The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently requested feedback on the ways foods and beverages offered in federal feeding programs receive credit, which allows schools and day care centers to be reimbursed for meals and snacks that meet FNS requirements. In comments filed this week, IDFA emphasized that nutrient-rich dairy products are critical for good health and said crediting ensures that the children and adults participating in these programs will receive the nutrition they need.
FNS establishes the meal patterns and nutrition standards followed in the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, and Summer Food Service Program. FNS identifies which food groups will be allowed or required at each type of meal or snack and then uses several factors, such as volume, weight and overall nutrient profile, to determine how individual foods fit into those food groups.
Follow the Dietary Guidelines
In the comments, IDFA said it is vital for the crediting process to align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which urge most Americans to increase consumption of low-fat and nonfat dairy foods because they are naturally nutrient-dense foods.
“We believe that nutrient density is an important concept to encourage through the crediting process because a single, nutrient-dense food can provide a variety of nutrients that are essential for health,” IDFA said. “Focusing meals and snacks on nutrient-dense foods allows school foodservice and care providers to include more nutrients in a lower-calorie diet. This focus not only aids in consumption, but also assists in energy balance and weight control.”
Milk, Cheese and Yogurt
IDFA strongly supported keeping flavored and unflavored fluid milk as an essential component of feeding programs and said it should continue to be credited based on volume. Cheese and yogurt should continue to be included within the meat and meat-alternate group, IDFA said.
The comments also outlined how to handle fortified products, as well as products that fall outside of the standards of identity and those that have no defined standards.
- For fortified products, IDFA said they should continue to be acceptable for crediting if they are consistent with the Food and Drug Administration’s fortification policy and meet all other nutrition standards.
- Some products that combine nutrient content claims with the name in the standard of identity, such as low-fat milk, are allowed in the programs, while others are not. IDFA asked FNS to consider allowing “reduced-sugar milk” with non-nutritive sweeteners to provide added flexibility for meeting the nutrition requirements and flavor preferences of program participants.
- For foods or beverages that do not have a defined standard of identity, such as smoothies, IDFA asked FNS to consider the nutritional value of the product when deciding whether to allow it for crediting.
For more information, contact Cary Frye, IDFA senior vice president of regulatory affairs, at cfrye@idfa.org or Michelle Matto, IDFA’s consultant for nutrition and labeling, at amfoodnutrition@gmail.com.