Business Respondents

_F13. Food Description Guide

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OMB Number: 0584-XXXX

Expiration Date: XX/XX/20XX

Food Description Guide

To be used with the Menu Survey

and the Infant Menu Survey

The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is collecting this information to understand the nutritional quality of CACFP meals and snacks, the cost to produce them, and dietary intakes and activity levels of CACFP participants. This is a voluntary collection and FNS will use the information to examine CACFP operations. The collection does request personally identifiable information under the Privacy Act of 1974. Responses will be kept private to the extent provided by law and FNS regulations. 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-xxxx. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 0.167 hours (10 minutes) per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. 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 Service, Office of Policy Support, 1320 Braddock Place, 5th Floor, Alexandria, VA 22314. ATTN: PRA (0584-xxxx). Do not return the completed form to this address.

This booklet describes the type of information to include when you are asked to describe food items on the Daily Menu Forms and the Foods You Prepared Forms.

Please refer to the Table of Contents on the following pages to help you find the foods you serve.

Please note that there is also a document that describes how to identify whole grain-rich food items.

If you are also completing the Infant Menu Survey, please refer to the section labeled “Infant Specific Foods” for examples of commonly served infant foods.

Table of Contents

Milk 1

Fruits and Vegetables 1

Separate Grains/Bread 2

Bread, Bagels, Buns, Rolls

Cereal

Crackers

Muffins

Noodles/Pasta

Rice

Pancakes, Waffles, French Toast

Tortillas

Meat/Meat Alternates 3

Beans

Beef, Pork

Cheese

Chicken

Eggs

Fish

Nuts

Yogurt

Mixed Component Foods 5

Burrito/Enchilada/Taco

Spaghetti

Pizza

Macaroni and Cheese

Soups

Other Foods and Drinks 6

Condiments and Toppings

Dressings and Dips

Water

Whole Grain-Rich Foods 6

Infant Specific Foods 11

Milk

Please provide the following information when describing the milk served:

• Fat content

  • Skim, non-fat, fat-free

  • 1%, low-fat

  • 2%, reduced-fat

  • Whole

• If the milk is flavored, specify the flavor, such as chocolate or strawberry

• If you serve lactose-free milk or non-dairy milk alternatives, specify in the “other type” row

Fruits and Vegetables

Please provide the following information when describing fruits and vegetables served:

• Form: fresh, canned, frozen, dried, or juice

• Chopped, sliced, mashed, blended, etc.

• Served with or without skin

• Anything added during preparation or cooking (sugar, butter, oil, salt, etc.)

• If canned fruit:

  • was it packed in water, juice, light syrup, heavy syrup, etc.?

• If fruit or vegetable juice

  • Flavor or type

  • 100% juice or juice drink

  • Sweetened/unsweetened

  • Regular or low calorie

  • Calcium or vitamin C added

  • Brand name

Separate Grains/Bread

Please provide all of the following information when describing separate grains and bread items served.

Reminder: If the food was made from scratch or with two or more ingredients, please complete a “Food You Prepared Form” or provide a copy of the printed recipe.

Bread, Bagels, Buns, Rolls

• Type (white, wheat, whole wheat, raisin, blueberry, sesame, etc.)

• Brand or manufacturer

• Served with spread (butter, jelly, cream cheese, etc.)

Cereal

• Hot or cold

• Type of cereal

• Brand or manufacturer

• If served with milk, type of milk (whole, 2%, 1%, skim, etc.)

Crackers

• Type (saltine, oyster, cheese, etc.)

• Low-sodium or low-fat

• Brand (Keebler, Nabisco, Pepperidge Farms, etc.)

Muffins

• Type (blueberry, corn, raisin bran, banana, etc.)

• Brand or baked from scratch or a mix

• Served with spread (butter, jelly, honey, etc.)

Noodles/Pasta

• Form (macaroni, spaghetti, rotini, etc.)

• Type (regular or whole wheat)

• Brand name

• If served with sauce, please provide type of sauce and recipe or brand/manufacturer of sauce

Rice

• Type (white, brown, yellow, etc.)

• Cooking method (fried, boiled, steamed, etc.)

• Brand name

• Anything added during cooking (butter, oil, salt, etc.)

Separate Grains/Bread continued…

Pancakes, Waffles, French Toast

• Type (regular, whole grain, oat bran, etc.)

• Frozen, commercial, mix, or from scratch

• Brand name

• Served with spread: butter, syrup, etc.

Tortillas

• Type (flour, wheat, whole wheat, corn, etc.)

