1. New Meal Pattern Effective SY 2012-2013
West Virginia Department of Education
Office of Child Nutrition

2. New Provisions Grade Groupings Food-Based Menu Planning Approach ONLY
Grades K-5, 6-8, 9-12
Food-Based Menu Planning Approach ONLY
Offer vs. Serve
A student must select a fruit or vegetable component for a reimbursable meal
Full fruit and vegetable servings must be offered, but students may select ½ cup serving of either
The final rule requires some new provisions for the NSLP.
One of the first new requirements is the new grade groupings. This requirement became effective July 1, and SY for lunch. It will become effective for SY for breakfast.
Also, there is now only one menu planning approach which is a food-based system.
Offer versus Serve has changed as well. A student must now select a fruit or vegetable component for a meal to be reimbursable.
The required amount for each grade group must be offered; students must select at least ½ cup.

3. New Provisions Five Meal Pattern Components Fruit Vegetable Grain
Must be offered daily
Vegetable
Offer subgroups weekly
Grain
Offer weekly grain ranges; half of grains must be whole-grain rich
Meat/Meat Alternate
Offer weekly ranges
Milk
Offer only fat-free, unflavored or flavored OR low-fat unflavored
The new meal pattern for lunch includes 5 components: Fruit, Vegetable, Grain, Meat/Meat Alternate and Milk.
Each component has specific provisions:
Fruit must be offered daily
Vegetable subgroups must be offered weekly
At least half of the grains offered must be whole grain-rich
Offer weekly ranges of meat/meat alternate
All flavored milk offered must be fat-free, unflavored milk may be low-fat or fat-free

4. New Provisions Four Dietary Specifications Weekly average requirements
Calories
Min-max range for each age/grade grouping
Sodium
Maximum limits for each age/grade grouping
Beginning SY
Saturated fat
Limit remains the same; <10% of total calories
Daily requirement
Trans fat
Limit remains the same; zero grams of trans fat per portion
There are also four dietary specifications that must be met. There are weekly average requirements for calories, sodium and saturated fat and a daily requirement for trans fat.
Menus need to be planned to meet specific calorie ranges for each grade grouping.
The sodium content limits, averaged over the course of a week, will gradually be reduced over the course of the next ten years. The first target limit that must be met will not be required until SY , however, it would be a good idea to start looking at your menus and recipes now to see what changes can be made.
The saturated and trans fat limit remains the same.

5. Amount of Food Per Week (Minimum Per Day)
Lunch Meal Pattern
Grades K-5
Grades 6-8
Grades 9-12
Meal Pattern
Amount of Food Per Week (Minimum Per Day)
Fruits (cups)
2.5 (0.5)
5 (1)
Vegetables (cups)
3.75 (0.75)
Dark green
0.5
Red/Orange
0.75
1.25
Beans and peas (legumes)
Starchy
Other
Additional Veg to Reach Total 1
1.5
Grains (oz eq)
8-9 (1)
8-10 (1)
10-12 (2)
Meats/Meat Alternates (oz eq)
9-10 (1)
Fluid milk (cups)
Dietary Specifications: Daily Amount Based on the Average for a 5-Day Week
Min-max Calories (kcal)
Saturated Fat (% of total calories)
< 10
Sodium (mg)
< 640
< 710
< 740
Trans Fat
Nutrition label or manufacturer specifications must indicate zero grams of trans fat per serving.
This is the new meal pattern for lunch.
There is a copy of the full meal pattern chart in your packets for your convenience.
Let’s review the requirements for each of the components.

6. Fruits Fruits/vegetables are now two separate components
Fruit choices:
Fresh (preferred)
Frozen without added sugar (current stock may be used up this year)
Canned in juice/light syrup
Dried (1/4 cup of dried fruit = ½ cup fruit)
No more than half of fruit offerings may be juice
100% juice only
Utilize the FBG for whole fruit crediting
Fruits and vegetables are now two separate components.
Fresh, frozen without added sugar, canned (in light syrup or juice) or dried fruit may be offered.
¼ cup dried fruit is now credited as ½ cup fruit.
No more than half the fruit servings may be offered as juice and only 100% juice may be offered.
Continue to use the Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs for crediting fruit. A revised version of the Guide for fruits and vegetables has been distributed to all child nutrition directors.

