Maryann Durrant (USBE): Now that we’ve discussed all of the requirements surrounding CN labeled products, let’s take a step back and look at the pros and cons of serving CN labeled products. Quite a few centers do like having CN labeled products on their menu because they are easy to prepare and the children often like the product. There are some cons associated with serving CN labeled products. First off, they are usually quite expensive. As was discussed previously, there can be binders and fillers added to the product. The more fillers that are added, the greater amount of the product that you would need to serve to meet the meal pattern serving sizes. For example, there are some products where you would need to serve 12 fish sticks to meet the requirements for the 6-12 year old age group. This would get very expensive. Another aspect of CN labeled products to consider is that, depending on the product, they can be unhealthy options for the children in your care.
A CN label on a product doesn’t mean that it’s of higher quality or healthier than other foods. You would want to look for products that don’t contain unhealthy fats such as trans fats and that are lower in sodium. It’s in the best interest of the children you care for (and the staff who eat the meals) to not serve any deep fat fried foods. Even though you bake products like chicken nuggets and corn dogs, many of these items are deep fat fried before they’re frozen. Something that you’ll also want to consider when serving a CN labeled product is that the documentation can be hard to obtain. Since the implementation of the national school lunch program whole grains requirement, fewer manufacturers are going through the process of getting their products CN labeled so it is more likely that you would need to contact the manufacturer to obtain a PFS. The easiest way to deal with CN labeled products and the documentation that is required to credit them is to take these products off your menu. You’ll want to look at each CN labeled item that you’re serving and see if the pros outweigh the cons for serving that item at your center.
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