• Brand name

• Plain or fried

Meat/Meat Alternates

Please provide all of the following information when describing meat and meat alternates served.

Reminder: If the food was made from scratch or with two or more ingredients, please complete a “Food You Prepared Form” or provide a copy of the printed recipe.

Beans

• Kind (kidney, black, red, lentils, etc.)

• Form (fresh, frozen, canned)

• Anything added during cooking (butter, oil, salt, etc.)

Beef, Pork

• Type (steak, roast, ground, etc.)

• Fat content (regular, lean, % fat content)

• Cooking method (baked, broiled, fried, pan-seared, etc.)

• Was fat trimmed?

• If commercially prepared, what was the brand and product name?

Cheese

• Type (American, cheddar, Swiss, cottage cheese, ricotta, etc.)

• Fat content (whole, part-skim, non-fat)

• Form (cubed, sliced, shredded)

Meat/Meat Alternates continued…

Chicken

• What part/piece (breast, thigh, drumstick, wing)

• Served with skin or without skin

• Cooking method (baked, broiled, fried, etc.)

• If commercially prepared, what was the brand and product name?

Eggs

• Size egg (small, medium, large, extra-large)

• Parts of egg used (whole egg, white only, yolk only)

• Cooking method (fried, boiled, scrambled)

• Anything added during cooking (butter, oil, salt, etc.)

• If egg substitute, specify brand

Fish

• Type (haddock, sole, catfish, scallops, etc.)

• How it was prepared (baked, broiled, pan-seared, etc.)

• Anything added during cooking (sauce, butter, oil, salt, etc.)

• If canned, whether packed in water or oil

Nuts

• Kind (almonds, walnuts, peanuts, etc.)

• Type (dry roasted, honey roasted, sugared, salted, no salt, etc.)

• Whole, chopped, sliced, etc.

• If peanut butter: smooth, chunky, reduced-fat, regular, natural (without added salt, sugar, or oils)

Yogurt

• Brand

• Type (regular, Greek, etc.)

• Fat content (whole milk, low-fat, non-fat)

• Flavor (vanilla, peach, plain, strawberry, etc.)

• Additions (fruit, nuts, granola, sprinkles)

Mixed Component Foods

Please provide all of the following information when describing mixed component foods served.

Reminder: if the food was made from scratch or with two or more ingredients, please complete a “Food You Prepared Form” or provide a copy of the printed recipe.

Burrito/Enchilada/Taco

• If commercially prepared, what was the brand and product name?

• Type of meat/meat alternate (bean, beef, chicken, pork, cheese, or combination)

• Type of tortilla (flour, corn, wheat, whole wheat, etc.)

• Filling (cheese, rice, salsa, guacamole, beans, etc.)

• Toppings (cheese, sauce, sour cream, lettuce, tomato, salsa)

Spaghetti

• Type of pasta (regular or whole wheat)

• Type/brand of sauce (tomato sauce, tomato and meat sauce)

• With meat (beef, pork, turkey meatballs, grilled chicken, etc.)

• Toppings added (vegetables, parmesan cheese, etc.)

Pizza

• Type of crust (thin or thick, white or whole wheat, etc.)

• Toppings (pepperoni, cheese, sausage, mushroom, etc.)

• Made from scratch, restaurant pizza, or frozen

• If commercially prepared, what was the brand and product name?

Macaroni and Cheese

• Prepared from a mix, from scratch, or frozen

• Brand name

• Type of cheese (if from scratch)

• If milk added, type of milk (whole, 2%, 1%, skim, etc.)

• Anything added during cooking (salt, butter, margarine, hot dog slices, vegetables, etc.)

Soups

• Type of soup

• Canned, frozen, dry mix, from scratch

• Brand name

• Low sodium or regular

• Anything added during cooking (butter, oil, salt, etc.)

Other Foods and Drinks

Please provide all of the following information when describing other food items, such as condiments, toppings, dressings, dips, and water served.

Condiments and Toppings

• Including:

  • Ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, BBQ sauce, etc.

  • Jelly, jam, honey, syrup, etc.

  • Butter, margarine, cream cheese, sour cream, etc.

  • Gravy, cheese sauce, etc.

• Brand name

• Type: low-fat, fat-free, reduced calorie, low-sodium, low-sugar

Dressings and Dips

• Brand name or from scratch

• Type (low-fat, non-fat, reduced calorie)

Water

• Tap or bottled

• What was it served in (cup, sippy cup, etc.)

