USDA unveils historic improvements to
meals served in America’s schools!
 Nutrition Standards are the foundation of federal
school nutrition programs and have recently been
updated to reflect the current Dietary Guidelines
for Americans.
 The standards were established by studying
nutritional needs of groups of children at different
ages.
 Nutrient standards consist of the required food
components, levels of calories, and key nutrients.
 A single menu planning approach = HHFKA Food Based Menu
Planning (FBMP)
 Three age/grade groups: K-5, 6-8 & 9-12
 Separation of fruit and vegetables into two groups
• Daily and weekly requirements
• 5 vegetable sub-groups
 Half of grains offered must be whole grain rich (WGR)
 Weekly grain ranges
 Weekly meat/meat alternate ranges
 Dietary specifications for calories, saturated fat and trans fat
 Reimbursable meals must contain a fruit or
vegetable
Lunch Meal Pattern
Grades K-5
Grades 6-8
Grades 9-12
Amount of Food Per Week (Minimum Per Day)
2.5 (.5)
2.5 (.5)
5 (1)
3.75 (.75)
3.75 (.75)
5 (1)
.5
.5
.5
.75
.75
1.25
0.5
.5
.5
.5
.5
.5
.5
.5
.75
1
1
1.5
Fruits (cups)
Vegetables (cups)
Dark green
Red/Orange
Beans/Peas (Legumes)
Starchy
Other
Additional Vegetables needed to meet
weekly requirement
Grains (oz eq)
8-9 (1)
8-10 (1)
10-12 (2)
Meats/Meat Alternates (oz eq)
8-10 (1)
9-10 (1)
10-12 (2)
Fluid milk (cups)
5 (1)
5 (1)
5 (1)
Dietary Specifications: Daily Amount Based on the Average for a 5-Day Week
Min-Max calories (kcal)
550-650
600-700
750-850
Saturated Fat
(% of total calories)
< 10
< 10
< 10
Sodium (mg)
≤ 1230
≤ 1360
≤ 1420
SY 14-15 target
Trans fat
Nutrition label or manufacturer specifications must indicate zero grams
of trans fat per serving.
 Rice
 Bread
 Pasta
 Breading on meat items
 Cookies
 Rolls
 Tortilla chips
 Muffins
 Half of all grains served during the week must be
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whole grain rich (WGR).
Based on ounce equivalents.
Contain at least 50% whole grains.
A serving of the food item must meet portion size
requirements for the Grain/bread component.
The whole grains per serving (based on minimum
serving sizes specified for grains/breads in FNS
guidance) must be ≥ 8 grams.
 Must have a minimum of .25 oz equivalents to
count.
 Can round down to the nearest ¼ oz equivalent
• .995 = .75
 Battered and/or breaded products do not have to
be counted toward the weekly maximum grain
requirement for SY 12-13.
 Only two grains (no more than 2.0 oz eq total) per
week my come from dessert menu items.
 Sweet Crackers: graham and animal
 Cookies
 Pies and Cobblers
 Doughnuts
 Sweet Rolls
 Cake
 Brownies
 Granola Bars
 Beef, pork, poultry, fish
 Dry beans & peas
 Cheese
 Peanut butter
 Yogurt: soy and cow’s milk
 Eggs
 Nuts & seeds
 Tofu
 No more than 50% of the M/MA requirement
can be met with nuts or seeds.
 Imitation cheese is not creditable.
 Beans may be counted as M/MA OR a
vegetable but not both.
• If beans are counted as a M/MA they may not be
counted towards the dried bean/pea ½ c. weekly
requirement.
 Menu items less than .25 oz M/MA are not
creditable.
 M/MA food items must be served in a main dish or
in a main dish plus one other item.
 For grades K-5 & 6-8 must offer a minimum of 1 oz
at lunch.
 For grades 9-12 must offer 2 oz of M/MA at lunch.
 If daily M/MA choices are not offered then schools
should not serve any one M/MA more than 3 times
in the same week.
 Must be offered daily at lunch.
 Fresh, frozen, dried or canned.
 Offer a variety each week.
 Minimum ½ cup offered each day for grades
K-5 and 6-8.
 Minimum 1 cup each day for grades 9-12.
 Dried fruit credits at twice the volume
• ¼ cup dried fruit = ½ cup fruit.
 Minimum amount that can be counted is 1/8 cup
or .125 cup fruit.
 100% juice may be served but is credited to meet
no more than ½ of the fruit component offered
over the week.
Come out of your shell and try new fruits
& vegetables on your menus!
 Must offer vegetables daily at lunch.
 Canned, fresh, frozen, dried beans/peas or vegetable
juice.
 Offer ¾ cup per day for K-5 & 6-8 and 1 cup per day for
grades 9-12.
 Minimum daily and weekly total requirement.
