1. What’s For Lunch?
SCHool year

2. Topics to Cover Overview of Lunch Meal Pattern General Requirements
Food Components
Offer versus Serve

3. General Requirements Food based menu planning approach
Three age grade groups
K-5
6-8
9-12
**K-8 overlap meal pattern is allowable in K-8 overlap facilities
Must plan Lunch to meet calorie ranges over week

4. Dietary Specifications
Calorie Ranges
K-5:
6-8:
9-12:
Saturated Fats
<10% for all age grade groups

5. Dietary Specifications
Trans-Fats
ZERO trans fats per portion (0.5g per serving)
Sodium
K-5: ≤ 1230mg
6-8: ≤ 1360mg
9-12: ≤ 1420mg

6. Food Components
Food Component: One of the five food groups that comprise a reimbursable lunch
Fruit
Vegetable
Grains
Meat/Meat Alternate
Milk

7. Food Component: Fruit K-5: ½ cup per day 6-8: ½ cup per day
OVS requires students to take ½ cup fruit or vegetable
May offer:
Fresh, frozen, canned in light syrup, water, or fruit juice, or dried

8. Food Components: Vegetables
Daily lunch serving reflects variety over week
Vegetable subgroup weekly requirement for:
Dark Green – e.g., broccoli, collard, mustard, kale greens, spinach
Red/Orange – e.g., carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, tomatoes, red peppers, pumpkin
Bean/Pea (Legumes) – e.g., kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas, pintos, navy or northern beans, black beans, refried beans, vegetarian or baked beans
Starchy – e.g., corn, green peas, white potatoes, lima beans
Other – e.g., onions, green beans, cucumbers, lettuce, celery, beets, cabbage
Additional vegetables to meet weekly minimums

9. Food Components: Vegetables
Grade Groups K-5 and 6-8
Vegetables (cups)
3 ¾ cups total/wk minimum
¾ cup total daily
Dark Green
½ cup/wk
Red/Orange
¾ cup/wk
Beans/Peas (Legumes)
Starchy
Other
Additional Veg to Reach Total
1 cup/wk
Note: Grade Groups K-5 and 6-8 have the same vegetable requirements and portions.

10. Food Components: Vegetables
Increased portion sizes for grades 9-12 are in bold.
Vegetables
Grade Groups 9-12
Vegetables (cups)
5 cups total/wk minimum
1 cup total/day minimum
Dark Green
½ cup/wk
Red/Orange
1 ¼ cups/wk
Beans/Peas (legumes)
½ cups/wk
Starchy
Other
¾ cup/wk
Additional Veg to Reach Total
1 ½ cups/wk

11. Food Components: Vegetables
Special Vegetable Situations
Leafy greens credit for half the serving size
Foods from the beans/peas (legumes) subgroup may be credited as a vegetable OR a meat alternate but not both in the same meal.

12. Food Components: Grains
K-5: 1 oz eq daily min; 8 oz eq weekly min
6-8: 1 oz eq daily min; 8 oz eq weekly min
9-12: 2 oz eq daily min; 10 oz eq weekly min
Weekly maximums should be monitored, but are not required to be met.

13. Food Components: Grains
All Grains served must be Whole-Grain Rich
Whole Grain-Rich Criteria:
100% whole grain or contain a blend of whole-grain meal and/or flour and enriched meal and/or flour of which at least 50% is whole grain. NOTE: Must contain at least 50% whole-grains and the remaining grain, if any must be enriched.
Meet one of the following:
Whole grains per serving must be ≥ 8 grams or
Products includes FDA’s approved whole grain health claim on its packaging or
Product ingredient listing lists whole grain as first ingredient

14. Food Component: Grains
Grain-Based Desserts Allowed
2 oz equivalent creditable grain-based dessert allowed at lunch per school week.
Take into consideration the contribution of desserts to the nutrition standards levels for each grade level

15. Food Components: Meat/Meat Alternates
K-5: 1 oz eq. daily min; 8 oz eq. weekly min
6-8: 1 oz eq. daily min; 9 oz eq. weekly min
9-12: 2 oz eq. daily min; 10 oz eq. weekly min
Weekly maximums are not required to be met, but should be monitored.

16. Food Components: Milk Fat free flavored or unflavored
Low fat unflavored only
Must offer at least 2 choices

17. Offer vs. Serve
At lunch, must offer all 5 components and 2 may be declined.
Students must select at least ½ cup fruit or vegetable for reimbursable meal.
Full component portions must be offered to students at each meal.
OVS is not required for field trips.*
*SP pg 7 (Prepackaged Meals – if these meals are offered as part of…field trips…, OVS is not required, even at the senior high level.)

18. Offer vs. Serve
School is offering enough food on all reimbursable meal serving lines;
Signage is posted on the service line;
Students are selecting enough components/items to make a reimbursable meal;
Food service staff are accurately judging quantities on self- serve bars
Food service staff at the POS are trained and can recognize a reimbursable meal.

19. Questions?

20. Thank you
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or if all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all programs and/or employment activities.)
If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found online at or at any USDA office, or call (866) to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C , by fax (202) or at
Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) ; or (800) (in Spanish).
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer