Crediting Grains Using Ounce Equivalents
Overview
The purpose of this web page is to assist Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Operators serving children and adults to understand how to credit grains as ounce equivalents (oz eq).
Guidance to assist CACFP Operators serving infants on crediting grains as oz eq is available on the CDSS Crediting Grains Using Oz Eq for Infants web page.
Background
Grain oz eq are a measurement standard to ensure consistency in the amount of grain provided in one serving of a grain product.
The final rule, Child and Adult Care Food Program: Meal Pattern Revisions Related to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, requires that oz eq be used to determine the quantity of creditable grains to serve as part of CACFP reimbursable meals and snacks.
The Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 7 CFR, Section 226.20 web page includes the CACFP meal patterns chart with the serving size for the grains component listed in oz eq for infants at 7 CFR, Section 226.20(b) and for children and adults at 7 CFR, Section 226.20(c).
Table of Contents
Grain Measurement Standards
Grain products contribute differently to the grains component based on the type and weight of the grain product, as listed below.
- Baked grain products (e.g., bread, crackers, and muffins):
- 16 grams (g) of creditable grain ingredients = 1 oz eq grains
- Example: One muffin includes 16 g of creditable grain ingredients (e.g., whole wheat flour) and provides 1 oz eq grains
- Grains cooked in water before serving (e.g., oatmeal, pasta, and rice)
- Dry, uncooked grains by weight: 28 g (1 oz) = 1 oz eq grains
- Cooked grains by volume: ½ cup cooked = 1 oz eq grains
- Example: 1 oz of dry, uncooked pasta or ½ cup of cooked pasta provides 1 oz eq grains
- Ready-to-eat (RTE) breakfast cereals (e.g., puffed, flakes, rounds, and granola)
- RTE breakfast cereal by weight: 28 g (1 oz) = 1 oz eq grains
- RTE breakfast cereal by volume:
- ¼ cup granola = 1 oz eq
- 1 cup flakes and rounds = 1 oz eq
- 1¼ cup puffed = 1 oz eq
- Example: 1 oz or 1 cup of round (e.g., Cheerios-type cereal) provides 1 oz eq grains
USDA Exhibit A: Grain Requirements for Child Nutrition Programs Chart
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Exhibit A: Grain Requirements for Child Nutrition Programs (CNPs) chart (Exhibit A) provides a general guideline for crediting prepared grain items. Exhibit A is the most important tool for determining how different grain foods contribute to the grain oz eq requirement.
Exhibit A, available on the USDA Food Buying Guide (FBG) for CNPs–Grains web page, divides grain products into groups of grain products (Groups A through I).
- Grain products that contain a similar amount of grain ingredients by weight are grouped together in the left column. For example, Group A of Exhibit A includes several baked grain products (e.g., hard bread sticks, savory crackers, and hard pretzels).
- The amount that the grain products in each group must weigh to provide 1 oz eq grains are listed in the middle column. For example, in Group A of Exhibit A, all products listed in Group A must weigh 22 g to provide 1 oz eq.
Exhibit A includes:
- Baked grain products in Groups A–G (e.g., crackers, bread, muffins, and pancakes)
- Grains that are cooked in water before serving in Group H (e.g., oatmeal, rice, and pasta)
- RTE breakfast cereals in Group I (e.g., flakes, rounds, puffs, and granola)
Exhibit A does not include:
- Grain ingredients (e.g., flour) used in recipes
- Combination foods that contribute to more than one component (e.g., pizza, chicken nuggets, and burritos)
Comparison of bread and French toast in Exhibit A:
Remember: For all baked grain products (Group A–G in Exhibit A), 16 g of creditable grain ingredients = 1 oz eq grains
- Bread (Group B): Products must weigh 28 g to provide 1 oz eq grains
- 16 g = creditable grain ingredients (e.g., enriched or whole grain flour)
- 12 g = other ingredients (e.g., water, salt, yeast)
- French toast (Group E): Products must weigh 69 g to provide 1 oz eq grains
- 16 g = creditable grain ingredients (e.g., enriched or whole grain flour)
- 53 g = other ingredients (e.g., eggs, milk, sugar)
Both a 28-g slice of bread and a 69-g slice of French toast credit as 1 oz eq grains because the amount of creditable grain ingredients, 16 g, is the same for both food items.