 Sub-Group weekly requirements:
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Dark green (1/2 c. for all grades)
Red & orange (3/4 c. for K-8, 1 ¼ c. for 9-12)
Beans/peas/legumes ( ½ c. for all grades)
Starchy (1/2 c. for all grades)
Other ½ c. for K-8 and ¾ c. for 9-12)
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Bok choy
Broccoli
Collard greens
Dark leafy lettuce
Kale
Mustard greens
Romaine lettuce
Spinach
Turnip greens
Watercress
 Acorn squash
 Butternut squash
 Carrots
 Hubbard squash
 Pumpkin
 Red peppers
 Sweet potatoes
 Tomatoes
 Tomato juice
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Black beans
Black-eyed peas (mature, dry)
Garbanzo beans
Kidney beans
Lentils
Navy beans
Pinto beans
Soy beans (mature)
Split peas
White beans (cannelli, northern)
 Corn
 Green peas
 Green lima beans
 Plantains
 Potatoes
 Taro
 Water chestnuts
 Cassava
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Artichokes
Asparagus
Avocado
Bean sprouts
Beets
Brussel sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celery
Cucumbers
Eggplant
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Green beans
Green peppers
Iceberg lettuce
Mushrooms
Okra
Onions
Parsnips
Turnips
Wax beans
Zucchini
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/vegetables.html
http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/USDAFoodPatterns/ItemClustersAndRepFoods.pdf
 Minimum amount that can be counted is 1/8 cup
or .125 cup vegetables.
 Leafy vegetables are credited at half of their
volume: 1 c. = ½ c. veg.
 May not count vegetable juice for more than half
of the weekly vegetable component requirement.
 No “stealth”foods!
 Tomato paste and puree are credited based on
calculated volume of their whole food
equivalency.
 The “other” vegetable requirement may also be
met with any additional amounts of vegetables
from the dark green, red/orange and bean/peas
sub-groups.
 100% juice blends
• if first ingredient is a fruit juice = fruit.
• If first ingredient is a veg. juice = vegetable in
either the “other” or “additional” requirement.
 Low-fat (1%) Milk, unflavored
 Non-fat (skim)Milk, flavored or unflavored
 Low-fat, Reduced-lactose or lactose free,
unflavored Milk
 Non-fat, Reduced-lactose or lactose free flavored or
unflavored milk
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Most condiments
Imitation foods
Sugars
Frozen desserts
Fats
Other:
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Potato chips
bacon, pepperoni, pudding
popcorn, gelatin
100% fruit strips and other snack-type fruit or
vegetable products
 Can be served but do contribute toward weekly
calorie range and raise food costs.
• Pudding
• Frozen yogurt
• Ice cream
• Gelatin
 A great way to meet the new meal pattern
requirements!
 Include:
• Menus
• Productions Records
• Recipes
 Meet:
• HHKFA Meal Pattern Requirements
• HHFKA Dietary Specifications
• Gold Level of the HealthierUS School Challenge.
WHOO can use
Healthier Kansas Menus…You !
Grades
K-5
Meal Pattern
Fruits (cups)
Vegetables (cups)
Dark green
Orange
Legumes
Starchy
Other
Grains (oz eq)
Meats/Meat Alternates (oz eq)
2.5 (0.5)
3.75 (0.75)
0.5
0.5
0.5
1
1.25
8-9 (1)
Lunch Meal Pattern
Grades
6-8
Amount of Food Per Week
(Minimum Per Day)
2.5 (0.5)
3.75 (0.75)
0.5
0.5
0.5
1
1.25
8-10 (1)
Grades
9-12
5 (1)
5 (1)
0.5
0.5
0.5
1
2.5
10-12 (2)
8-10 (1)
9-10 (1)
10-12 (2)
Fluid milk (cups)
5 (1)
5 (1)
5 (1)
Dietary Specifications: Daily Amount Based on the Average for a 5-Day Week
Min-Max calories (kcal)
550-650
600-700
750-850
Saturated Fat
(% of total calories)
< 10
< 10
< 10
Sodium (mg)
≤ 640
≤ 710
≤ 740
Trans fat
Nutrition label or manufacturer specifications must indicate
zero grams of trans fat per serving.
 Minimum and maximum calorie (kcal) levels
averaged over the course of the week
 Effective SY 2012-13 for NSLP
Grade Level
Lunch Calorie
Range
K-5
550-650
6-8
Overlap:
600-650
600-700
9-12
Overlap:
None
750-850
 Limit saturated fat
• Less than 10 percent of total calories
• Same as current regulatory standard
 No total fat standard anymore!
 Nutrition label or manufacturer’s specifications
must specify zero grams of trans fat per serving
(less than 0.5 gram per serving)
 Naturally-occurring trans fat excluded (e.g. beef,
lamb, dairy products)
 Schools must keep Nutrition Facts Labels on file
Offer
Serve
All 5 components must be offered.
OVS is required for grades 9-12,
optional for grades K-8.
 Must take at least 3 components
and one must be at least a ½ cup
fruit or vegetable serving .
 Students must take all items
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May take ¼ cup fruit and ¼ cup
vegetable.
Monitors may not tell students
which components to take (except
must have ½ cup fruit or
vegetable).
 Lunches are priced as a unit.
 All schools are encourage to
implement OVS.
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that are menued and cannot
decline any items.
Students are not required to
eat all the food items served.
Only allowed for grades K-8.
Higher food costs.
More food wasted.
Potential for greater student
dissatisfaction.
Go Bananas for Good Health!
 A single menu planning approach= FBMP
 Three age/grade groups: K-5, 6-8 & 9-12
 Separation of fruit and vegetables into two groups
• Daily and weekly requirements
 5 vegetable sub-groups
 Half of grains offered must be whole grain rich
 Weekly grain ranges
 Weekly meat/meat alternate ranges
 Dietary specifications: calories, saturated fat and trans fat
 Reimbursable meals must contain a fruit or vegetable