Whole Grain-Rich Foods

Check the “whole grain-rich” box if the food meets the whole grain-rich criteria. If you are unsure whether a food is whole grain-rich, please refer to the USDA guidance provided next.

1

Identifying Whole Grain-Rich Foods for the

Child and Adult Care Food Program Using the Ingredient List

The ingredient list is printed on the food packaging of products. This list includes information on flours, grains, and other ingredients that are in the product. On the ingredient list, the ingredients are listed in order of quantity. If a whole grain is listed first, you know there is more of that whole grain than anything else in the food.

In the United States Department of Agriculture’s Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), you can identify grains that are whole grain-rich by looking at the first three grain ingredients that appear on the ingredient list. This method is known as the Rule of Three. If the ingredient list does not include three grain ingredients, you only have to look at the grain ingredients that are present. Some whole grain-rich foods may have only one grain ingredient.

In the CACFP, at least one offering of grains per day must be whole grain-rich for children and adults. Grain-based desserts may not count towards the grain component in the CACFP, even if the grain-based dessert is whole grain-rich.

Look at the first ingredient

Look for the second ingredient

5

4

Look for
the third ingredient

Simplify the ingredient list

Find the ingredient list

3

2

1.

Step-by-Step Guide To Identifying Whole Grain-Rich Foods Using the Rule of Three

2. Simplify the ingredient list ^

Look at the “Disregarded Ingredients” list below. Do not consider these ingredients. Some sound like grains, so it can be helpful to cross them out at the beginning.

Disregarded Ingredients:

• Cellulose fiber

• Corn dextrin

• Corn starch

• Modified food starch

• Rice starch

• Tapioca starch

• Water

• Wheat dextrin

• Wheat gluten

• Wheat starch

• Any ingredients that appear after the phrase, “Contains 2% or less of…”

This ingredient list shows some ingredients that can be crossed out to simplify the list.

2. Look at the first ingredient ^

If you have a combination food, like a pizza, look at the part of the ingredient list that refers to the grain product. For this food, the grain product is the pizza crust.

Is the first ingredient a whole-grain ingredient?

• Yes: If the first ingredient is whole-grain and the food is not a ready-to-eat breakfast cereal, go to Step 4 below.

• Yes: If the first ingredient is whole-grain and the food is a

The first grain ingredient is “whole-wheat flour,” which is a whole-grain ingredient.

ready-to-eat breakfast cereal, see “Identifying Whole Grain-Rich Breakfast Cereals in the CACFP” on page 4.

_✗ No: If the first ingredient is not a whole-grain ingredient, then this food is not creditable as a whole grain-rich food in the CACFP using the Rule of Three.*

_✗ No: It is possible that the food includes several whole-grain ingredients. When added together, these grains may meet the whole grain-rich requirement. In this case, you would need to request additional information from the

manufacturer.

2. Look for the second grain ingredient ^

Does the food have another grain ingredient?

No: If the food does not have any other grain ingredients, you can stop here. The food is whole grain-rich!

Yes: If so, is the second grain ingredient whole-grain, enriched, or bran or germ? Make sure the second grain ingredient is not listed on the “Non-Creditable Grains or Flours” chart.

• Yes: If the second grain ingredient is whole-grain, enriched, or bran or germ, see Step 5 on page 3.

The second grain ingredient is “enriched wheat flour,” which is an enriched grain ingredient. For more information on flour made from more than one grain ingredient, see “Focus on Flour Blends” on page 4.

_✗ No: If the second grain ingredient is not whole-grain, enriched, or bran or germ, then this food is not creditable as a whole grain-rich food in the CACFP using the Rule of Three.*

• This food might be creditable as a grain that is not being served as a whole grain-rich food. See the Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (https://foodbuyingguide.fns.usda.gov/FoodComponents/ResourceGrains) for information on how to determine if an enriched grain is creditable towards the grain component in the CACFP.

2. Look for the third grain ingredient ^

Does the food have a third grain ingredient?

No: If the food does not have any other grain ingredients, you can stop here. The food is whole grain-rich!

Yes: If so, is the third grain ingredient whole-grain, enriched, or bran or germ? Make sure the third grain ingredient is not listed on the “Non-Creditable Grains or Flours” chart.

• Yes: If the third grain ingredient is whole-grain, enriched, or bran or germ, then this food is whole grain-

rich! If your product has other grain ingredients, such as

The third grain ingredient is “wheat bran,” which is a type of bran.