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Determining Grain Oz Eq for Products in Exhibit A
As a reminder, Exhibit A includes:
- Baked grain products in Groups A–G (e.g., crackers, bread, muffins, and pancakes)
- Grains that are cooked in water before serving in Group H (e.g., oatmeal, rice, and pasta)
- RTE breakfast cereals in Group I (e.g., flakes, rounds, puffs, and granola)
There are many ways to determine grain oz eq for grain products in Exhibit A:
- Use the Training Resources listed below from the USDA CACFP Grain Oz Eq Resources web page:
- Use the electronic USDA FBG Exhibit A Grains Tool available in the web-based USDA FBG or in the USDA FBG mobile app.
For step-by-step instructions on using the USDA FBG Exhibit A Grains Tool, view the Exhibit A Grains Tool online videos for both the web-based and mobile app platforms, available in the Help menu on the web-based USDA FBG.
- Weigh the grain product on a food scale and compare the weight of one serving to the weights for the appropriate group in Exhibit A (round down to the nearest ¼ [0.25] oz eq)
Example for a muffin that weighs 32 g:
- Muffins are in Group D of Exhibit A
- Grain products in Group D must weigh:
- 42 g to credit as ¾ oz eq grains
- 28 g to credit as ½ oz eq grains
- A 32-g muffin provides ½ oz eq grains (rounded down to ¼ oz eq)
- For RTE grain products in Groups H and I in Exhibit A only: Measure the volume (i.e., the number of cups) of the grain product
- For cooked cereal grains (e.g., oatmeal, pasta, rice) in Group H:
- ½ cup cooked = 1 oz eq grains
- For RTE breakfast cereals (e.g., flakes, rounds, puffs, granola) in Group I:
- ¼ cup granola = 1 oz eq
- 1 cup flakes and rounds = 1 oz eq
- 1¼ cup puffed = 1 oz eq
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Determining Grain Oz Eq for Products Not in Exhibit A
Exhibit A does not include:
- Grain ingredients (e.g., flour) used in homemade recipes
- Commercially-prepared combination foods that contribute to more than one component (e.g., pizza, chicken nuggets, and burritos)
CACFP Operators will need to provide one of the following documents that shows the grain oz eq contribution in one serving of a food item:
- Standardized recipes for homemade recipes
- Manufacturer documentation for commercially-prepared combination foods:
- Child Nutrition (CN) Labels
- Product Formulation Statements (PFS)
This documentation is based on the grams of creditable grain ingredients in one serving of the product.
USDA Standardized Recipes
The USDA defines a standardized recipe as one that has been tried, adapted, and retried at least three times and has been found to produce the same good results and yield every time when the exact procedures are used with the same type of equipment and the same quantity and quality of ingredients.
USDA Standardized recipes are available for download from the Institute of Child Nutrition’s Child Nutrition Recipe Box. CACFP Operators who prepare USDA Standardized recipes as indicated, may use the crediting information already calculated by the USDA to determine the contribution of each component in one serving.
Non-USDA Standardized Recipes
If a recipe is not a USDA standardized recipe, CACFP Operators will need to calculate the grain contribution using a standardized recipe that includes the grams of creditable grains in one serving, unless the food is a baked grain product in Exhibit A. See the Determining Grain Oz Eq for Products in Exhibit A section above for additional way to determine the grain oz eq contribution for baked grain products (i.e., weighing a prepared grain product).
Steps to determine the grain oz eq contribution using a standardized recipe:
- Determine the number of grams of creditable grain ingredients in one serving by dividing the total grams of creditable grain ingredients by the number of servings.
For example, a muffin recipe that makes 25 muffins requires 1 pound of whole wheat flour = 453.6 g of creditable grain ingredients.
| Conversion |
Factor to Multiply By |
| Number of pounds of ingredient |
453.6 g |
| Number of ounces of ingredient |
28.35 g |
| Number of cups of enriched white flour |
125 g |
| Number of cups of regular rolled oats |
81 g |
| Number of cups of quick-cooking oats |
81 g |
| Number of cups of degermed, enriched cornmeal |
138 g |
| Number of cups of wheat bran |
58 g |
| Number of cups of wheat germ |
115 g |
| Number of cups of whole wheat flour |
120 g |
- Determine the number of grams of creditable grain ingredients in one serving by dividing the total grams of creditable grain ingredients by the number of servings.
For example, 453.6 g of whole wheat flour divided by 25 servings equals 18.1 g of creditable grains per serving.
