School Meal Pattern Requirements & USDA Foods U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service February 2014

School Meal Pattern Implementation  Overview of Meal patterns  National School Lunch Program  School Breakfast Program  Dietary Specifications  USDA Foods  Resources

Lunch Meal Pattern Overview  Five food components  Fluid Milk  Fruits  Vegetables  Grains  Meats/Meat Alternates

Lunch Meal Pattern Chart Amount of Food Per Week (Minimum Per Day) Grades K-5Grades 6-8Grades 9-12 Fruits (cups) 2½ (½) 5 (1) Vegetables (cups) 3¾ (¾) 5 (1) Dark green ½½½ Red/orange ¾¾1¼ Beans/Peas (Legumes) ½½½ Starchy ½½½ Other ½½¾ Addl Veg to Reach Total 111½ 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)

Fluid Milk Component  1 cup (8 fluid ounces) for all grades  Must offer daily variety (at least 2) of the following:  Fat-free unflavored  Fat-free flavored  Low-fat (1% or less) unflavored  Low-fat or fat-free lactose-reduced/lactose-free  Whole, 2%, and low-fat flavored milk not allowable  No fat/flavor restriction on milk substitutes

Fruits Component  Fresh/frozen/canned/dried fruit and 100% juice are allowed  Frozen fruit with added sugar now allowed permanently  50% fruit juice limit applies to the total fruit offered per week  Must be 100% juice

Vegetables Component  Fruits and vegetables separate components at lunch  Daily minimum quantity requirement  Weekly variety requirement (5 subgroups):  Red/orange (carrots, tomatoes, sweet potatoes…)  Dark green (romaine, spinach, broccoli…)  Legumes/beans/peas (kidney beans, chickpeas…)  Starchy (white potatoes, corn, green peas…)  “Other" (cucumbers, celery, mushrooms…)

Fruits and Vegetables  Schools may offer both in pureed form (smoothies, soups)  Fruit smoothie guidance provided in memo SP  Fruit (and milk) are credited in smoothies prepared by local operators  The fruit is credited in smoothies prepared commercially  The fruit in smoothies counts as juice and counts toward the weekly juice limit  Pureed forms credit based on the actual volume served  See policy memos:  SP , Meal Pattern Q&As  SP , Smoothies Offered in CN Programs

Grains Component  SY : Half of grains must be whole grain–rich  All grains credited in oz. eq. and based on 16 grams of grain  Grain/bread servings no longer used  gram standard no longer allowable  SY : All grains must be whole grain-rich (not 100% whole grain)  Whole grain-rich = At least 50% whole grain and rest of product/blend must be enriched refined flour  Corn masa dough treated with lime is allowable as a whole grain ingredient (SP )

Whole Grain-Rich Criteria  Element 1: Food item must meet the oz eq (size) requirements  Element 2: The food must meet at least one of the following:  Whole-grain per serving must be at least 8.0 grams  Product includes the FDA whole-grain health claim  A whole grain is the first ingredient in the product ingredient listing  Whole Grain Resource for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs ce.pdf ce.pdf

Meats/Meat Alternates Component  Required only in the NSLP  Operators can continue to offer wide variety of products  Lean meats and poultry, eggs, fish  Low-fat cheeses, yogurt, beans, nuts and seeds  Tofu and soy yogurt now creditable  SP Crediting Tofu and Soy Yogurt Products

School Breakfast Program

Required Components 1. Milk 2. Fruits 3. Grains

Meal Pattern For Breakfast Amount of Food Per Week (Minimum Per Day) Grades K-5Grades 6-8Grades 9-12 Fruits (cups) 5 (1) Vegetables (cups) 000 Grains (oz eq) 7-10 (1)8-10 (1)9-10 (1) Meats/Meat Alternates (oz eq) 000 Fluid milk (cups) 5 (1)

Fluid Milk Component  1 cup (8 fluid ounces) for all grades  Must offer daily variety (at least 2) of the following:  Fat-free unflavored  Fat-free flavored  Low-fat (1% or less) unflavored  Low-fat or fat-free lactose-reduced/lactose-free  Whole, 2%, and low-fat flavored milk not allowable  No fat/flavor restriction on milk substitutes

