1. Calculating the Contribution to the Meal Pattern: Product Formulation Statements
Webinar March 27, 2014
Good afternoon and welcome to our webinar on how to calculate the contribution to the meal pattern when using Product Formulation Statements for processed foods. We are glad you are here.
In this Webinar we will cover the material that is used to assist with calculating the contribution of foods to the meal pattern when utilizing purchased food products.
We will then answer your questions at the end of the webinar. You may submit questions throughout the presentation.
All material for today’s webinar is available to download. This includes the PowerPoint, sample product formulation statements, the new Whole Grain Resource, management bulletins, USDA memos on product formulation statements, and more.

2. How to download materials:
Webinar Logistics
How to download materials:
How to ask a question:
Click the file you’d like to download.
To download the materials, select the file you want to download and click “Download file(s)”. There are two available to download: Handouts.zip, which contains all of the the handouts for today; and PFS Presentation.pptx, which is the Powerpoint for today’s presentation.
Then click here to download.
Type your question here.
Then click here to ask.

3. Brought to You By:
This webinar is brought to you by the California Department of Education, Nutrition Services Division and the Center for Nutrition in Schools at the University of California , Davis, which is a part of the California Professional Nutrition Education and Training Center system, also referred to as Cal-Pro-Net.
My name is Peggy Stevenson. I am the retired director of Nutrition Services at Antioch Unified School District. I worked for 38 years as a supervisor and director in child nutrition programs.
I was the lead developer for this webinar. The project manager from CDE is Julie Boarer-Pitchford, Nutrition Education Consultant with the Nutrition Services Division. The project manager from the Center for Nutrition in Schools is Marilyn Briggs, Co-Director for the Center.
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4. Purpose of the Webinar
Reinforce the importance of meeting the meal pattern when using purchased food products
Show why we need to validate the contribution of processed foods toward the meal pattern
Show how to correctly validate a product formulation statement (PFS)
The goal for this webinar is to provide you with skills you can put to work immediately – the ability to validate your PFS.
One purpose of this webinar is to reinforce the importance of meeting the meal pattern when using purchased food products.
By ensuring that you are meeting the meal pattern you will provide the proper nutrition for your students and you will be able to claim federal reimbursement for the meals.
Secondly, learning to calculate the contribution of foods in a product formulation statement is required. You must validate the contribution stated on a Product Formulation Statement, or PFS, in order to use that product in your program.
The main purpose of the webinar is to show you the steps to correctly credit the ingredients in a processed food product or to validate the Product Formulation Statement received from the manufacturer. That is what we will spend most of our time doing.
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5. Outline of the Webinar
Tools to Document the Contribution to the Meal Pattern in Purchased Food Products
Product Formulation Statement Criteria
Product Formulation Statement Validation Examples
Documentation and Record Retention
Summary
The webinar will follow this sequence.
First we will review tools used to document the contribution to the meal pattern in processed food products.
Next, we will look at the criteria for a product formulation statement.
After that we will go through examples of calculating the creditable contribution to validate the Product Formulation Statements.
At the end we will look at the documentation required and how long the documentation must be retained.
And finally, we will summarize the highlights of the presentation.
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6. Tools to Document the Contribution of Foods in processed food products
Let’s take a look at the tools to document the contribution of foods in processed food products to the meal pattern.
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7. Tools for Crediting Food Components in Processed Foods
Child Nutrition (CN) Label
Nutrition Facts Label + Revised Exhibit A, Grain Groups
Product Formulation Statement (PFS)
Food Buying Guide
Basics at a Glance
These are the tools we use to credit the food components in processed foods.
Child Nutrition Label
Nutrition Facts Label and Revised Exhibit A chart for the grains groups
Product Formulation Statement (PFS)
Food Buying Guide, and
Basics at a Glance
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8. Child Nutrition Labels
Child Nutrition (CN) labels are issued for M/MA products by USDA and warranty the contribution of the product.
A CN label will always contain the following:
The CN logo (which is a distinct border)
The meal pattern contribution statement
A 6-digit product identification number
USDA/FNS authorization statement
The month and year of approval.
Product Formulation Statements
The Child Nutrition, or CN Label, lists the contribution of the product to one or more food components. You can recognize a CN label by the way it looks. An example is shown on the bottom of this slide. A CN label contains: (Read from slide.)
Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issues the CN labels after completing an evaluation of a product's formulation to determine its contribution toward meal pattern requirements. Therefore, you may use them without validating the information because the existence of a CN label on a product provides school food authorities and other CN program operators with a guarantee that the product contributes to the meal pattern requirements as printed on the label.
CN labels are only issued for entrees with at least ½ ounce of meat/meat alternate products. These foods are also processed under a quality control plan administered by the Agricultural Marketing Service or National Marine Fisheries Service using guidelines provided by Food and Nutrition Service. CN Labels are currently being updated to include the whole grain-rich and vegetable subgroup contributions they may contain.
CN Labeling is a voluntary program and manufacturers are required to develop and maintain an approved Quality Control (QC) program prior to producing CN labeled products. In addition, manufacturers must pay fees for the CN label review, quality control program review, and CN product formulation control reviews. Therefore, some manufacturers opt not to have a CN label for their product. CN labels are considered valid until the product ingredients change or five years have lapsed, whichever comes first.
More information on CN Labels is available:
1) On the USDA website under the topic of CN Labels and
2) In Appendix C of the FBG. That section is currently under construction, however.
The websites mentioned today may be found on the handout titled: Website Resources