- Determine the amount of grain oz eq in one serving by dividing the grams of creditable grain ingredients in one serving by either:
- 16 for grain ingredients (e.g., flour, cornmeal), since there are 16 g creditable grain ingredients (e.g., flour) in 1 oz eq grains
- 28 for dry cereal grains (e.g., oats, quinoa), since there are 28 g of creditable cereal grains in 1 oz eq grains
For example, 18.1 g of creditable grains per serving divided by 16 g in 1 oz eq equals 1.1 oz eq grains per serving.
- Round down to the nearest ¼ oz eq.
For example, 1.1 rounds down to 1 oz eq grains per serving.
- Refer to the CACFP meal patterns charts to determine how much to serve.
For example, since 1 muffin provide 1 oz eq, the serving size at breakfast is:
- ½ muffin to provide ½ oz eq (children ages 1–5 years)
- 1 muffin to provide 1 oz eq (children ages 6–18 years)
- 2 muffins to provide 2 oz eq (adults)
CACFP Operators may also calculate the grain oz eq contribution in homemade recipes using the electronic USDA FBG Recipe Analysis Workbook (RAW), available in the Tools menu on the USDA
FBG web page. For step-by-step instructions on using the USDA FBG RAW, view the RAW online videos for both the web-based and mobile app platforms, available in the Help menu on
web-based USDA FBG.
Manufacturer Documentation for Commercially-Prepared Combination Foods
CN Labels and PFSs provide the contribution of each component in one serving of a food product and are available for some commercially-prepared food products (e.g., pizza, chicken nuggets, burritos).
If the product has a CN Label, it will typically be included on the product packaging. If the product does not have a CN Label, you can contact the manufacturer to request a CN Label or a PFS for the product.
See the USDA Food Manufacturers/Industry web page for additional guidance on CN Labels and PFSs.
Note: If a commercially-prepared combination food is not accompanied by a CN Label or a PFS, it may not be served as part of reimbursable CACFP meals or snacks because the contribution to the meal pattern for each component cannot be calculated from just a Nutrition Facts label.
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Documentation Requirements
Demonstrating Minimum Serving Size is Provided
CACFP Operators must demonstrate during a CDSS CACFP administrative review (AR) that they are serving the grains component in the minimum serving size to meet the meal patterns requirements for each age group for each meal and snack.
CACFP Operators can demonstrate that they are providing the grains component in the minimum serving size to meet the grain oz eq requirement by (1) confirming the serving size provided to each age group at a meal or snack and (2) providing one of the following to the CDSS CACFP reviewer upon request:
- Nutrition Facts labels and Ingredients lists for commercially-prepared grain products (e.g., crackers, bread, pancakes, pasta, RTE breakfast cereal)
- Verification of the weight (e.g., on a food scale) of one serving of a grain product. In this situation, the Ingredients lists from foods used in recipes are also required to verify that ingredients are creditable.
- Standardized recipes that include the (1) total grams of creditable grains ingredients in the recipe and (2) number of servings the recipe makes. These two pieces of information are required to determine the grams of creditable grain ingredients in one serving. The Ingredients lists from foods used in recipes are also required to verify that ingredients are creditable. (See Non-Standardized USDA Recipes section above for additional guidance).
- Manufacturers documentation for commercially-prepared combination foods (contain more than one component): CN Labels and PFSs
Additional guidance on demonstrating compliance with the CACFP meal patterns during an AR is available in Section 16: AR Process for Compliance with the CACFP Meal Patterns on the CDSS Administrative Manual web page.
Menu Documentation
- All CACFP Operators must maintain a daily dated menu listing the food items served (included the grain component) to meet the CACFP meal pattern requirements.
- Child and adult centers must also include on the menu the serving size of food items served for each age group for every meal and snack claimed. Serving size for the grains component may be listed as a weight (e.g., bread, 14 oz), as a volume (e.g., rice, ¼ cup), as a portion (e.g., crackers, 7 each), or in grain oz eq (e.g., pasta, ½ oz eq).
Note: If oz eq is used to document serving sizes on menus, foodservice staff must know that ½ oz eq pasta = ¼ cup cooked (½ oz dry).
- At-risk afterschool programs, emergency shelters, and day care home providers are not required to document the serving size of food items on menus.
Additional guidance on menu documentation requirements is available on the CDSS Documentation Requirements for the CACFP Meal Patterns and the CDSS Developing a Menu with Serving Sizes web pages.
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Resources
Questions: CACFP Meal Patterns Team | CACFPMealPatterns@dss.ca.gov
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