As-Purchased vs Edible Portion Calculator

How as-purchased (AP) and edible-portion (EP) yields work

Fresh produce is bought whole by gross weight. The USDA Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (page I-20) calls this weight As Purchased (AP). Recipes and serving lines use the trimmed, peeled, cored, or cooked weight, called the Edible Portion (EP). Column 6 of the guide's yield tables gives the decimal yield for each food and prep state. On page 2-20, 1 lb of untrimmed fresh broccoli gives 0.81 lb (81%) of ready-to-cook florets. On page 2-9, 1 lb of whole fresh asparagus gives 0.53 lb (53%) of trimmed raw spears.

When a recipe gives an edible weight to prep, Method 3 of the guide (page I-48) divides that weight by the Column 6 yield. That quotient is the as-purchased weight to buy. In a Section 2 kitchen check using page 2-23, a cook needs 19.6875 lb (19 lb 11 oz) of pared carrots at a 0.83 yield. Dividing by 0.83 gives 23.72 lb AP, and the cook rounds up to 24 lb so the pan never runs short. When you start from a weight you already bought, multiply AP weight by the yield to get the edible weight. Multiply AP weight by (1 − yield) to get the trim or cooking loss.

Stems, peels, cores, rinds, and cooking shrink stay in the trim bin instead of going on the plate. Because of that loss, an edible pound costs more than the shelf price per pound whenever the yield is under 1. Divide the AP price per pound by the yield to find the cost per edible pound. At a $1.60/lb shelf price, fresh oranges sectioned without membranes (0.40 yield, page 3-23) cost $4.00 per edible pound. At the same $1.60/lb price, seedless grapes (0.97 yield, page 3-20) cost $1.65 per edible pound.

AP-to-EP weight, trim loss, and edible-cost formulas

yield = lb edible portion per 1 lb as purchased (FBG Column 6)   or   your percent ÷ 100
as purchased (AP) = edible portion (EP) ÷ yield
edible portion (EP) = as purchased (AP) × yield
loss = AP × (1 − yield)
cost per edible lb = price per lb AP ÷ yield;  cost = lb AP × price per lb AP

Worked USDA Food Buying Guide yield and costing examples

Method 3 Example A (page I-48). A stir-fry recipe calls for 5 lb 10 oz (5.62 lb) of trimmed, ready-to-cook broccoli. Untrimmed broccoli has a Column 6 yield of 0.81 (page 2-20). Dividing 5.62 by 0.81 gives 6.938 lb, which shows as 6.94 lb to buy. The trim loss is 6.94 − 5.62 = 1.32 lb of stalks and leaves. At $2.00 a pound as purchased, the purchase costs $13.88, and an edible pound costs 2.00 ÷ 0.81 = $2.47.

Method 3 Example B (page I-49) and Cooked Ground Beef (page 1-20). A salad bar needs 10 lb of ready-to-serve raw romaine lettuce at a 0.64 yield (page 2-31). Method 3 Example B divides 10 by 0.64 to get 15.625 lb AP (15.62 lb in the guide, 15.63 lb shown) with 5.63 lb of trim. A school kitchen also needs 25 lb of cooked, drained ground beef at a 74% custom yield (0.74 on page 1-20). Dividing 25 by 0.74 gives 33.78 lb AP (34 lb rounded up) with 8.78 lb of cooking loss.

Method 3 Example C: Pared Butternut Squash (pages I-49 and 2-48). A soup batch calls for 6 lb 5 oz (6.31 lb) of pared, ready-to-cook butternut squash at a 0.84 yield. Dividing 6.31 by 0.84 gives 7.51 lb AP to buy (rounded up to 7.6 lb in the guide) and 1.20 lb of peel and seed loss. At a shelf price of $1.68/lb AP, the purchase costs $12.62 and the edible cost is $2.00 per pound.

Metric Kitchen Prep and Whole Apples (pages 3-28 and I-37). In yield mode, buying 1.50 kg (1,500 g) of whole fresh pineapple at a 0.54 yield (page 3-28) gives 0.81 kg (810 g) of fruit chunks. The remaining 0.69 kg (690 g) is crown, skin, and core loss. In the same way, 1 lb of fresh whole apples gives 0.78 lb of cored, peeled fruit as noted on page I-37.

USDA table scope, rounding notes, and cost assumptions

• Yields come from the USDA Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs, Section 2 (Vegetables) and Section 3 (Fruits), Column 6. For example, green beans yield 0.88 (88%) on page 2-13, and each row's page number is shown in the output. Every USDA yield is a test average for the stated size and grade. Season, storage time, and knife work will change your real kitchen yield.
• Each yield applies only to the item and prep form named in the list. Preparing the same fruit a different way changes the yield. In the Section 3 Fruits Yield Table on page 3-27, 150-count whole pears yield 0.92 lb when served unpared. Pared 120-count pears yield 0.78 lb.
• Weights shown in the cards are unrounded quotients or products to 2 decimal places. Any positive weight below 0.01 shows as less than 0.01. When you order from a vendor, the USDA Food Buying Guide (page I-48) tells buyers to round purchase weights up to the next pack unit so the kitchen does not run short.
• Costs cover the food purchase price only, from $0.01 to $1,000 per pound AP (or $0.00 when left out). Any positive cost under half a cent shows as less than $0.01. Labor, cold storage, trash hauling, and any stock value from trimmings are left out.
• These numbers are for weight and cost planning. They do not replace USDA meal-program crediting rules (such as 1/4-cup vegetable servings). They also do not replace FDA 21 CFR 101.9 100 g label rules covered in the nutrition label rounding tool.

How to apply AP and EP yields when ordering and costing

Match the produce row to your real prep state. Fresh whole asparagus yields 0.53 when trimmed raw, but 0.50 after cooking on page 2-9. If your item or trim cut is not in the 36 USDA rows, pick Your own yield percent and enter a yield from 1% to 100%.

Always round your final buy order up, not down. Page I-48 of the Food Buying Guide tells buyers to round up because Column 6 yields are averages. Needing 10 lb of ready-to-cook spinach at a 0.88 yield (page 2-46) takes 11.36 lb AP, which you should order as 12 lb.

Compare vendor quotes on cost per edible pound, not shelf price per pound. Whole sweet potatoes at $1.20/lb with a 0.80 peeled yield (page 2-50) cost $1.50 per edible pound. Pre-peeled sweet potatoes under $1.50/lb cut both food cost and prep time.

Carry your yield percent and edible cost into your recipe and batch sheets. High-yield summer squash like cubed zucchini (0.95 on page 2-48) or yellow squash (0.95 on page 2-47) add only about 5% to raw food cost. Heavy-rind fruits can more than double the effective price per pound.

As-purchased vs. edible portion yield questions