7. Amount of Food Per Week (Minimum Per Day)
Fruits
Lunch Meal Pattern
Grades K-5
Grades 6-8
Grades 9-12
Meal Pattern
Amount of Food Per Week (Minimum Per Day)
Fruits (cups)
2.5 (0.5)
5 (1)
This slide shows the fruit component for lunch. You can see that there is a requirement of 2.5 to 5 cups of fruit at lunch, per week, depending on the grade group being served. The numbers in parentheses refer to the minimum amount to be served daily.

8. Amount of Food Per Week (Minimum Per Day)
Vegetables
Weekly minimums of all vegetable subgroups are required
Lunch Meal Pattern
Grades K-5
Grades 6-8
Grades 9-12
Meal Pattern
Amount of Food Per Week (Minimum Per Day)
Vegetables (cups)
3.75 (0.75)
5 (1)
Dark green
0.5
Red/Orange
0.75
1.25
Beans and peas (legumes)
Starchy
Other
Additional Veg to Reach Total 1
1.5
For lunch, the new meal pattern requires a daily serving of vegetables (the amount is in parentheses). The new rule seeks to give children access to a variety of vegetables by requiring weekly minimums of all vegetable subgroups. However, on any given day there are no specific subgroup requirement amounts.
The subgroups required each week consist of dark green, red/orange, beans/peas (legumes), starchy, and other. Additional vegetables will be needed to meet the total vegetable weekly requirement.

9. Vegetables - Dark Green
Offer ½ cup weekly
Can Include:
Kale
Bok Choy
Spinach
Romaine
Dark Green Leafy Lettuce
Broccoli
Let’s look at some of the vegetables that are in each of the sub-groups.
We’ll begin with the dark green subgroup. You must plan to offer at least ½ cup of a dark green vegetable every week (for each grade grouping). Examples include:
Bok choy in a stir fry
Broccoli on the salad/garden bar
Dark green leafy lettuce and/or spinach in a salad
Kale added to soup
Chopped romaine on salads, tacos or wraps
A written local recipe will be needed for any combination foods to determine how it meets the meal pattern. There are more suggestions for dark green vegetables at
And more…

10. Vegetables - Dark Green
Crediting Leafy Greens
Raw leafy green vegetables count as ½ of the measured amount
1 cup of raw leafy greens counts as ½ cup vegetable
½ cup cooked greens counts as ½ cup vegetable
Another new part of the Food Based Meal Pattern is the crediting of leafy greens.
Raw leafy green vegetables count as ½ of the measured amount.
So, 1 cup of raw leafy greens counts as ½ cup of vegetable.
½ cup cooked greens counts as ½ cup vegetable.

11. Vegetables – Red & Orange
Offer Weekly K-5 = ¾ cup = ¾ cup = 1 ¼ cup
Can Include:
Sweet Potatoes
Carrots
Butternut Squash
Now, let’s look at the Red/Orange vegetable subgroup.
You must offer ¾ cup of red or orange vegetables weekly for grade groups K-5 and 6-8 and 1 ¼ cups for grades 9-12.
What are some red and orange vegetables?
Acorn squash may be baked or roasted
Carrots may be served raw on the salad bar or baked with an orange glaze
Sweet potatoes may be offered baked or as a delicious side dish
Red bell peppers may be served raw in strips to add color to other raw veggies or offered in a stir fry
Butternut squash may be baked and add variety to the monthly menu
Tomatoes may be served fresh or in sauce
There are more suggestions for red and orange vegetables at
Red Bell Peppers
Tomatoes
And more…

