Production Records:

7 CFR 210.10(a)(3) Production and menu records. Schools or school food authorities, as applicable, must keep production and menu records for the meals they produce. These records must show how the meals offered contribute to the required food components and food quantities for each age/grade group every day. Labels or manufacturer specifications for food products and ingredients used to prepare school meals must indicate zero grams of trans fat per serving (less than 0.5 grams). Schools or school food authorities must maintain records of the latest nutritional analysis of the school menus conducted by the State agency. Production and menu records must be maintained in accordance with FNS guidance.

The purposes of a production record are many. (Time spent preparing and completing a production record can actually save you time.)Why do we do production records? It’s actually a requirement to document that the reimbursable meal was prepared and served.

Planning Tool

Menu Planning must occur first, and production records can assist in planning and in preparation of the items. Cycle menus that are centrally planned will assist the menu planner to better see student trends and food selection habits.

Communication Tool

The production record communicates your plans to your staff.

Which foods and recipes to use

What portion size to serve (utensil)

The food items’ contributions to the reimbursable meal

The staff shouldalways review the production record prior to service.

Survey Tool – post service

Did you produce too much and therefore create waste?

Did the students accept this item?

Better planning can lead to greater student satisfaction and better menu planning. The production record becomes a history of student acceptance.

Documentation for Reimbursement

Meals claimed for reimbursement must be supported by production records.

The records must include all foods offered as reimbursable meal items – sandwich trimmings, sack meals, salad bars, condiments, etc.

Field Trips, Special Diets, and Leftovers must be included on the production records.

Certain characteristics of the production record are essential.

  • Is it written? (can be electronic)
  • Is it recorded daily?
  • Is it menu driven? Central Menu Planning-Driven?
  • Is it complete and accurate?
  • Is it current to day of service?
  • Is it planned in advance?Planning is now done for an ENTIRE WEEK in advance.

General Informationrecommended to be recorded on the production record.

School name

Date of service

Food components/items

Source of product like recipe, #10 can, etc. (Recipes must reflect the actual items/products used, actual portion sizes, and actual yields).

Planned number of portions and portion size for adults, alacarte, and other.

Planned number of portions and portion size for students in appropriate grade groupings.

Total amount of food prepared

Actual portions that were not part of a reimbursable meal

Leftovers

Actual number of reimbursable meals served

Actual number of non-reimbursable meals served

NOTE: Additional documentation must be available to show the crediting of the food items, trans fat content, nutrition facts to determine saturated fat content, calories, and sodium.

To Complete a Production Record, you need:

Menu and Menu Planning sheet(s) to support that all components were offered and served in the appropriate amounts for the appropriate age/grade grouping. The planning sheets may also assist in documenting the weekly vegetable sub grouping requirements, meat/meat alternate weekly range, and the grain weekly range.

Food Buying Guide

USDA Recipes

Local Recipes

Production Information Sheets/Product Formulation Sheets

Labels with nutrition information – both CN labels, ingredient labels, and nutrition labels will be useful

USDA Product Data Sheets

Recipes

Recipes are needed for any menu item containing more than one ingredient.

The recipe should include:

Title

Yield – serving size as well as number of portions

All ingredients- including form and packing medium

Correct measures – including utensils, weights

Preparation Instructions including pans, utensils, etc…

Component Category

Electronic Production Record Helpful Tips

1)EXCEL software is needed. Save the production record as a SAMPLE or PLAY PROD REC and allow staff to get familiar with EXCEL operations.

2)Create a MASTER TEMPLATE: put all the standard daily items on the production record so that you do not have to retype every week. Example: Milk, School, Person completing production records, etc…Create master templates like Cycle 1, Cycle 2, Cycle 3 as tabs at the bottom of excel file.

3)Creating Tabs: when you open Excel Production Records and create your master (of daily/weekly reoccurring items) you will right click on the bottom left tab (probably named production record), click “move or copy” , click “move to the end”, check the box to create a copy, and click “OK”. A new tab will appear (called production record – copy1). You will right click on that tab, and click rename. Then rename the tab – by typing the new name (Cycle 1). You will keep copying the main tab and renaming to create your cycle 1, cycle 2, etc.. You will then enter the data/menu items for each weekly cycle. You will be able to enter the items through the “Total Amt. Prepared” Column. The remaining four columns to the right (Total Number of portions prepared, number of portions serve,

4)Top Left: ACTUAL COUNTS are the actual meals, not the individual food items prepared. ACTUAL meals for the different grade groupings and categories.

