiments, and foods of minimal nutritional
value (served as part of a menu item) in the nutrient
analysis.
• Condiments or any other food item located after the
point of service must be included in the analysis if they
are part of a menu item or associated with a
reimbursable meal. For example, if a packet of catsup (9
grams) is made available for hamburgers, the menu
should include the projected number of packets
historically served. If condiments are available in bulk,
the total amount usually used for a meal should be
recorded.

YES

NO

COMMENTS

8) Were recipes entered using the “Yield Factor Method”?
• Determine if recipes and ingredients were entered into
the database using the Yield Factor Method."
• Refer to guidance manual Nutrient Analysis Protocols for
the School Meals Nutrition Program: How to Analyze
Menus for USDA's School Meal Programs for information
on using the yield factor method.
• The Yield Factor Method requires that each raw
ingredient in a recipe be converted and entered into the
recipe database as ready-to-serve or cooked.
9) Did the SFA/school reanalyze menus based on changes in
student selections and participation?
• Review the production records for a minimum of one day
during the review week and compare to a day(s) in a
previous menu cycle. Determine if the school/SFA is
adjusting the number of menu items offered according to
student preference.
10) Are menus being reanalyzed based on changes in purchased
products?
• Review a sample of purchased products to verify that
changes are made to the ingredient and/or recipe
database when new products are purchased.

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Nutrient Analysis & Validation Checklist

11) Did the SFA/school input nutrient data correctly for:
a. Local or USDA modified recipes?
b. Food items not in the database?
•
•

•
•

YES

NO

COMMENTS

Through interview and/or review of the local database,
determine if the school/SFA input nutrient data correctly.
Obtain a sample of the standardized recipes that the
school/SFA entered into the database and determine that
each recipe has been accurately entered into the
database, using the "Yield Factor Method."
Compare the data entered to the nutrition facts label for
the product or information submitted by the product
manufacturer.
Evaluate the detailed summary for % values that appear
too high or too low for specific menu items or nutrient
averages. This is an indication that either the ingredient
or the recipe was entered incorrectly.
o If data were not entered correctly, determine if
the problem is systemic or non-systemic.
o Ingredients and recipes need to be entered
accurately in order to generate a reliable nutrient
analysis. Frequent data entry errors (e.g., recipes
that are missing ingredients, incorrect yields,
incorrect nutrients entered for products,
incorrect portion size assigned to nutrients)
indicate a systemic problem.

12) Can the reviewer validate the accuracy of the nutrient
analysis?
• Determine if the reviewer can validate that the
nutrient analysis was conducted accurately and
correctly and reflects the SFA's planned menu(s).
• If NO, provide TA and request immediate corrective
action. If SFA is unable to implement corrective
action, the SA must conduct the nutrient analysis.

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