Fruits Component  Fruits required  1 cup required for all grades (SY )  Vegetables substitute allowed  50% juice limit  Only full strength juice

Grains Component  Same crediting and whole grain-rich criteria as lunch  1 oz. eq. minimum daily requirement (all grades)  Daily and weekly requirements for menu planning purposes  K oz. eq. per week  oz. eq. per week  oz. eq. per week  Half of the grains offered must be whole grain-rich  SY : all grains must be whole grain-rich  RTE cereals must be fortified (unless 100% WG) 17

Optional Meat/Meat Alternates  There is no separate requirement to offer Meats/Meat Alternates (M/MA) in the new SBP meal pattern  SFAs that wish to offer a Meat/Meat Alternate at breakfast have two options  Count Meats/Meat Alternates toward Grains requirement  Offer a Meats/Meat Alternates as “extra” food (count toward Dietary Specifications)

Dietary Specifications

Dietary Specifications for School Meals  Saturated fat (unchanged)  Less than 10% of calories from saturated fat for all grades  Trans fat  Zero grams per offered portion (check labels) for all grades  Calories  Minimum and maximum levels for each grade group  Sodium  Specific limits for each grade group  First target begins in SY 2014 and remains in effect for three years

Calories  Calorie ranges are based on science and data on children’s food intake  Calorie ranges are weekly averages  Calories do not apply to meal selected by individual student  Student selections may also be above or below the ranges

Sodium  Intermediate targets can help schools reach final targets Sodium Reduction: Timeline & Amounts (mg) Grades Target 1 (July 1, 2014) Target 2 (July 1, 2017) Final Target (July 1, 2022) School Breakfast Program K-5< 540< 485< < 600< 535< < 640< 570< 500 National School Lunch Program K-5< 1,230< 935< < 1,360< 1,035< < 1,420< 1,080< 740

Sodium Reduction Efforts  Modify procurement specifications and recipes  Resources for reducing sodium  Team Nutrition Healthy Meals Resource System   National Food Service Management Institute   USDA Foods 23

Saturated Fat  Saturated fat limit  Less than 10 percent of total calories  Same as previous regulatory standard  No total fat limit

Trans Fat  New trans fat restriction  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

Weighted Nutrient Analysis  Schools not required to conduct a nutrient analysis  State agencies may conduct a weighted nutrient analysis based on review of offered menus  Product labels and information provided by manufacturers are essential to demonstrate compliance

USDA Foods

USDA Foods Support Meal Patterns  Variety  Specifications support meal pattern implementation  High quality options  Versatility

Fruits  Fresh, frozen, dried, canned and 100% juice  Nutrition focus in product specifications (e.g. canned items in extra light syrup)  Quality is defined in specification (e.g. size and grading requirements)  Products are versatile (e.g. ready-to-eat, institutional size and bulk)

Vegetables  Fresh, frozen, canned, and dried options  Includes options in all 5 subgroups  Nutrition focus in product specifications (e.g. low- sodium canned, no salt added frozen products)  Quality is defined in specification (e.g. size and grading requirements)  Products are versatile

Whole Grain  USDA Foods will offer only whole grain products for direct delivery beginning in SY15  Whole grain products tested and specifications refined for optimal outcome  Products are versatile (e.g. ready-to-eat, dry, bulk for processing)

Meat/Meat Alternates  Variety of meat, dairy, and plant-based options  Specifications emphasize lower sodium, lower fat meat and cheese options  Product specialists define formulations to ensure consistent product quality, taste, and functionality  Significant amount of product versatility (e.g. meat vs. non-meat options, varied portion sizes)

Next Steps for USDA Foods  Continue to explore new product options using feedback from states and school districts  Continue to review and refine product specifications to improve nutrition profile and improve product appeal  Explore ways to improve process for communicating product information to states and school districts

Resources  School Meal Pattern Requirements   Whole Grain Resource for NSLP and SBP   Sodium Reduction  Team Nutrition Healthy Meals Resource System   National Food Service Management Institute   USDA Foods  How USDA Foods Support Meal Pattern Requirements (Chart)  3.pdf 3.pdf  Complete List of Available Foods   USDA Foods Fact Sheets 