9. Nutrition Facts Label + Revised Exhibit A: Grains Groups
Nutrition Facts labels specify the weight of the serving size and allow us to use the revised Exhibit A Grains chart to determine the contribution of the item.
The Nutrition Facts label and/or the weight per portion label on a grain product is a tool you can use to determine the contribution of grain products. You also need the ingredients list to determine if the product is whole grain-rich and to verify that it contains less than 2% of the non-creditable grains such as oat fiber, corn fiber, bran, germ and modified food starch. For the product to be creditable, these ingredients must be less than 2% of the product formula. If you see any of these ingredients and the percentage is not clear, you must obtain a Product Formulation Statement for the product.
The example shown here is from the Whole Grain Resource for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs that was released in February 2014 by the USDA. The Whole Grain Resource gives excellent examples of ingredient listings and points out how to determine if the product is whole grain-rich. WGR is a term used only in child nutrition programs and may not be used on a label as it does not have a legal FDA definition. The Whole Grain Resource is included in the handouts.
You can determine the creditable contribution of the product from the information on the label for grains with just the weight and the revised Exhibit A, grain chart from the USDA Grains Policy Guidance Memo. This information will be included in the new section on Grains in the FBG once USDA finalizes the revisions. You can also calculate the grain contribution using the actual grams of grain in a portion by obtaining the Product Formulation Statement from the manufacturer. I will show an example from the Whole Grain Resource later that demonstrates the different ways of calculating the oz eq for a slice of bread.
The nutrition facts label also provides basic nutrition information used in nutrient analysis. Having the nutrition information is required and if the Nutrition Facts label is not available, the nutrient information must be provided by the manufacturer.
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10. Grains Groups versus Product Formulation Statement Calculation
Product Formulation Statements
This example is from the Whole Grain Resource.
On the slide, you will see two methods of calculating the grain contribution for one slice of bread.
In the first example, the calculation is based on the total weight of the product and the Exhibit A chart for the reference weight for one slice of bread.
In the second example, the calculation is based on the grams of creditable grain per portion in the recipe and the reference weight of 16 grams of grain per serving is equal to 1 oz eq grain.
Notice that in this case the calculation shows that by crediting the actual grams of grain ingredients, the oz eq per slice is greater than if done using the grain groups chart. You may want to check your products using both methods and then decide which calculation to use. Either is correct. Schools are allowed to use either method on any particular product. However, when CDE comes out to review a schools’ menu, it must be clear which method was used.