• This pizza crust is considered whole grain-rich because the first ingredient is whole-grain, the second grain ingredient is

enriched, and the third ingredient is a type of bran.

Bran or Germ Ingredients

a fourth grain ingredient, you do not need to consider them.

_✗ No: If the third ingredient is not whole-grain, enriched, bran, or germ, then this food is not creditable as a whole grain-rich food in the CACFP using the Rule of Three.*

Whole-Grain Ingredients
Amaranth Amaranth flour Brown rice Brown rice flour Buckwheat Buckwheat flour Buckwheat groats Bulgur Corn masa/ masa harina	Cracked wheat Graham flour Instant oatmeal Millet Millet flour Oats Oat groats Old fashioned oats Quick cooking oats Quinoa	Rye groats Sorghum Sorghum flour Spelt berries Sprouted brown rice Sprouted buckwheat Sprouted spelt Sprouted whole rye Sprouted whole wheat Steel cut oats	Teff Teff flour Triticale Triticale flour Wheat berries Wheat groats White whole wheat flour Whole corn Whole durum flour Whole grain corn	Whole grain corn flour Whole grain oat flour Whole grain spelt flour Whole grain wheat Whole grain wheat flakes Whole grain wheat flour Whole rye flour Whole wheat flour

• Corn bran

• Oat bran

• Rice bran

• Rye bran

• Wheat bran

• Wheat germ

Focus on Flour Blends

You may see an ingredient list that includes a flour blend as an ingredient. The flour blend will be followed by a list of sub-ingredients that make up the flour blend. These sub-ingredients are shown in parenthesis.

Treat these flour blends as one grain ingredient when applying the Rule of Three.

If the flour blend is the first grain ingredient on the ingredient list, then you must determine if the flour blend is a whole grain. If the flour blend is made up of only whole-grain ingredients, then the flour blend is a whole grain. You can now proceed with examining the second and third grain ingredients as described on pages 2 and 3.

If the flour blend includes any grains that are not whole grains, then the flour blend is not considered a whole grain under the Rule of Three.

If the flour blend is the second or third grain ingredient, then the flour blend may be made up of whole grains, enriched grains, bran, and/or germ. If the flour blend includes any non-creditable flours or grains, then the flour blend is not a creditable grain ingredient.

Identifying Whole Grain-Rich Breakfast Cereals in the CACFP

For ready-to-eat breakfast cereals only, if the first ingredient is whole-grain, and the cereal is fortified, then the cereal is whole grain-rich in the CACFP. Remember to check that the cereal also meets the CACFP sugar limit. For more information on sugar limits for cereal, see “Choose Breakfast Cereals That Are Lower in Added Sugars” at https://www.fns.usda.gov/cacfp-meal-pattern-training-worksheets.

To determine if a ready-to-eat cereal is whole grain-rich:

1. 

   INGREDIENTS: Whole grain oats¹, corn flour, sugar, salt, tripotassium phosphate, vitamin E. Vitamins and Minerals²: calcium carbonate, iron and zinc, vitamin C, vitamin B6, vitamin A, vitamin B12.

   Look at the first ingredient ^

Is the first ingredient a whole-grain ingredient?

• Yes: If the first ingredient is whole-grain, go to Step 2.

✗ No: If the first ingredient is not a whole grain, then this food is not credible as a whole grain-rich food in the CACFP using the Rule of Three.*

2. Look for fortification 

Is the cereal fortified?

Look for the words “fortified” on the food package. You can also look at the ingredient list to see if it lists any vitamins and minerals that have been added to the product. Cereals that are not fortified would not have any added vitamins and minerals.

• Yes: If the cereal is fortified, then this food is whole grain-rich! If your cereal has other grain ingredients, you do not need to consider them.

_✗ No: If the cereal has a whole grain as the first ingredient, but is not fortified, then follow the Rule of Three instructions on pages 2 and 3 to look at the second and third grain ingredients.

FNS-655 February 2019

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Infant-Specific Foods

Please provide all of the following information when describing foods specifically served to infants.

Infant Formula

• Brand name

• Fortified with iron, other vitamins or minerals

• Milk-based, soy-based, etc.

• Type of formula (powder, liquid concentrate, ready to feed (RTF))

Infant Cereal

• Brand name

• Type of cereal (hot, cold)

• Type of grain (rice, wheat, oatmeal, etc.)

• List any foods or liquids the cereal was mixed with

Puffs

• Brand name

• Flavor of puffs

Baby Food Jars or Pouches

• Brand name

• Flavor of jar or pouch