About the National Fruit & Vegetable Program

Program Guidelines

National Fruit & Vegetable Program Guidebook
Products Promotable and Recipe Criteria

National Fruit & Vegetable Program Guidebook

The goal of the National Fruit & Vegetable Program Guidebook is to provide guidance, standards, and structure for participation in the National Fruit & Vegetable Program. The Guidebook outlines:

• Participation in the National Fruit & Vegetable Program
• Becoming a licensee or sub-licensee of the Fruits & Veggies — More Matters brand
• Quality Assurances for using the Fruits & Veggies — More Matters trademark, logo, and brand to promote fruits and vegetables
• Developing materials

Products Promotable and Recipe Criteria
The following nutrition criteria define which fruit and vegetable products and recipes may feature the Fruits & Veggies — More Matters logo on packaging, on marketing materials, with recipes and in any other efforts where specific fruit and vegetable products are promoted. These standards are set by CDC, the leading public health authority for the brand to ensure products and recipes promoting the brand offer an overall healthy nutrient profile. The CDC used The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, the Food and Drug Administration's labeling definitions, and U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Guide serving sizes to create these criteria.

Criteria
All forms of fruits and vegetables (fresh, frozen, canned, dried, and 100% juice) are included under the Fruits & Veggies — More Matters product and recipe criteria. The brand logo may appear on:

1. All fruits and vegetables with only water added (e.g. all fresh fruits and vegetables or canned fruit with only water added).
2. Processed fruit and vegetables products (frozen, canned, dried, fresh-cut and 100% juice) provided that:
   1. One portion of product must contain at least one serving of fruit or vegetable. One serving of fruit or vegetable is defined as:
      One medium piece of fruit - As in 1 medium orange
      ½ cup cut-up raw or cooked (fresh, frozen, or canned) - As in 6 baby carrots, 16 grapes
      ½ cup cooked dry peas, beans, lentils, kidney beans
      1 cup leafy salad greens
      ¼ cup dried fruit - As in ¼ cup raisins
      4 oz/ ½ Cup 100% fruit or vegetable juice
   2. Each serving of product must contain limited amounts of added sugars or caloric sweeteners: Added sweeteners ≤ 8 calories per serving (e.g., ≤ ½ tsp. sucrose or equivalent amount of other sweetener). Concentrated fruit juice sweeteners, jams and jellies count as added sugars.
   3. Each serving of product must contain limited amounts of fat:
      Total fat ≤ 3g per serving
      Saturated fat is ≤ 10% of calories
      Trans fat is ≤ 0.5g per serving
      The fat found naturally in fruits and vegetable does not contribute to the limits above. Further ¼oz. of nuts is allowed per serving without their fat content contributing to these restrictions. Nuts must be in their natural form without anything added or removed (e.g., no added oils, removed oils, added sodium, or added sugars).
   4. Each serving of product may contain no more than 480 mg of sodium per serving.
   5. Each serving of product must offer at least, > 0.014g/kcal of naturally occurring fiber (28g of fiber /2000 calories).
   6. All juice products must be 100% juice, low sodium < 70mg sodium per 4oz. serving), and contain no added fat or sugar.
   7. Processed products may not be fortified beyond the FDA standards for food enrichment and fortification (e.g., enriched grain products, vitamins, A & D in milk, and iodine in salt) and may not be enhanced with dietary supplements or be sold as supplements. This excludes vitamins and minerals used as a food preservative (e.g., ascorbic acid and calcium carbonate on sliced fruit).

1. Recipes, meal products and main dish products
   1. Each serving of food must contain at least one serving of fruit or vegetable per 250 calories, when prepared as directed.
   2. Each serving of food must contain limited amounts of added sugars or caloric sweeteners:
      • Added sugars cannot exceed 15% of total calories
      • Concentrated fruit juice sweeteners, jams and jellies count as added sugars.
   3. Each serving of food must contain limited amounts of fat:
      • Total fat < 35% of total calories.
      • Saturated fat is < 10% of calories.
      • Trans fat is < 0.5g per serving.
      • The fat found naturally in fruits and vegetable does not contribute to the limits above. Further ¼oz. of nuts is allowed per serving without their fat content contributing to these restrictions. Nuts must be in their natural form without anything added or removed (e.g., no added oils, removed oils, added sodium, or added sugars).
   4. Each serving of food must contain ≤ 600mg of sodium per serving.
   5. Each serving of food must offer ≥ 0.014g/kcal naturally occurring fiber (28g of fiber/2000 calories).
   6. Processed products cannot be fortified beyond the FDA standards and their policy for food enrichment and fortification (e.g., enriched grain products, vitamins, A & D in milk, and iodine in salt) and cannot be enhanced with dietary supplements or be sold as supplements. This excludes vitamins and minerals used as a food preservative (e.g., ascorbic acid and calcium carbonate on sliced fruit).

1. Weighing at least 10oz. per labeled serving
2. Containing not less than 40g for each of at least 3 different foods from 2 or more of the following (5) food groups:
   1. bread, cereal, rice, and pasta group
   2. fruit group
   3. vegetable group
   4. milk, yogurt, and cheese group
   5. meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts group

Main dish products defined:
A main dish product is defined as a food that makes a major contribution to a meal by:

1. Weighing at least 6oz. per labeled serving
2. Containing not less than 40g of foods or food mixtures from two of the five food groups noted above; and is represented as, or is in a form commonly understood to be, a main dish. Such representations may be made either by statements, photographs, or vignettes.