PRODUCT AND VENDOR INFORMATION
Ordering Soy Protein Ingredients
How to Order Soy-enhanced Commodity Meat
Soy-Enhanced Meat Product Manufacturers
How to Order Finished Meat Products With Soy Protein
It's easy to include the benefits of soy protein in your bid requests for commercially available meat products. Virtually every meat processor that supplies the school foodservice market now offers soy-enhanced varieties of your students' favorite meat entrees. Just ask your processor, broker or distributor, "Is this product available with soy protein?"
How will I know if soy protein is in the meat product I already buy?
Quite simply - just read the label. If you see the terms "isolated soy protein," "soy concentrate" or "soy flour," it includes some form of soy protein. However to be certain, be sure you specify the inclusion of soy protein before you order your meat products.
How do I specify the inclusion of soy protein in the commercially available, finished meat products I currently buy?
Fortunately, this is also very simple. To your standard bid specifications, add the phrase: "Finished product shall contain soy protein, which meets Food and Consumer Service* regulations."
You also can specify which type(s) of soy protein by including specific names in your bid specifications. Since there is a wide array of soy protein ingredients available, foodservice directors should taste soy-enhanced products before ordering them to ensure that the products meet sensory objectives.
Some districts have had, or may currently have, all-meat policies, which are reflected in their bid requests. If you have not read over your specifications for some time, you may want to be sure they do not specifically exclude soy protein.
To give you a better idea of how a bid specification that includes soy protein reads, samples for four popular meat products - which will help you meet the new USDA requirements for fat levels - are on the back of this page. The phrase that ensures that the benefits of soy protein are included in your lunch entrees is highlighted in bold, italic type. Within each example please notice the differences for including the type or brand of soy protein.
How much soy protein will the processors include?
You may have heard of the 70:30 rule. Under this rule, the formulation for finished meat products available for school lunch programs must contain a minimum of 70 percent meat and a maximum of 30 percent hydrated soy protein. Based on this regulation, when you specify the inclusion of soy protein, the formulas for your meat entrees could automatically contain up to 30 percent hydrated soy protein.
Example Specification with Isolated Soy Protein
Chicken Patty, Natural Proportion:
Fully cooked, breaded, chopped and formed chicken patty produced from USDA-inspected chicken. Finished product to contain the natural proportion of white and dark meat and skin. No previously cooked or mechanically deboned meat shall be used. Chicken patty shall contain isolated soy protein, which meets Food and Consumer Service* regulations. Finished product fat not to exceed 20 percent. Breading not to exceed 25 percent of the total finished product weight. Patty must meet 2 oz. meat/meat alternate equivalent for USDA CN program. Product must be accompanied by CN label and verifiable USDA-approved laboratory nutritional analysis
Example Specification with Soy Concentrate
Beef Patty, Reduced Fat, Precooked:
Charbroiled beef patty, seasoned, fully cooked, IQF. Precooked beef patty shall contain soy concentrate, which meets Food and Consumer Service* regulations. Finished product fat content not to exceed 20 percent. Patty must meet 2 oz. meat/meat alternate equivalent for USDA CN program. Product must be accompanied by CN label and verifiable USDA-approved laboratory nutritional analysis.
Example Specification with Soy Flour
Beef Patty, Reduced Fat, Raw:
Beef patty, fresh frozen, IQF. Raw beef patty shall contain soy flour, which meets Food and Consumer Service* regulations. Finished product fat content not to exceed 20 percent. Patty must meet 2 oz. meat/meat alternate equivalent for USDA CN program. Product must be accompanied by CN label and verifiable USDA-approved laboratory nutritional analysis.
Example Specification with a brand
Chicken Nugget, Natural Proportion:
Fully cooked, breaded, chopped and formed chicken nugget produced from USDA- inspected chicken. Finished product to contain the natural proportion of white and dark meat and skin. No previously cooked or mechanically deboned meat shall be used. Chicken nuggets shall contain (soy protein type/s), which meets Food and Consumer Service* regulations (brand name). Finished product fat not to exceed 20 percent. Breading not to exceed 25 percent of the total finished product weight. Serving must meet 2 oz. meat/meat alternate equivalent for USDA CN program. Product must be accompanied by CN label and verifiable USDA-approved laboratory nutritional analysis.
Please note: The bid specifications for commercially available meat products are exactly the same as those shown in the section on commodity bid specifications. The products will be virtually identical, only the source of the meat has changed.
* Nutrition and Technical Services Division of USDA Food and Consumer Service.