NC Fresh Produce Purchasing and Prep Guides – Tools for Childcare Providers
Ever wondered how many tomatoes to purchase and prepare for 25 4-year-olds at lunch? These user-friendly guides do the purchasing and prep calculations for you and take away the guesswork!
We know that caregivers want to offer more fresh vegetables and fruits when it is feasible. We also know how challenging it can be to calculate how many pounds of vegetables or fruits to purchase for children in day care settings. It can also be difficult to know how much to serve participants of different age groups.
The goal of these tools is to help caregivers serve more fresh vegetables and fruits, increase children’s vegetable and fruit consumption, highlight seasonal, locally grown produce, and prevent food waste. The tools were developed based on information in the USDA Food Buying Guide. They can be helpful to people preparing the meals as well as people purchasing the produce. Check out the tools below!
- Fresh Produce Guide Instructions
- Produce Guide for Ages 1-2 Years – Excel Workbook
- Produce Guide for Ages 1-2 Years – PDF
- Produce Guide for Ages 3-5 Years – Excel Workbook
- Produce Guide for Ages 3-5 Years – PDF
- Produce Guide for Ages 6-18 years – Excel Workbook
- Produce Guide for Ages 6-18 Years – PDF