11. Product Formulation Statement
Information
to validate
the contribution
of the ingredients
by using the FBG.
If a purchased product does not have a CN Label, is not listed in the FBG, and is not a grain that can be determined by using Revised Exhibit A: Grain Groups, then you need the Product Formulation Statement, or PFS.
On the slide you will see a template that USDA provides for manufacturers. Manufacturers do not have to use the templates; they serve as a guide to ensure that manufacturers understand all the information that is needed on a Product Formulation Statement. Remember that an acceptable PFS must be completed on the manufacturer’s letterhead. So, what you see on the slide is just a sample form and is not really an acceptable PFS since it is not on company letterhead and it is not signed and dated.
A PFS demonstrates how the processed end product contributes toward meal pattern requirements and should include the contribution to all components on the same PFS.
Unlike a CN label, the PFS is not warrantied to be correct. The responsibility to validate the PFS falls on the SFA. Validating each PFS ensures the accuracy of the manufacturer’s claim. It does not, however, ensure that the manufacturer’s information is true as there is no requirement for a quality control program or for an inspector to be present when the product is produced. A SFA should be constantly checking for observable changes in products.
PFSs must be checked yearly to see if the product has changed and if the PFS needs to be replaced and validated again.
We have included sample forms of PFSs in the handouts.
Product Formulation Statements

12. Product Formulation Statements
Food Buying Guide
Information in the columns:
Specific information on the type and form
Purchase unit for the type and form
Number of servings in each purchase unit
Serving size to provide component credit
Amount to purchase for 100 servings
Edible portion after peeling, cooking, drained or otherwise converted from Column 1 form
Product Formulation Statements
Today we will use the FBG to credit the ingredients and validate the PFSs.
So I am going to do a quick review. Each section of the FBG for each food item has six columns.
Column 1 has the specific information on the type and form of the food item. In this example, the food is celery. The form is fresh sticks of ½ inch by 4 inches, and it is ready-to-use. It is critical to select the correct form of the food used.
Column 2 is the purchase unit for the type and form of the food. In this case the RTU celery sticks are purchased by the pound.
Column 3 is the number of servings (as described in column 4) that you can get from the purchase unit. With our celery stick example, there are 14 servings of ¼ cup, or 3 sticks, per pound of ready-to-use celery sticks, if they are ½ x 4”.
Column 4 gives the serving size that must be offered in order to provide the vegetable credit of ¼ cup. With this size celery sticks, it takes three sticks to provide ¼ cup.
Column 5 gives the amount to purchase for 100 servings of Column 4. Column 5 is very important when developing your own recipes for 100 servings.
Column 6 gives the edible portion after the food as purchased is peeled or cooked or drained or otherwise converted from the form in which it was purchased, as listed in Column 1.
In the case of ready to use celery sticks, 1 lb. as purchased equals 1 lb. of edible portion. If we had used bulk celery, there would be a percentage yield in column 6 indicating what percentage of the bulk celery weight would be left as celery sticks after trimming and cutting.

