Crediting Deli and Other Processed Meat Products in Child and Adult Care Food Programs

The serving size of processed meats such as deli meats (turkey, chicken, roast beef), sausages, pepperoni, salami or hot dogs used in Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) meals and snacks must provide the required amount of the meat/meat alternate component (m/ma). The composition of these processed meats must be known in order to properly credit and serve the appropriate amount to participants.

Some processed meat products have a standard of identity. As long as these products do not contain by- products, cereals, binders, extenders or fillers, find their crediting information in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Buying Guide. These by-products include:

• Hot/dogs/frankfurters • Pork sausage • Bologna • Ham and Turkey Ham • Vienna sausage • Canadian bacon For all other processed meat products, Sponsors need a Child Nutrition (CN) label or product formulation statement (PFS) to verify the amount of creditable meat. (Reference Child Nutrition (CN) Labels and Product Formulation Statements Documentation Requirements for more information). For example, one brand of deli meat might require 1.6 ounces to credit as 1 ounce of the m/ma component, while another brand might require 2.3 ounces to credit as 1 ounce of the m/ma.

Examples of products that would require a CN or PFS:

• Turkey Deli meats do not have a standard of identity.

Ingredients: Turkey breast, water, cultured dextrose, honey, contains less than two percent of potato starch, sea salt, vinegar, cultured celery juice, cherry power.

• Frankfurters do have a standard of identity but this brand contains modified food starch, which is a binder. (See Table 1 below)

Ingredients: Beef, water, modified food starch contains two percent or less of cultured corn sugar, vinegar, flavorings, dextrose, sea salt, celery juice, lactic acid starter culture, spices, sodium, sodium phosphates, extract of Paprika.

05/2020 1 Table 1 – Examples of by-products, binders, extenders, cereals and fillers.

By-products Binders Extenders Cereals Fillers

Poultry skin Carrageenan Gelatin Wheat Cereals Beef Fat Whey Texturized vegetable Rice Vegetables protein (TVP) Beef Blood Whey protein Oats Breadcrumbs concentrate Soy Flour Pork Snouts, livers, Corn cheeks Food Starch Plant proteins form barley legumes Gelatin Cellulose Sodium caseinate Hydrolyzed oat flour Soy isolate Wheat gluten

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