12. Vegetables – Beans and Peas
Offer ½ cup weekly
Can Include:
Black Beans
Split Peas
Kidney Beans
Pinto Beans
Garbanzo Beans
Edamame
In regards to Beans and Peas (Legumes), be sure to plan at least ½ cup weekly for each grade grouping.
This subgroup includes:
Black beans, which are great in tacos or as part of a black bean salad;
Kidney beans, which may be used in chili or included in a salad;
Garbanzo beans, which may be added to soups or salads. Hummus, if it contains all garbanzo beans (no fillers) makes a great dip for other vegetables;
Refried beans, which may be added to nachos or tacos; and
Fresh edamame, which may be added as a specialty item on the salad/garden bar.
And more…

13. Vegetables – Starchy Offer ½ cup weekly Can Include: And more… Corn
Green Peas
Potatoes
Next we have Starchy vegetables. Here are some favorites:
Corn – on or off the cob;
Green peas, which are a great addition to the salad/garden bar; and of course,
The great all-American potato – mashed, baked, boiled or served as a baked fry or wedge.
And more…

14. Offer Weekly K-5 = ½ cup 6-8 = ½ cup 9-12 = ¾ cup
Vegetables – Other
Offer Weekly K-5 = ½ cup = ½ cup = ¾ cup
Can Include:
Green Beans
Cauliflower
Cucumbers
Asparagus
Beets
Celery
Zucchini
Iceberg Lettuce
So, what is the “Other” group?
There are many vegetables that do not fit in the other subgroups. These are labeled “Other”.
Here are just a few: asparagus, beets, cauliflower, cucumbers, green beans, iceberg lettuce, celery, yellow and green bell peppers and zucchini.
Remember, there are more choices in this subgroup by looking on choosemyplate.gov.
Also, if you have a mixed vegetable dish, it would also be classified as part of the “Other” subgroup.
Yellow/Green Bell Peppers
And more…

15. Additional Vegetables
Total Weekly Vegetable Requirement
Minimum Weekly Subgroup Requirements
Additional Vegetables to
Reach Total
Grades K-5
3 ¾ cups
2 ¾ cups
1 cup
Grades 6-8
Grades 9-12
5 cups
3 ½ cups
1 ½ cups
The total weekly vegetable requirement is 3¾ cups for grade groups K-5 and 6-8; grades 9-12 require 5 cups.
If you add up the minimum weekly requirements for each grade grouping, they do not equal the total amount of vegetables that need to be offered for the week.
You will need to add 1 additional cup for grade levels K-5 and 6-8; grades 9-12 will need an additional 1½ cups.
Any vegetable subgroup may be offered to meet the total weekly vegetable requirement.
Any vegetable subgroup may be offered to meet the total weekly vegetable requirement

16. Fruits and Vegetables Serving Sizes What needs to be provided?
⅛ cup?
¼ cup?
½ cup?
More?
Any of the above can work if you have enough of each option
1/8 cup is the minimum creditable amount!!
You must serve enough vegetables to meet the full ¾ cup or 1 cup offering
It is up to the menu planner to determine the serving sizes and the number of servings needed to meet the meal pattern requirement (e.g. ¾ cup of veggies daily for grades K-5 or 1 cup daily for grades 9-12).
The menu planner has options on how to make this requirement work.
Smaller portions of vegetables may be served, such as ½ cup of corn, in addition to ¼ cup of tomatoes with an entrée, to meet the ¾ cup vegetable requirement. It is not necessary to serve ¾ cup of just one vegetable; that ¾ cup may be a combination of various vegetables.
Keep in mind that the smallest creditable amount is ⅛ cup.
⅛ cup of vegetables, alone with no other accompanying vegetables, is not enough to meet the vegetables component for a reimbursable meal. Additional vegetables must be served to meet the full ¾ cup or 1 cup offering.

