Frequently Asked Questions

You will receive at least two updates for the year. Updates in the fall/early winter release include additions and enhancements to the software, while the late spring/early summer release will include USDA CN updates.

NUTRIKIDS is a USDA-approved Menu Planning & Nutritional Analysis software program used primarily in the K-12 school setting. The program allows the user to plan and analyze their menus making sure that the meals planned meet the established USDA and state guidelines. We also have additional modules that help with Production Planning and Costing.

In addition to helping meet USDA guidelines, NUTRIKIDS will also help you with your Wellness Policy requirements. You can post the nutritional analysis of your menus so that students can make sound decisions when making their menu choices. This goes hand-in-hand with any nutritional education your district is doing. The program will also allow you to analyze your menus for additional items like Cholesterol, Sodium, Fiber, and Carbohydrates. You can also analyze the fat and caloric content of the ala carte items that you serve.

No. NUTRIKIDS is totally independent of the internet. You do not need internet access to use the program.

This is due to an “N/A” in one or more nutrient fields inside an ingredient in a recipe on your menu. In order to identify the problem, look at the report and determine which day shows an asterisk (*). Next, look at the recipe that asterisk is next to. Go to the Recipe Modify/Review list, and open that recipe. Click on the “Nutrients” tab, and scroll over to determine which ingredient in that recipe has the asterisk. Once you’ve determined the culprit, go to that ingredient (in the Modify/Review list), click on the “Nutrients” tab, and look for the N/A in one of those fields. If, for example, Vitamin A is missing, check the label and enter the correct value. If it is not mentioned, contact the manufacturer to find the actual value. If it is zero, simply enter a 0. Save your changes and re-run the report, and the “Missing Data” errors should be gone.

These are the “old” USDA recipes which were replaced by USDA in July 2006. There is likely another recipe with the same name, that has “USDA” next to it, and the recipe number starts with a “5”. This is the new replacement recipe number. When you run the CD, if it finds an “old” recipe on one of your menus, it keeps it and also adds the new one. You can easily replace old ones with new ones by choosing “Search and Replace Menu Item” from the “Menus” tab. Thus, you can decide from which date you want the new recipes to start.

Absolutely! Through a utility called “Data Transfer Utility” (located under the “Tools” pull-down menu), you can send Ingredients, Recipes, or complete Menus to anyone else that has the same version of NUTRIKIDS. Unlike sending an entire backup, where everything is overwritten, this utility allows you to send pieces of what you want to share, and it’s added to the other person’s data. If you send a recipe, they will also automatically get all of the ingredients in that recipe. Similarly, if you send complete menus, they get the menus, the recipes in those menus, and the ingredients in those recipes. This is a great way to help one another by sharing data without overwriting anything!

The base weight is the weight the Nutrient Facts Label is based on for that particular analysis. It is the portion weight for the amount of food that was used to get the Nutrient Analysis. You want to use this weight − even if the portion size that you use is different. For example, if you serve a 3 oz chicken patty but the Nutrient Fact Label is based on 1 oz, you would use 1 oz for your base weight.

Yes. We do have a networked version of the program that will allow more than one person to work within the same database at the same time. For more information call our Technical Support line at: 800-724-9853 option 6.

Yes. You can move the data to the server so it will be protected in the event of a hard drive crash.

No. We have a new Heart Shaped Icon. Your program is functioning properly.

Yes. You can purchase a new set of menu groups for $195.

Yes. You can find it in your program under the Help menu at the top of your screen. After clicking Help, click on NUTRIKIDS Help. This displays a PDF file that you can print.