1. New Meal Pattern Training
National Food Service Management Institute

2. Pre Assessment Place an identifier at the top of the page.
You will use the same identifier when you complete the Post-Assessment.
You do not need to place your name on the Assessment.

3. Objectives
Identify the similarities between the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the School Lunch Program.
Identify the Calorie Range for School Lunch Menus.
Identify the Meat and Meat Alternate component requirement.
Identify the Fruit component requirement.

4. Objectives Identify the Vegetable component requirement.
Complete the Vegetable Subgroup activity.
Identify the Grains component requirement.
Specify whole grain-rich foods.
Evaluate whole grain-rich foods labels.
Identify the Milk component requirement.

5. Objectives Discuss dietary specification for sodium and trans fat.
Discuss Offer Versus Serve.
Integrate the concepts of the New Meal Pattern lesson.

6. Objectives
Communicate easy methods of identifying reimbursable meal components in front or near the front of the serving line that constitute the unit priced reimbursable school meal(s).

7. Nutrition Standards Fruits and Vegetables offered daily
Substantially increasing offerings of whole grain-rich foods
Only fat-free or low-fat milk varieties
Limiting calories based on the age of children
Reducing saturated fat, trans fats, and sodium

8. Dietary Guidelines and the School Nutrition Program
Refer to Handout: Dietary Guidelines and the
School Nutrition Program 8

9. Food Based Menus Five required food components at lunch
Revised calorie, saturated fat, and sodium standards for each of the age/grade groups
Multiple lines must make all required food components available to all students on a weekly basis

10. Activity-Definitions
As Purchased (AP) and Edible Portion (EP)
Age Grade Groups and Calorie Ranges
Food Component
Food Item
School Week
Unit Pricing  
Production and Menu Records  

11. Calorie Range—Lunch Meal
Grades K-5
Grades 6-8
Grades 9-12
The average daily amount for a 5-day school week must fall within the minimum and maximum levels.
A school could offer age grade groups K-8 a single menu that falls within range of average calories per week to meet the requirement for each grade group.

12. Menu Components of a Reimbursable Meal
Meat/Meat Alternate (M/MA)
Fruits (F)
Vegetables (V)
Grains (G)
Fluid Milk

13. Meat/Meat Alternate—Lunch Meal

14. Activity—Qualifying Beans and Peas
What are some examples of qualifying beans or peas?
USDA Food Buying Guide Calculator at:
Refer to Handout: Qualifying Beans and Peas in the School Nutrition Program

15. Fruit Component—Lunch Meal
Food Based Menu Planning—Fruit Component Lunch
Grades K-5
Grades 6-8
Grades 9-12
2 ½ cups weekly
½ cup daily
5 cups weekly
1 cup daily
Pasteurized, 100% full-strength fruit juice may also be offered. No more than half of the weekly fruit offering may be in the form of juice.
Minimum creditable serving of fruit is ⅛ cup.
One quarter-cup of dried fruit counts as ½ cup of fruit.
Reimbursable meals may no longer include snack-type fruit products that have been previously credited by calculating the whole-fruit equivalency of the processed fruit in the product using the FDA’s standards of identity for canned fruit nectars (21 CFR ). Examples include fruit drops, leathers, and strips.
For SY only, frozen fruit with added sugar is allowable in the NSLP.
Adapted from: and

16. Vegetable Component—Lunch Meal
Grades K-5
Grades 6-8
Grades 9-12
3 ¾ cups weekly
¾ cup per day
¾ cup per day
5 cups weekly
1 cup per day
Vegetable Subgroups Weekly Requirements
Dark Green
 Red/Orange
Bean, Peas (Legumes)
Starchy
Other
Additional Vegetables to Reach Total
½ cup
¾ cup
1 cup
 ¾ cup
1 ¼ cups
1 ½ cup
Larger amounts of dark green, red/orange, beans/peas (legumes), starchy and other vegetables may be served.
Raw, dark leafy greens are credited as half the volume served (1 cup raw equals ½ cup serving of dark green vegetables).
“Other vegetables” are defined in §210.10(c)(2)(iii)(E) for the purposes of the NSLP
“Other vegetables” requirement may be met with any additional amounts from the dark green, red/orange, and beans/peas (legumes) vegetable subgroups as defined in §210.10(c)(2)(iii).
Any vegetable subgroup may be offered to meet the total weekly vegetable requirement (additional vegetables). 
Adapted from:

17. Questions—Fruit and Vegetable
Can students mix and match smaller portions of vegetable items to meet the vegetable component requirement?
Can students mix and match smaller portions of fruits to meet the fruit component requirement?

