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Child Nutrition > Issues > Maine's Competitive Food Rule

Maine's Competitive Food Rule

CHAPTER 51

 

 

 

Does Your A La Carte Product Make The Grade?

 

Regulations require that foods sold shall have at least one of these eight nutrients: protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, calcium and iron, in excess of 5% of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) per 100 calories.

 

Using Product Label Information From a Product

Example A: If a serving of a product has 200 calories, what is the minimum percent of one nutrient needed?

 

Process:

5% per 100 calories

5% x number of calories=min per cent needed

.05 X 200=10

10% per 200 calories

 

Answer: 10% would be the minimum amount of one nutrient needed in a 200 calorie serving.

 

Example B: If the product contains 160 calories, what is the minimum percent of one nutrient needed?

Process:

 

5% per 100 calories

.05X 1.6 =8

8% per 160 calories

 

Answer: 8% would be the minimum of one nutrient needed in a 160 calorie serving.

 

Example C: If the product contains 215 calories, what is the minimum percent of one nutrient needed?

 

Process:

 

5% per 100 calories

.05X 2.15=10.75

10.75% per 215 calories

Answer: 11% is the minimum amount of one nutrient for a 215 calorie serving because nutrients are listed only in whole numbers.

 

Maine Department of Education 11/2002

 

REFERENCE DAILY INTAKE (RDI) VALUES

In some cases the per cent may not be available. the determination still can be made using the nutrient information.

NUTRIENT DV 5% DV

NUTRIENT DAILY VALUE

5% DAILY VALUE
Protein 50g 2.5g
vitamin A 5000IU 250IU
Vitamin C 60mg 3mg
Thiamine 1.5mg .075mg
Riboflavin 1.7mg .085mg
Niacin 20mg 1mg
Calcium 1000mg 50mg
Iron 18mg .9mg
     

 

Determining acceptance of a product using nutrient information.

For example we will use apple juice that contains 138 calories and one of the eight nutrients is Vitamin C with 5.9mg.

We know it takes 3mg per 100 calories to be acceptable by the chart above.

 

This is the procedure to determine if one of the eight nutrients exceeds the 5% minimum requirement per 100 calories.

 

100 calories times 5.9 equals 590 (use 100 calories since this is the measurement comparison)

 

then 590 divided by 138 (calories) equals 4.27 mg

 

based on the chart above 4.27 exceeds the 3 mg requirement per 100 calories. Product is acceptable.

 

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Maine Department of Education, Child Nutrition Services

 

 

This page was last updated on

6/07