13. Food Buying Guide The Food Buying Guide (FBG) is being revised.
Sections completed are:
Meat/Meat Alternates
Vegetables
Fruits
Milk
To download the latest edition of the revised sections, go to:
The FBG is a specialized tool for child nutrition programs that was developed by the USDA. At this time it is being revised and not all of the sections are complete.
The new section on vegetables and fruits has them together in one section, but separated with vegetables first, followed by fruits. The subgroup is provided for each vegetable listed.
For grains, you need to refer to the USDA Policy Memo on Grains to determine the contribution to the meal pattern. USDA revised the criteria on how much grain is needed for a 1 oz eq but this information has not been revised in the FBG. We have included the USDA Policy Memo SP , Grain Requirements for the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program, in the handouts.
If you have not located the updated sections of the FBG yet, they may be downloaded at the website listed here.
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14. Basics at a Glance
Another helpful tool from the National Food Service Management Institute (NFSMI)
The Basics at a Glance sheet provides information on yield, serving sizes, pan sizes, capacities and more. It may prove helpful in validating a PFS. It is included in the handouts or it can be downloaded from the NSFMI web site. The link is provided on this slide and on the Website Resources handout.
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15. Product Formulation Statement Criteria
In this section of the webinar, we will look at the criteria for a PFS.
This slide shows the two sample grains templates from the USDA.
The use of these templates is not required. Just as there is no required MPR format for schools, there is no required PFS format for manufacturers.
There are two samples shown here for grains because one is designed for crediting based on grams of creditable grains and the other is designed for crediting based on Revised Exhibit A weights per ounce equivalent in the various groups.
Product Formulation Statement Criteria
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16. Product Formulation Statement (PFS)
A PFS must meet the following criteria:
Manufacturer’s letterhead
Product name
Code number
Serving size
Type of creditable ingredient(s)
Weight of creditable ingredient(s)
Company representative certifying correctness
Printed name
Signature
Title
Date company representative signs
Whatever format a manufacturer uses for the PFS, it must follow the criteria listed on this slide. (Read list from slide.)
Schools are also required to have the nutrient information so a Nutrition Facts panel or the nutrient information must also be obtained from the manufacturer if it is not included on the PFS.
The signature can be an original signature or an electronic signature. The signature must be of an appropriate company representative who would have knowledge of the product and its formula, or recipe. That person might be the quality control agent, the director of operations or the person who takes the formulas and calculates the contribution to the meal pattern for school use.
If the product contains Alternative Protein Products, or APPs, there is specific information that must be provided on the PFS. For more information on that, check the USDA website for alternative protein products.
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17. Additional Checks Is the credit claimed ≤ serving size?
Is the information adequate?
Ingredients match a description in the FBG
If claiming more credit than FBG
Clarify ingredients
Demonstrate how it provides that credit
Is it claiming M/MA?
Product has a visible M/MA
Method for crediting is outlined
Is information on vegetable subgroups listed?
Additional checks should be made when validating a PFS.
Is the credit claimed less than or equal to the serving size? Only dried fruit would have a credit greater than the serving size.
Is there enough information to match a description in the FBG? If the manufacturer is claiming more credit than the FBG allows, is there more information on the ingredient and why it provides a greater credit.
If the product is claiming credit for a M/MA or Vegetable, is there visible M/MA and/or Vegetable and is the method for crediting described in enough detail that you can duplicate and validate the credit?
Does the manufacturer list the vegetable credit by subgroup as well as the total vegetable provided? The total vegetable may be greater than the total of the subgroups, if some vegetable subgroups are present in less than 1/8 cup quantities and therefore cannot credit toward a subgroup.
Product Formulation Statements
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18. Product Formulation Statements
Calculate and validate the contribution of the ingredients on a PFS whenever you want to use a:
New product
Reformulated product
If you cannot obtain a PFS for a product or your validation shows the product does not provide what it takes, do not use the product for reimbursable meals.
Sponsors are ultimately responsible to ensure that a menu fulfills meal pattern requirements; therefore, all PFSs should be validated for new products or reformulated products that do not have a CN label.
If you cannot obtain a PFS or validate the one you have, do not use the product for reimbursable meals.
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19. Product Specification Sheet versus Product Formulation Statement
Letterhead
Signed
Dated
List contribution
No ingredient description
= Specification Sheet
Be careful to distinguish between a PFS and a specification or marketing sheet.
A specification may be signed and dated and on company letterhead and say how much the product contributes to the food components, but does not list the exact ingredient used that would allow you to use the FBG to validate the contribution to the food component. In this case, you will need to ask for addition information from the manufacturer.
A good PFS will have the nutrition facts, ingredients, and contribution to the meal pattern including calculations. This will provide all the information needed in one place.
Product Formulation Statements
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20. Validating the PFS: Calculating the contributioN
Next, the calculations to validate the creditable contribution to the meal pattern will be demonstrated.
The examples that will be shown are PFSs from various companies and some that have been validated by the Food Distribution Program, Nutrition Services Division of CDE.
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21. Methods Recipe Analysis Worksheet: FBG Appendix A
CDE Recipe Analysis Template
Calculations on the PFS
There are several methods that you may use to validate the information on a PFS. You may use the recipe analysis worksheet in Appendix A of the FBG or the CDE Recipe Analysis Template or do the calculations directly on the PFS.
The method selected may depend on the number of different ingredients in the product, or it may even depend on how legible your handwriting is.
The information on a PFS is spelled out in such detail, that you can usually just do the calculation on the sheet itself, saving an extra sheet of paper to file. That is how I will do the calculations and documentation in this webinar.
A calculator is helpful when working with decimals.
Keep in mind the rounding rule used when calculating the credit for meal pattern components. For crediting purposes, you need to round down to the nearest one-quarter for M/MAs and Grains or to the nearest 1/8 cup for vegetables and fruits to ensure that each portion served provides the minimum amount of credit you are claiming.
This is different than the rounding rule used when calculating how much food to purchase or prepare. The rounding rule used for preparing food is to round up to ensure enough food is prepared.
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22. Recipe Analysis Worksheet: FBG Appendix A
Complete worksheet
Date and sign
Attach to PFS
File
This is the worksheet from Appendix A of the FBG that may be used to validate a PFS. Notice that it only has one column for the vegetables and fruits. This section of the FBG is under construction and the new version will probably have separate columns.
There is also no space for the vegetable subgroups, so you would need to calculate them separately, perhaps by placing all ingredients from the same subgroup together and totaling them separately and then all together for the total vegetable contribution – you need both pieces of information.
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23. CDE Recipe Analysis Template
1 or batch
Product Name, Manufacturer, Code
Complete worksheet
Date and sign
Attach to PFS
File
For a demonstration on this template, see the
Recipes Webinar at
This Recipe Analysis Template was developed by CDE. It can be easily adapted for validating a PFS.
For more information on how to use this form, check the handouts for the template and instructions and refer to the webinar, “Calculating the Contribution of Foods: Recipes” on the Center for Nutrition in Schools website at the website listed here.
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24. Calculations on the PFS
Complete calculations
Date and sign
File
For processed products with just a few ingredients contributing to the food components, it is simpler to do the calculations directly onto the PFS as shown here, and that is what we will do today.
After you complete the calculations, don’t forget to date, sign and file it.
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25. PFS Validation Examples
Now to do the calculations.
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26. Sample Grains Validation1 2 3
Criteria
Manufacturer’s letterhead
Product name
Code number
Serving size
Type of creditable ingredient(s)
Weight of creditable ingredient(s)
Company representative certifying correctness
Printed name
Signature
Title
Date company representative signs 5 6
For this first example, which has several meal components, I will go through each of the criteria. In later examples, I will just check off the required criteria.
(Go through each of the 8 criteria.) 4 7 8
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27. Sample Grains Validation
Calculation
g WW Flour +
g Enriched Flour =
g total grains = 2.09 oz eq
16 g grain per oz eq
Or rounded down = 2 oz eq
Additional checks:
Is the credit claimed ≤ serving size? Yes
Is the information adequate? Yes
Ingredients match a description in the FBG Yes
If claiming more credit than FBG NA
Clarify ingredients
Demonstrate how it provides that credit
Here is an example of a grain calculation. This grain product crediting is done using the grams of grain. Let’s check their calculations.
(Point out the Calculations sheet in the handouts for them to go through the calculations along with me. Go through the calculations. )
The PFS divides each grain amount by 16 grams grain and adds these together or you can add the total grams of grain and divide by 16. You will get 2 oz eq grain either way.
You know this is a WGR product because the weight of the whole wheat flour exceeds the weight of the enriched flour.
You can also see that the credit claimed is less than the serving size and they are not claiming more credit than the FBG, so more clarification is not needed.
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28. Grams versus Rev. Exhibit A√ √ √
This PFS shows information for both calculations.
Grams: There must be 16 grams of creditable grain per portion for 1 oz eq of grain
12.67 g WW Flour g Enriched = g / 16 g = 1.30 oz eq or rounded down to nearest ¼ oz eq = 1.25 oz eq
Rev. Exhibit A: This is a Group B grain.
There must be 1 oz product per 1 oz eq grain.
1.5 oz per portion / 1 = 1.5 oz eq grain
Is either contribution > portion size? No
Whole grain-rich: > 50% of 20.94
1.25 oz eq or 1.5 oz eq? You decide. √ √ √ √
This PFS shows the calculations for both the grams of grain credit and the Revised Exhibit A credit. You may use whichever method of calculation works best for your program.
(Go through the calculations on the slide.) √
Product Formulation Statements

