Food Program Question

[littlemommy]

If you make something with a fruit/vegetable, can you claim that as a fruit/vegetable serving?

Example: if you make a smoothie with bananas, can you claim the banana, even though you don't know how much banana is in each kid's drink?

My FP rep isn't the best at answering these types of questions..

[Blackcat31]

As far as I know, yes you can claim that as a fruit serving.

As a matter of fact in one of their pre-planned menus, a fruit smoothie is considered a fruit serving as a snack item so I think you can absolutely count it.

[MrsB]

Yes I claim a fruit/vegitable serving with spaghetti sauce (tomatoes/greenpeppers), my chicken soup (carrots, celery), chili (tomatoes, green peppers) etc. When I did the food program I never had it questioned.

[daycare]

I was told that if I were to serve a fruit smoothie, which I love to do , that I had to make sure that each drink was still meeting the daily required amount of each portion. Which I found found is not possible to do.

So I still make them and then serve a side of another fruit, and protein. Like yogurt. I would also still need to serve the required amount of milk too. SO I always end of having to give them an extra glass of milk at the same time.

Basically, you can do it, but you really can't make a fruit smoothie and claim it as a meal to replace all of the necessary meal requirements.

DOes this make sense?

[Blackcat31]

I was told that if I were to serve a fruit smoothie, which I love to do , that I had to make sure that each drink was still meeting the daily required amount of each portion. Which I found found is not possible to do.

So I still make them and then serve a side of another fruit, and protein. Like yogurt. I would also still need to serve the required amount of milk too. SO I always end of having to give them an extra glass of milk at the same time.

Basically, you can do it, but you really can't make a fruit smoothie and claim it as a meal to replace all of the necessary meal requirements.

DOes this make sense?

You can only claim ONE ingredient in anything you make like a casserole or fruit smoothie. For example if you make stew, you can either claim one vegetable or one meat serving NOT two.

Plus when you make fruit smoothies, what you can do to ensure that each child gets the proper serving size is make the smoothie adding ONLY the correct serving sizes of the fruit and milk. Such as adding 1/2 cup of berries for each child you have present.

Have 4 kids? add 2 cups of berries and then when you split the smoothie into 4 servings equally, each kid IS getting the correct amount to call it a fruit serving. You can't claim the milk you added to make the smoothie because you are already claiming the fruit.

I am assuming this is what you meant?

[littlemommy]

I've been told that I don't have to be exact on measurements, but just have the required amount available if they want to eat/drink that much. So I could claim banana in a smoothie, as long as I have extra banana to serve if they want more?

Would banana count in a homemade banana oat muffin? I've never counted it before as a fruit and grain serving, just as grain.

I wish I would have been told these things earlier. My rep didn't even know if I could claim eggs that are locally bought, or home ground meat. I never really got a clear answer on those, either.

[littlemommy]

You can only claim ONE ingredient in anything you make like a casserole or fruit smoothie. For example if you make stew, you can either claim one vegetable or one meat serving NOT two.

Plus when you make fruit smoothies, what you can do to ensure that each child gets the proper serving size is make the smoothie adding ONLY the correct serving sizes of the fruit and milk. Such as adding 1/2 cup of berries for each child you have present.

Have 4 kids? add 2 cups of berries and then when you split the smoothie into 4 servings equally, each kid IS getting the correct amount to call it a fruit serving. You can't claim the milk you added to make the smoothie because you are already claiming the fruit.

I am assuming this is what you meant?

I've never heard that before. My rep is completely fine with me claiming chicken soup as a meat, 2 veggies (celery and carrots) and grain (noodles) as long as I have enough for everyone

[Blackcat31]

I've been told that I don't have to be exact on measurements, but just have the required amount available if they want to eat/drink that much. So I could claim banana in a smoothie, as long as I have extra banana to serve if they want more?

Would banana count in a homemade banana oat muffin? I've never counted it before as a fruit and grain serving, just as grain.

I wish I would have been told these things earlier. My rep didn't even know if I could claim eggs that are locally bought, or home ground meat. I never really got a clear answer on those, either.

My rep also tells me that I am only required to have the correct amounts AVAILABLE as well.

As far as the banana in the muffin, you can ONLY claim that as a grain as their is not enough banana in it to be counted as a fruit serving. You could serve the muffin AND the banana and claim 1 grain and 1 fruit but NOT both fruit and grain from the muffin only.

