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School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children (2010)

Chapter: Appendix E: Standards for the Current Food- and Nutrient-Based Menu Planning Approaches

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Suggested Citation:"Appendix E: Standards for the Current Food- and Nutrient-Based Menu Planning Approaches." Institute of Medicine. 2010. School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12751.
×

Appendix E
Standards for the Current Food- and Nutrient-Based Menu Planning Approaches

LIST OF TABLES

  • Table E-1 Reimbursable Breakfast Under Food-Based Menu Planning: Range of Standard Amounts of Food Items for Age-Grade Groups

  • Table E-2 Reimbursable Lunch Under Food-Based Menu Planning: Range of Standard Amounts of Food Items Covering the Various Age-Grade Groups

  • Table E-3 Reimbursable Breakfast and Lunch Under Nutrient-Based Menu Planning: Standards for Menu Item as Offered and as Served

  • Table E-4 Reimbursable Breakfast and Lunch: Standards for 5-Day Average Amounts of Key Nutrients for Age-Grade Groups

Suggested Citation:"Appendix E: Standards for the Current Food- and Nutrient-Based Menu Planning Approaches." Institute of Medicine. 2010. School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12751.
×

TABLE E-1 Reimbursable Breakfast Under Food-Based Menu Planning: Range of Standard Amounts of Food Items for Age-Grade Groupsa

Food Component/Food Item

Amount of Food Item or Component per Day

Fluid milk (as a beverage, on cereal, or both)

8 fluid oz

Meat/Meat Alternate or Grains

2 oz equiv meat or grains or 1 oz equiv of eacha,b

Vegetable/Fruit

½ cup

NOTES: equiv = equivalent; oz = ounce.

aSee Appendix Table H-1 for ounce equivalents.

bOption for grades 7–12 includes one additional serving of grains.

SOURCES: Derived from USDA/FNS, 2008e, with additional information from USDA/FNS, 2007b.

TABLE E-2 Reimbursable Lunch Under Food-Based Menu Planning: Range of Standard Amounts of Food Items Covering the Various Age-Grade Groupsa

Food Component or Food Item

Amount of Food Item or Componenta

Fluid milk (as a beverage)

8 fluid oz per day

Meat and Meat Alternate

1½–3 oz equivb per day

Vegetable/Fruit

½–1 cup per day

Grain/Breadc

8–15 servings per week

NOTES: equiv = equivalent; oz = ounce.

aThe range shown spans age-grade groups from kindergarten through grade 3 to grades 7 through 12 for traditional and enhanced food-based menu planning.

bSee Appendix Table H-1 for ounce equivalents.

cMust be enriched or whole grain or made from enriched or whole-grain flour or meal that may include bran and/or germ. Minimum of one serving per day. A serving is a slice of bread or an equivalent serving of biscuits, rolls, etc., or ½ cup of cooked rice, macaroni, noodles, other pasta products, or cereal grains.

SOURCES: Derived from USDA/FNS, 2000a, with additional information from USDA/FNS, 2007b.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix E: Standards for the Current Food- and Nutrient-Based Menu Planning Approaches." Institute of Medicine. 2010. School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12751.
×

TABLE E-3 Reimbursable Breakfast and Lunch Under Nutrient-Based Menu Planning: Standards for Menu Item as Offered and as Served

 

As Offered

As Served

Breakfasta

Schools must offer at least three menu items:

  • Fluid milk (served as a beverage)

  • Two additional menu items

  • Student may decline only one item, regardless of the number of items offered

Lunchb

Schools must offer at least three menu items:

  • Fluid milk

  • Entrée

  • Side dish

  • If three items are offered, students may decline one

  • If four or more items are offered, students may decline two

  • Students must select an entrée

aOffer versus serve (OVS) for breakfast is optional at all grade levels.

bOVS is optional in grades below senior high level.

SOURCE: Derived from USDA/FNS, 2007b.

TABLE E-4 Reimbursable Breakfast and Lunch: Standards for 5-Day Average Amounts of Key Nutrients for Age-Grade Groups

 

Breakfast

Lunch

Minimum Requirements

Optional

Minimum Requirements

Optional

K–12

Grades 7–12

K–6

Grades 7–12

K–3

Calories

554

618

644

825

633

Fat

≤ 30%

≤ 30%

≤ 30%

≤ 30%

≤ 30%

Saturated fat (% of calories)

< 10%

< 10%

< 10%

< 10%

< 10%

Protein (g)

10

12

10

16

9

Calcium (mg)

257

300

286

400

267

Iron (mg)

3.0

3.4

3.5

4.5

3.3

Vitamin A (RAE)

197

225

224

300

200

Vitamin C (mg)

13

14

15

18

15

NOTES: g = gram; K = kindergarten; mg = milligram; RAE = retinol activity equivalent.

SOURCES: Derived from USDA/FNS, 2000a, 2008e.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix E: Standards for the Current Food- and Nutrient-Based Menu Planning Approaches." Institute of Medicine. 2010. School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12751.
×

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Suggested Citation:"Appendix E: Standards for the Current Food- and Nutrient-Based Menu Planning Approaches." Institute of Medicine. 2010. School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12751.
×
Page 255
Suggested Citation:"Appendix E: Standards for the Current Food- and Nutrient-Based Menu Planning Approaches." Institute of Medicine. 2010. School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12751.
×
Page 256
Suggested Citation:"Appendix E: Standards for the Current Food- and Nutrient-Based Menu Planning Approaches." Institute of Medicine. 2010. School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12751.
×
Page 257
Suggested Citation:"Appendix E: Standards for the Current Food- and Nutrient-Based Menu Planning Approaches." Institute of Medicine. 2010. School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12751.
×
Page 258
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Ensuring that the food provided to children in schools is consistent with current dietary recommendations is an important national focus. Various laws and regulations govern the operation of school meal programs. In 1995, Nutrition Standards and Meal Requirements were put in place to ensure that all meals offered would be high in nutritional quality.

School Meals reviews and provides recommendations to update the nutrition standard and the meal requirements for the National School Breakfast and Lunch Programs. The recommendations reflect new developments in nutrition science, increase the availability of key food groups in the school meal programs, and allow these programs to better meet the nutritional needs of children, foster healthy eating habits, and safeguard children's health.

School Meals sets standards for menu planning that focus on food groups, calories, saturated fat, and sodium and that incorporate Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Dietary Reference Intakes. This book will be used as a guide for school food authorities, food producers, policy leaders, state/local governments, and parents.

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