29. Sample Meat/Meat Alternate Validation√
Sample Meat/Meat Alternate Validation √ √
Calculation
Beans, Pinto Dry: 21 oz eq/lb
21/16= oz per oz
.87 oz x = 1.14 oz eq
Cheese: 16 oz eq/lb, 1 oz eq per oz
.87 oz x 1 = .87 oz eq
Total: = 2.01 rounds down to
2 oz eq M/MA
Additional checks:
Is the creditable amount > portion? No
Is the M/MA visible? Yes √
Now let’s validate a PFS for a product providing just M/MA. The name of the product is “Filling in a Bag, Bean and Cheese Traditional,”
Notice that the weight per raw portion of creditable ingredient is listed in ounces. When we go back to the food buying guide, page 1-6, the oz eq for the dry pinto beans is per lb - 21 oz eq per pound.
The first thing to do is convert the oz eq for the dry pinto beans from per pound to per ounce by dividing by 16. We confirm that 21 divided by 16 equals
Next, multiply that number by the .87 oz per portion to get 1.14 oz eq meat alternate, the two decimal point oz eq per portion. Remember you cannot round up when reaching the 2 decimal point figure.
Going through the same process for the cheese, we validate the calculation for the cheese. Adding the two together, we validate the 2 oz eq M/MA per portion. Now you would just need to sign and date your calculations and file the PFS. Then you may use the product for breakfast or lunch. √ √ √ √
Product Formulation Statements