As far as the home made ground beef you cannot claim any meats that have not been inspected by the USDA so you cannot claim the meat unless the meat processor has been inspected and is allowed to use the USDA stamp. You are also not allowed to claim eggs that you get unless they too ahve under gone an inspection process to make sure they are ok.

I have some good links about these rules and will look them up and post them here in a bit.

[littlemommy]

thanks. it gets confusing, especially when the people that work with the food program can't answer questions without asking people above them!

[Blackcat31]

Here is a link to serving/claiming...scroll to the second page and you will see combination dishes in bold print in the bottom right corner of page two.

http://www.childcarechoices.net/Portals/0/PDF/Fall%20winter%202011%20Provider%20Folder.pdf

I was wrong though about how many components you can claim...it says 2 MAX.
So you could claim a veggie and a meat if you made lasagna but you can't claim the noodles as a grain too and claim more than 2 components.

Does that make sense?

Also here is the link to the food buying guides for each meal compenent. If you click on the one that says meat/meat alternatives, it will explain in there what is ok to serve and not serve (as far as wild game and homemade ground beef as well as eggs from your own chickens etc)

http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/Resources/foodbuyingguide.html

[daycare]

thanks. it gets confusing, especially when the people that work with the food program can't answer questions without asking people above them!

I have been very lucky to have a great site monitor with my food program. She has been very very helpful to me in so many ways

[MrsB]

My rep also tells me that I am only required to have the correct amounts AVAILABLE as well.

As far as the banana in the muffin, you can ONLY claim that as a grain as their is not enough banana in it to be counted as a fruit serving. You could serve the muffin AND the banana and claim 1 grain and 1 fruit but NOT both fruit and grain from the muffin only.

As far as the home made ground beef you cannot claim any meats that have not been inspected by the USDA so you cannot claim the meat unless the meat processor has been inspected and is allowed to use the USDA stamp. You are also not allowed to claim eggs that you get unless they too ahve under gone an inspection process to make sure they are ok.

I have some good links about these rules and will look them up and post them here in a bit.

I am a little confused too, because a recipe book, I received from CACFP that has the breakdown of what you can claim per recipe has more than one food group in it.

Like spaghetti, I can claim a grain and a fruit (tomatoes). But you can only claim one per food group. Like you couldnt claim 2 fruit/veg because you used tomatoes and green peppers.

Here is a thing from the CACFP that says if they have the proper amounts in each serving they can be counted towards, all three groups.

[Blackcat31]

I am a little confused too, because a recipe book, I received from CACFP that has the breakdown of what you can claim per recipe has more than one food group in it.

Like spaghetti, I can claim a grain and a fruit (tomatoes). But you can only claim one per food group. Like you couldnt claim 2 fruit/veg because you used tomatoes and green peppers.

Here is a thing from the CACFP that says if they have the proper amounts in each serving they can be counted towards, all three groups.

I have that book too, but two ingredients are still the max allowable to claim.
In the area after each recipe it says how to credit and I think it gets confusing because they are using the words "and/or". For example under the fruit parfait it says the yougurt, the milk and the fruit can be counted towards the veggie, milk and/or meat group.

My rep when explaining this stuff says the and/or means yogurt can be milk and/or meat but whatever I categorize it under it can only be one OR the other and I can still only count 2 ingredients.

I don't see anywhere in the book that says you can count all three groups. Just the reapeated "and/or" phrase.

[iheartkids]

It must depend on the area or the rep cause I just started on the program and I was told I can claim TWO food groups with combined dishes but not three. So for spaghetti I can either claim the meat/veg, veg/bread or meat/bread. I asked about measurements and she said as long as I have the right amount on hand to give if they want more than the measurements I serve doesnt matter. So I can give them Two green beans as long as I have more to give them if they want more. So I would say you can count the smoothie as a fruit as long as you have another banana to give them if they do want more.

[Blackcat31]

It must depend on the area or the rep cause I just started on the program and I was told I can claim TWO food groups with combined dishes but not three. So for spaghetti I can either claim the meat/veg, veg/bread or meat/bread. I asked about measurements and she said as long as I have the right amount on hand to give if they want more than the measurements I serve doesnt matter. So I can give them Two green beans as long as I have more to give them if they want more. So I would say you can count the smoothie as a fruit as long as you have another banana to give them if they do want more.

I don't think that (bolded) part is an area thing. I got that info off the USDA web site and they govern ALL food program agencies.