17. Fruits and Vegetables Salad Bars/Garden Bars
Excellent way to offer a variety of fruits/vegetables
Must be monitored
Must be before the POS or have State approval
A salad/garden bar that includes multiple vegetable subgroups is an easy way to meet the weekly vegetable subgroup requirement.
Staff must be trained to be able to determine if the fruits and/or vegetables on a student tray equals 1/2 cup.
Salad/garden bars located after the POS must have State approval and a system in place to ensure that each student meal includes at least ½ cup of fruit or vegetable to be reimbursable.

18. Fruits and Vegetables Multiple Serving Lines
Each serving line must offer all the vegetable subgroups weekly
Vegetable subgroups can be offered multiple times each week in various serving sizes (1/8 cup minimum), however,
The minimum weekly serving sizes must be met AND
The full daily minimum must be offered, based on grade grouping
There are no maximums on fruit and vegetable subgroups, as long as the calories are not exceeded
When multiple serving lines are utilized, each line must offer all the vegetable subgroups weekly.
Menu planners should use caution when selecting more than one starchy vegetable to avoid exceeding the calorie maximum limit over the course of the week.

19. “A Student Selects” Activity
1/4 cup leafy greens
1/8 cup carrots
1/8 cup broccoli
1/8 cup tomatoes
1 sugar snap pea
Does this amount of vegetable allow it to be counted for a reimbursable meal?
Let’s look at a plate of food.
For vegetables, one student may select:
¼ cup leafy greens which = 1/8 cup vegetable
1/8 cup carrots
1/8 cup broccoli
1/8 cup tomatoes
1 snap pea
Does this amount of vegetable allow it to be counted for a reimbursable meal?
“A Student Selects” Activity

20. 4/8 cup vegetables = 1/2 cup vegetables
YES!!
1/4 cup leafy greens /8 cup vegetables
1/8 cup carrots /8 cup carrots
1/8 cup broccoli /8 cup broccoli
1/8 cup tomatoes /8 cup tomatoes
1 sugar snap pea 4/8 cup vegetables
4/8 cup vegetables = 1/2 cup vegetables
Yes!
This equals ½ cup and is reimbursable and allowable.
What if the student did not select tomatoes?
The meal would NOT be reimbursable because they would only have 3/8 cup total vegetables, not enough to meet the 1/2 cup requirement.
A Student Selects Activity

21. Grains Weekly minimum and maximum quantities
Schools must offer the daily minimums and weekly serving ranges at lunch
1 grain serving daily for grades K-8
2 grain servings daily for grades 9-12
By SY , at least half of grains offered during the week must be whole grain-rich
Beginning in SY , all grains offered must be whole grain-rich
Now let’s look at the Grains component. There are weekly minimum and maximum requirements for the amount of grains that can be offered.
Schools must offer the amount needed to meet the daily minimum requirements:
1 grain serving for K-8 daily; and
2 grain servings for 9-12 daily.
At least half the grains offered must be whole grain-rich by SY
Beginning SY all grains offered must be whole grain-rich.

22. Amount of Food Per Week (Minimum Per Day)
Grains
Lunch Meal Pattern
Grades K-5
Grades 6-8
Grades 9-12
Meal Pattern
Amount of Food Per Week (Minimum Per Day)
Grains (oz eq)
8-9 (1)
8-10 (1)
10-12 (2)
If you are planning a menu for grades 6-8 and you offer 10 ounce equivalents that week, how many ounce equivalents must be whole grain rich?
5 ounce equivalents
The biggest change from current practice is a new requirement for whole grain-rich food items.
The weekly grain quantity for each grade grouping is given as a minimum and maximum range.
The chart shows the weekly ranges for the different grade groups (8-9 ounce equivalents for grades K-5; 8-10 ounce equivalents for grades 6-8; and ounce equivalents for grades 9-12).
***Can schools exceed the upper range of the grains component?***
No. The ranges are the minimum and maximum schools may offer. They are intended to assist schools to offer grade-appropriate meals within the required calorie ranges.
***If you are planning a menu for grades 6-8 and you offer 10 ounce equivalents that week, how many ounce equivalents must be whole grain-rich?***   
5 ounce equivalents.
Remember, effective this school year, half the grains offered in a week must be whole grain-rich.