30. Product Formulation Statements Product Formulation Statements
Vegetable Validation
This sheet is not a valid PFS as it does not list the source and weight of the M/MA ingredients or the vegetables.
This sheet is a specification sheet, not a PFS because it lacks the weight and description of the individual ingredients that would allow you to validate the contribution with the FBG.
Product Formulation Statements
Product Formulation Statements

31. Sample Vegetable Validation√
There are creditable Grain and M/MA ingredients which were calculated correctly.
To check the Vegetable calculations:
The FBG lists the contribution of the tomato paste as 192 ¼ c per 111 oz. #10 can.
192/111 = (1 Tbsp = ¼ cup) or
rounded to 1.72
.11 oz per portion x 1.72 = ¼ c
Tomato puree yields 96 ¼ c per 106 oz. #10 can.
96/106 = ¼ c or .90 as
rounded
.44 oz per portion x .90 = ¼ c
= ¼ c
or 1/8 c of R/O Vegetable √ √ √ √ √
This product has creditable grain, M/MA and vegetable.
(Go though slide. Point out that the information on tomato paste and puree is found on page 2-64 of the FBG.)
The calculation done on the PFS when multiplying the oz per raw portion of the creditable tomato puree times the FBG yield was based on the figure although they put .90 in the column. It is okay to use the four decimal point number instead of rounding down to two decimal places. You are only required to round down to two decimal points for the final answer of oz eqs or ¼ cups. The result is the same for this product: 1/8 cup of red/orange vegetable. √ √
Product Formulation Statements