5)FOOD ITEMS:

  1. If you have a leftover from a previous date, please log the item as a LEFTOVER. An example may look like this – Spaghetti (L/O 8/2/12). This indicates that the spaghetti was a leftover from August 2, 2012. You must document leftovers.
  2. If an item is from a RECIPE, you may list the recipe number along with the item. An example may look like this – Spaghetti (M14). This indicates that the spaghetti recipe number is M14. If you have only one spaghetti recipe, it is not necessary to list the recipe number, but if you have three spaghetti recipes, you may wish to indicate which recipe is being used. The recipe must be readily available for backup documentation.
  3. When listing a combination item, remember to list the CREDITABLE amounts under the appropriate component column. An example: Chicken Nuggets actual portion size may be three nuggets (as indicated on a CN Label, product formulation sheet, or commodity fact sheet). The chicken nuggets would credit: M/MA= 2 eq. oz. (or whatever is indicated as the crediting in the supporting documentation), GRAIN = 1 eq. oz. (or whatever is indicated as the crediting in the supporting documentation)
  4. When crediting an item – it’s the CREDITABLE AMOUNT, which may not the actual portion. For example: The chicken nuggets may weigh 4 oz., but the actual CREDITING amounts are 2 eq. oz. and 1 eq. oz. under the appropriate component column.
  5. Condiments: you may use a condiment recipe and not list each condiment. BUT I CAUTION YOU – make sure that all of your recipes are a true picture of the consumption. If your recipe indicates that a portion size is 2 packs of ketchup, and the students are actually taking 7 packs. Your recipe may not be the true picture.
  6. Condiments: you may list them separately. Condiments are not credited as components. Example: ketchup would be listed under items and actual portion size. You would then skip to the planned portion columns through leftovers. The component portion size would not have any documentation.

6)PLANNED PORTIONS:

  1. If your school configuration is K-8 and all portion sizes are exactly the same for all grade groupings, you may enter them in one column – either K-5 or 6-8. You may make a note under the special events/notes section that your school configuration is K-8. Remember that each grade group has minimums and maximums for grains and meats and has specific dietary specifications/calories. Make sure (if your school configuration is K-8 and you are recording all items in one column that) you are using the cross-over values for the ranges and dietary specifications. If you are not using the crossover values (for M/MA and Grain Ranges), you must record the grade groupings on a separate production record unless you are tracking the ranges on a separate menu planning tool.If you school has 9-12 along with K-5/6-8, you must use a separate record. The production record may be used as for K-5 and 6-8, not including 9-12. The 9-12 Grade Grouping will be on a separate production record.
  2. OTHER: the SNP Staff, Adults, Teachers, Alacarte, (Pre-Kindergarten – if using this production record to track PRE-K meals) and visitor projected/planned amounts of the items are recorded in Other/planned portions.

7)SUPPORTING DATA:

  1. You must still maintain all crediting data like CN labels, manufacturer/product formulation sheets, commodity fact sheets, and recipes. For the 6 Cents Validation, production records may be reviewed for the week of the site review and for the actual submission menu. The entire week must be planned in advance (which you should be doing now – to ensure that vegetable subcategories and grain/meat ranges are met).
  2. If you are using one production record to track different/isolated lines – you must have backup documentation showing that weekly grain/meat ranges and vegetable subgroups are met. This may be via meal planning sheets or planned menus with crediting amounts indicated for both. It is recommended to use different production records for different lines (if the lines are not identical in menu items offered). If you have two lines that are identical (in menu items planned) then one production record may be used (see 6.a. above for an exception).

8)You are not required to print the production records. They may be maintained SAFELY in the electronic form. It is highly recommended to not only save on your computer, but on an external backup device. You must complete production records DAILY.

9)You may use the OLD-UPDATED PRODUCTION RECORD or THE NEW PRODUCTION RECORD for pre-K and Breakfast documentation. YOU MUST MAINTAIN PRODUCTION RECORDS FOR BOTH!

10)When you have to TYPE something in a blank (not a dropdown box) make sure a vertical bar is flashing at you prior to typing. If you type without seeing the flashing bar, you could erase the heading.

11)Columns with dropdown boxes: When entering data in a dropdown box – you cannot type items that are not included in the dropdown boxes. You must pick an item from the dropdown box or type an item in the dropdown box. No new entries allowed.

12)You will note red triangles in the right corners of each heading box. If you drag your mouse curser over the red triangles, instructions for that box will appear.

Crediting Food Items/Amounts

It is the responsibility or the School Food Authority (SFA)/Local Education Agency (LEA) to assure that food items meet the meal pattern requirement for the component.

