9.	FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

The Company follows the accounting standards for fair value, whereas fair value is a market-based measurement, not an entity-specific measurement. The Company’s fair value measurements are based on the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. As a basis for considering market participant assumptions in fair value measurements, fair value accounting standards establish a fair value hierarchy which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value as follows:

•

Level 1—observable inputs, such as quoted prices in active markets

•

Level 2—observable inputs other than those included in Level 1—such as quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active or inactive markets that are observable either directly or indirectly, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data

•

Level 3—unobservable inputs for which there is little or no market data, which require the reporting entity to develop its own assumptions

Any transfers of assets or liabilities between Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy will be recognized at the end of the reporting period in which the transfer occurs. There were no transfers between fair value levels in any of the periods presented below.

The Company’s assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of April 1, 2017 and December 31, 2016, aggregated by the level in the fair value hierarchy within which those measurements fall, were as follows (in thousands):

Description	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
Recurring fair value measurements:
Money market funds
Balance at April 1, 2017	$	61,193	$	—	$	—	$	61,193
Balance at December 31, 2016	$	31,600	$	—	$	—	$	31,600
Contingent consideration payable for business acquisitions
Balance at April 1, 2017	$	—	$	—	$	3,375	$	3,375
Balance at December 31, 2016	$	—	$	—	$	9,775	$	9,775

There were no assets or liabilities on the Company's Consolidated Balance Sheets measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis.

Recurring Fair Value Measurements

Money Market Funds

Money market funds include highly liquid investments with a maturity of three or fewer months. They are valued using quoted market prices in active markets and are classified under Level 1 within the fair value hierarchy.

Contingent Consideration Payable for Business Acquisitions

In addition to the $6 million paid in fiscal 2017 discussed in Note 3, Business Acquisitions, contingent consideration may be paid for certain other 2016 business acquisitions in the event certain operating results are achieved, primarily over a one-year period, from the respective dates of such acquisitions. The amounts included in the above table, classified under Level 3 within the fair value hierarchy, represent the estimated fair value of the contingent consideration for the respective periods. We estimate the fair value of contingent consideration liabilities based on financial projections of the acquired companies and estimated probability of achievement. Changes in fair value resulting from changes in the estimated amount of contingent payments are included in Distribution, selling and administrative costs in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income.

Other Fair Value Measurements

The carrying value of cash, restricted cash, Accounts receivable, Bank checks outstanding, Accounts payable and accrued expenses approximate their fair values due to their short-term maturities.

The fair value and carrying value of USF’s total debt approximated $3.9 billion and $3.8 billion as of April 1, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively. The April 1, 2017 and December 31, 2016 fair value of USF’s 5.875% unsecured Senior Notes due June 15, 2024, (the “2016 Senior Notes”), estimated at $0.6 billion, at the end of each period, was classified under Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy, with fair value based upon the closing market price at the end of the reporting period. The fair value of the balance of USF’s debt is primarily classified under Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy, with fair value estimated based upon a combination of the cash outflows expected under these debt facilities, interest rates that are currently available to the Company for debt with similar terms, and estimates of USF’s overall credit risk.