32. Sample Combination Validation√ √ √
Grains: check the math
11.78 g WW/16 = .73 oz eq
11.31 g Enriched/16 = .70 oz eq
= 1.43 oz eq grains
Round down to 1.25 oz eq
Note that the two decimal figure was rounded up, but the figure of 1.25 oz eq is still correct.
Error rounding but final answer OK √ √
The new formats developed by companies make it easy to check the math.
Checking the math for the grains, we find that the company rounded up for the two decimal point figure, but the rounded down 1.25 oz eq is correct. Perhaps they were using an Excel spreadsheet and it wouldn’t believe that it could not round up. √ √ √ √
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33. Sample Combination Validation√ √
M/MA: check the math
Cheese: American is 1:1, = ¼ ounce
Ground beef, 20% fat is 11.8 oz eq per lb (USDA Foods), FGB pg. 1-16
11.8/16 oz = ≠ .74 because you may not round up
.7375 x 1.57 oz = oz eq or 1.15 oz eq
OR Ground beef, 24% fat is 11.6 oz eq per lb (Commercial), FBG pg. 1-16
11.6/16 oz=.725 ≠ .73
.725 x 1.57 = oz eq or 1.13 oz eq
1.15 oz eq OR 1.13 oz eq oz eq = 1.40 oz eq or 1.38 oz eq
Round down to 1.25 oz eq √ √ √
The important thing when validating a PFS is to check that #1, the FBG yield is for the form of the ingredient used and #2, that the math was done correctly. The ground beef information for this PFS is on page 1-16 in the FBG. Note that the information provided on this form is for both USDA Foods processed ground beef and for commercial ground beef. Check each calculation separately if you use both the USDA Foods processed and the commercial product.
You also need to know if the ingredient used in the product is special USDA Foods for further processing. The yield information may be different than in the regular section for meat/meat alternate or tomato paste. Food items for further processing can be found in Appendix C of the FBG, The USDA Child Nutrition Labeling Program, pages C-5 and 6.
The yield on this form was rounded up, which was incorrect, but the final M/MA contribution is correct. If the amount of ground beef were just enough to meet the 1.25 oz eq of M/MA, the contribution to the meal pattern might be compromised.
This form has two pages. √
Error rounding but final answer OK √ √ √
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34. Product Formulation Statements
The second page of this PFS has the nutrient information, the signature and the date signed by the company official. It is convenient to have the nutrient information together with the contribution to the meal pattern.
Is the signature from a person with sufficient knowledge of the product? Yes, he is the Director of Operations. √

35. Validation: Product within a Product
Pizza from one company made with another company’s turkey pepperoni
Validate the new PFS (or use the CN Label if available)
Validate the pizza company properly credited the product
Attach the validated PFS (or CN Label) for the turkey pepperoni to the PFS for the pizza
Occasionally you will find a product made by one company that contains the food product of another company. Two examples are 1) a breakfast sandwich made with turkey bacon and 2) a pizza made with turkey pepperoni. If you find this situation, obtain the CN Label or PFS from the ingredient used. Validate the second PFS or get a copy of the CN Label if it has one. Then check that the second manufacturer properly credited the product used as an ingredient in their product.
And finally, attach the supplementary validated PFS or the copy of the CN Label to the PFS for the product you are using and validating.
Product Formulation Statements
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36. Sample Fruit Validation
It gets more complicated when you have a product like this salad with raw leafy greens, carrots, parmesan cheese and whole wheat croutons. This validation was done by Manpreet Kaur with the Food Distribution Program, Nutrition Services Division. Let’s look at just the vegetable calculations on the next slide.
Product Formulation Statements
Product Formulation Statements

37. Product Formulation Statements
Alternate Calculation for Romaine:
31.3 ¼ c per lb/16 = 1.95 ¼ c per oz
1.5 oz/.64 = 2.34 oz ap
1.95 x 2.34 = 4.56 ¼ cup volume
½ volume credit = 2.28 ¼ c = ½ c
The yield for a pound of carrots was divided by 16 oz to get the yield per oz. The answer, , was multiplied by .5 oz of carrots to get ¼ cups which rounds down to 1/8 cup of carrots, a red/orange vegetable. There must be .5 – ¼ cup to .99 – ¼ cup to credit as 1/8 cup vegetable or fruit. The FBG, Introduction section, page I-37, has a chart showing how to convert decimal equivalents to the nearest portion of a cup for vegetables and fruits.
The romaine is a raw leafy green, so the volume is calculated to yield the actual volume, but only credits as ½ the volume. The FBG tells us that there are 31.3 servings per lb of untrimmed romaine or .64 lbs of RTU romaine, so 1 lb yields oz (16 oz x .64 = oz).
31.3 oz/10.24 oz= ¼ cups per 1 oz trimmed romaine x 1.5 oz per serving = ¼ c.
4.58 x ¼ = 1 1/8 cup, which when multiplied by ½ = rounds down to ½ cup romaine, a dark green vegetable.
Another approach is to divide the ¼ cups per lb by 16 to get the yield per oz = ¼ cups per oz. Then divide the 1.5 oz by the yield of .64 = 2.34 oz untrimmed needed to yield 1.5 oz RTU. Multiply 1.95 – ¼ cups x 2.34 oz = ¼ cups which also results in a rounded down answer of ½ cup.
Product Formulation Statements