18. Questions—Fruit and Vegetable
If a student selects ¼ cup portion of a fruit item and ¼ cup portion of a vegetable item which meal component does this selection meet?

19. Activity—Vegetable Subgroups
Refer to Handout: Vegetable Subgroups

20. Grains Component—Lunch Meal
Grades K-5
Grades 6-8
Grades 9-12
8-9 oz eq weekly
1 per day (min.)
8-10 oz eq weekly
10-12 oz eq weekly
2 per day (min.)
At least half of the grains offered at lunch must be whole-grain rich in School Year
During SY and SY only, refined-grain foods that are enriched may be included on the lunch menu.
The new meal pattern provides a minimum and maximum number of oz eq to meet the weekly grains requirement by age group.
Serving sizes are defined in the USDA Food Buying Guide.
Refer to USDA FNS policy memo: Grain Requirements for the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program (April 26, 2012) at
Adapted from:

21. Questions—Grains
What is your current experience in offering whole grain-rich foods on school menus?
What is a serving size for grains?
When multiple choice menus are served, how are minimums and maximums calculated?
Refer to Handout: Whole Grain-Rich Foods and USDA’s SP Policy Memo

22. Whole Grain-Rich Foods
Word whole listed before a grain, for example, whole corn.
Words berries and groats are also used to designate whole grains, for example, wheat berries or oat groats.
Rolled oats and oatmeal and instant oatmeal.)
Refer to Handout: Grain Products (Ingredients) That Are Not Whole Grains

23. Activity—Identifying Whole Grains
Refer to Handout: Identifying Whole Grains

24. Activity—Evaluating Whole Grain-Rich Foods Products
Refer to Handout: Evaluating Whole Grain-Rich Foods Products

25. Milk Component—Lunch Meal
Grades K-5
Grades 6-8
Grades 9-12
5 cups weekly
1 cup daily
Fluid milk must be low-fat (1% milk fat or less, unflavored) or fat-free (unflavored or flavored).
Lactose-free milk is an acceptable alternative. It must be low-fat (1 % milk fat or less, unflavored) or fat-free (unflavored or flavored).
Adapted from:

26. Dietary Specifications
Sodium
Saturated Fat and Trans Fat

27. USDA Foods
Offers only reduced sodium canned beans and vegetables equal or less than 140 mg per half-cup serving, including spaghetti sauce, salsa, and tomato paste.
Canned whole kernel corn, whole tomatoes, and diced tomatoes are being offered with no added salt.

28. USDA Foods
Frozen vegetables, including green beans, carrots, corn, peas, and sweet potatoes are available with no added salt.
The upper salt limit on mozzarella cheese (current range is mg of sodium per oz. serving) and chicken fajita strips (220 mg per 2 oz. serving).

29. USDA Foods
A list of available foods is on the USDA website ( with color coding for low sodium and whole grains foods.

30. Activity—Offer Versus Serve Reimbursable Meal
The New Meal Pattern guidance requires all serving lines have an easy method of identifying reimbursable meal components in front or near the front of the serving line that constitute the unit priced reimbursable school meal(s). What are some ways to implement this requirement?

31. Offer Versus Serve
Students must take a minimum of one half-cup of either the fruit or vegetable component.
Only senior high schools are required to have Offer Versus Serve for lunch.
Local SFA can choose whether or not they want to have Offer Versus Serve for their junior high, middle, and elementary schools.

32. Offer Versus Serve--Lunch
Students must be offered all five required components: Meat/Meat Alternate, Fruit, Vegetable, Grains and Fluid Milk.
Students are allowed to decline two of the five required food components. 32

33. Offer Versus Serve--Lunch
Students are allowed to take smaller portions of the Fruit and Vegetable components only. If a student selects less than the offered portion of Meat/Meat Alternate or Grains, it does not count as one of the minimum three required components at lunch.
All meals must be set at a single price no matter how many components are declined. 33

34. Activity—Offer Versus Serve Reimbursable Meal
Handout: Offer Versus Serve Reimbursable Meal. 34

35. Activity—Integrate New Meal Pattern Concepts
Refer to Handout: Food-Based Menu K-5
Refer to Handout: Food-Based Menu Planning Template K-5
Refer to Handout: Food-Based Menu Planning Template K-5--Answers 35

36. Thank You
Post Assessment
Evaluations
Sign in sheet 36

37. National Food Service Management Institute