Ask the following when trying to determine if a food meets the meal component amount:

1) Does the product have a Child Nutrition (CN) Label? The CN Label will always have:

a) The CN logo, which is a square/rectangular border.

b) The meal pattern contribution statement the item provides.

c) A six-digit product identification number. The six digit CN identification number in the upper-right corner is assigned by the AMS-CN Labeling Program Operations Office.

d) USDA/FNS Authorization Statement.

e) The month and year of approval. The date found at the end of this statement reflects the month/year of final approval.

Current Sample Label (or soon to be “old” CN Label):

NOTE: The CN Label is actually located on the packaging not in vendor advertisements or pamphlets. If there is NOT a CN Label, go to number 2.

To find Authorized CN Manufacturers and CN Labels go to:

NOTE: The CN Label is being update to reflect current meal pattern terminology and crediting requirements.

2) Is the item in the Food Buying Guide (FBG)? Try to find the item and actual yield information in the FBG. If the item is not in the FBG, go to number 3. NOTE:

The Food Buying Guide is currently being updated to assist menu planners in meeting the new meal pattern requirements.The vegetable and fruit components have been separated and updated. Go to , Policy #37-2012.

3) Do you have a certification statement or letter from the Manufacturer or Product Analysis Sheet/Product Formulation Statement?

a) The certification statement/letter must BE SIGNED by a LEGALLY AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE COMPANY (not a salesman) and MUST be on COMPANY LETTERHEAD.

b) This statement/letter must provide the product name, as written on the label, and other identifying information, such as product code number, portion size/weight, pack and case weight. This documentation will include the product formulation declaration.

c) This statement/letter must contain a crediting statement; i.e., a declaration of the contribution that one portion of the cooked product meets the USDA meal pattern requirements. (For example: The certification/crediting statement may read, "I certify that the above information is true and correct, and that a 3.25 ounce serving of the above product (ready for serving) contains 2 ounces of COOKED lean meat/meat alternate when prepared according to the product directions.")

4) Do you have a Commodity Data Sheet from USDA? The current website to access the data sheets is: Review the data sheets for equivalent yield.

5) Food items contained in a standardized recipe must have crediting information from one of the items listed above. It is the responsibility of the SFA/LEA to maintain documentation that the products being used meet the meal pattern requirements in the amounts planned for all recipes.

Additional CN Label Information from (as of 06/12/2012):

Who runs the Program?
The CN Labeling Program is run by FNS directly with commercial food processing firms and in cooperation with the following Agencies in USDA or the U.S. Department of Commerce (USDC):
/ Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS)
/ Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)
/ National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)
How does the Program work?
The Program requires an evaluation of a product's formulation by FNS to determine its contribution toward meal patterns requirements.It allows manufacturers to state this contribution on their labels.The program provides a warranty against audit claims for purchasers of CN labeled products.
What products can be CN-labeled?
/ Main dish products which contribute to the meat/meat alternatecomponent of the meal pattern requirements.Examples of these products include but are not limited to beef patties, cheese or meat pizzas, meat or cheese and bean burritos, egg rolls, and breaded fish portions.
/ Juice drink and juice drink products which contain at least 50 percent full-strength juice by volume.This includes such products as grape drink, fruit punch, and juice bars.
To carry CN labels, eligible products must
/ Be produced under Federal inspection by USDA or USDC, per the CN Labeling Memorandum of Understanding.
/ Have the contribution toward meal pattern requirements determinedusing yields in the USDA Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs.
Are manufacturers required to CN-label products?
There is no Federal requirement that anyone make or purchase CN labeled products. Purchasing decisions are left to the local level.If a CN labeled product is desired, this must be clearly stated in purchasing specifications. Below is a tentative sample of the new label:

(Sample Statement for Crediting Grains)

Grain Manufacturers’ Product Sheet

(Place on company letterhead.)

Manufacturer: ______

Product Name: ______Code No.: ______

Case Weight and Pack/Count: ______

Volume and weight of one serving of product: ______

Grain ingredient(s) in product: ______

(Note: primary grain ingredient must be enriched or whole grain flour or meal.)

Weight of grain (gram weight) in one serving of product: ______

(NOTE: The contribution of grains in a recipe or product formulation for items listed in Exhibit A, Groups A-G, may be calculated to determine the number of oz eq grains the recipe provides based on 16 grams of grain ingredients per ounce equivalent. The crediting of a food item as oz eq grains is determined by the total amount in grams of whole-grain meal/and or flour or whole-grain and enriched meal and/or flour in the product formulation or recipe divided by the number of servings the formulation or recipe yields divided by the 16 grams per oz eq standard. For the types of food items listed in groups H and I of the Exhibit A to count as one full serving, the weights or volumes listed must be used. One quarter (1/4) of an oz eq is the smallest amount allowable to be credited toward the quantities of grains.)

I certify that the above information is true and correct and that one serving of the above product (ready to eat) contains ______serving(s) of Grains.