38. Product Formulation Statements
The Nutrition Services Division is validating PFSs submitted by manufacturers
Coming Soon!!
Validated PFS will be housed in the Food Distribution Program module of the CNIPS
You may send your validated PFSs to:
In an effort to support sponsors and manufacturers and expedite the administrative review process, the Nutrition Services Division (NSD) staff are available to validate calculations for contribution to the meal pattern for manufacturers.
The PFS must be submitted to NSD by the manufacturer.
This process does not provide an official approval for an end product nor should sponsors wait for the NSD before validating their own calculations on the PFS before the end product is used.
If you validate a PFS feel free to share it with the NSD so the PFS can be used by other FSDs. You can send your validated PFS to: Just as with PFSs validated by NSD, these will not be guaranteed to be correct.
Currently, the validated PFSs are on file in CNIPS in the School Nutrition module in the Download Forms Section. All validated PFSs are listed by manufacturer and include the product name and code number in the description. Sponsors can download, print, and keep the validated PFSs on file.
Coming soon, CDE will be informing sponsors that validated PFS will be moved to the Food Distribution module in the download forms section. This is where they will be housed permanently. CDE anticipates full access in April 2014.
Product Formulation Statements
Center for Nutrition in Schools –

39. Documentation and Record retention
Documentation of all processed foods is required, whether it is a CN label product, a product with a PFS or one with grain calculations .
Documentation and Record retention
Product Formulation Statements
Center for Nutrition in Schools –

40. Documentation
All sponsors must retain documentation on how the processed food products contribute to food components of the meal pattern.
Copy of CN Label
Copy of the PFS
Copy of validated calculations by
State or
School
Grain Equivalency Calculations
The documentation required for a CN Label product is the original CN label off the box or a copy of the original CN label.
The documentation for the PFS is the PFS with the validated calculation either done by you or by the NSD. Having it located in CNIPS is not enough. You must download it, print it out and file it.
For the grain equivalency calculations, you would file either the label or nutrition facts label with the weight per portion, the ingredient list to show that it is whole grain-rich and your calculations using the grain groups chart..
Product Formulation Statements
Center for Nutrition in Schools –

41. Record Retention Documentation must be:
Retained for three years beyond the fiscal year that the processed convenience product was used
Available during an Administrative Review
Your documented PFSs must be retained for three years beyond the year you served the product. During an AR, the documentation may be required.
Product Formulation Statements
Center for Nutrition in Schools –

42. Summary Before we close, let’s summarize what we have learned.
Product Formulation Statements
Center for Nutrition in Schools –

43. Summary
Calculate the contribution of food components in a processed food product whenever a:
New product is used
Current product is reformulated
We learned that you need to calculate the contribution to the meal pattern in a processed food product whenever a:
New product is used
and when a current product is reformulated.
Product Formulation Statements
Center for Nutrition in Schools –

44. Product Formulation Statements
Summary
To validate the contribution of a processed food product as stated on the PFS, use:
Appendix A of the FBG or
The CDE Spreadsheet or
Hand calculations recorded onto the PFS
There is no one correct way to do the calculations, whether by hand
with a calculator or using a copy of the worksheet in Appendix A, or using the new
CDE spreadsheet. But you always need the FBG, and however you do the calculations,
document your findings, sign, date and file them.
Product Formulation Statements

45. Product Formulation Statements
Summary
To do the calculations use:
The FBG
Nutrition Facts Label
Basics at a Glance
Plus
The CDE Spreadsheet or
A calculator
You may pick the method you wish to use to do the calculations to validate your PFS.
Once you pick your method, then use the FBG and any Nutrition Facts Label provided for grain products.
Remember that the Basics at a Glance handout is a great reference/tool that can help you with conversions when completing your calculations.
Plus you may want to use the CDE recipe analysis spreadsheet or your calculator to do the math.
Product Formulation Statements

46. Product Formulation Statements
Conclusion
Thank you for joining our webinar.
As time permits, we will go through the questions submitted. You may continue to submit questions as we answer them.
Product Formulation Statements