23. Grains Criteria for Whole Grain Rich Foods
Meet the serving size requirements in the Grains/Breads Instruction, and
Meet at least one of the following:
Whole grains per serving must be ≥ 8 grams
Product includes FDA’s whole grain health claim on its packaging
Product ingredient listing lists whole grain first
“Diets rich in whole grain foods and other plant foods and low in total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers.”
There are two criteria that must be met for whole grain-rich foods.
First, a product must meet the Grains Instruction for serving size requirements.
Second, a product must also meet one of the following:
Whole grains per serving must be greater than or equal to 8 grams;
The product includes FDA’s whole grain health claim on its packaging; OR
The first item on the product ingredient listing is whole grain.
At this time (Fall 2012), the product ingredient listing is the criteria that should be used. Currently, manufacturers aren’t required to provide information about the grams of whole grains in their products, and the FDA whole grain health claim is not mandatory.

24. Grains Short School Weeks Grain-Based Desserts 3 or 4 day school week
Decrease weekly grains by 20% for each day < 5
Grain-Based Desserts
Only two creditable grain-based desserts allowed at lunch per school week
These items are a major source of solid fats and added sugars per DGA 2010
There are some weeks that schools are in operation for only 3-4 days. To ensure the correct amount of components are served weekly on these occasions, a Handout has been included in the packet that has these adjustments for grains and other meal pattern components.
Since grain-based desserts contribute toward the intake of solid fats and added sugars, USDA has reduced the number of allowable grain-based desserts at lunch to a maximum of 2 per week.

25. Grains Product Ingredient List
Non-Mixed Dishes: Whole grains must be the primary ingredient by weight
A whole grain is the first ingredient on the list
Mixed Dishes: Whole grains must be the primary grain ingredient
A whole grain is the first grain ingredient on the list
For non-mixed dishes (breads, cereals): Whole grains must be the primary ingredient by weight (whole grain is the first ingredient in the list with the exception of water). If the whole grain comes from multiple whole grains, the combined whole grain ingredients may be the primary ingredient by weight even though a whole grain is not listed as the first ingredient.
For mixed dishes (pizza, chicken patty): Whole grains must be the primary grain ingredient by weight (a whole grain is the first grain ingredient in the list of grains).

26. ¼ ounce equivalent is the minimum creditable amount for grains!
Battered or Breaded Food Products SY
Will not need to be counted toward the maximum weekly grain requirements in the meal pattern SY
All grains must be counted toward weekly grain requirements
¼ ounce equivalent is the minimum creditable amount for grains!
During SY , battered and/or breaded food products will not need to be counted toward the meal pattern’s weekly grain requirements.
Beginning July 1, 2013 (SY ) all grains, which are part of battered and/or breaded products offered, must be counted towards the weekly grain requirements.
One quarter (1/4) of an ounce equivalent is the smallest amount allowable to be credited toward the quantities of grains.

27. Grains USDA Foods: Helping Schools Meet the New Requirements
Whole grains meet WGR (>50%) requirement
Pastas
Brown Rice – regular or par-boiled 25# bags
Rolled oats
Tortillas
Pancakes
Whole kernel corn for further processing
Whole wheat flour
This is a list of some of the Whole Grain-Rich (WGR) food items that are available through USDA Foods.

28. Meat/Meat Alternate Daily and weekly requirements for lunch
1 oz eq. daily for students grades K-8
2 oz eq. daily for students in grades 9-12
Variety of meat/meat alternate encouraged
Both tofu and soy yogurt will be allowable as meat alternates
There are now daily and weekly requirements for lunch for the meat/meat alternate component:
1 oz may be offered for grades K-8; and
2 oz daily for grades 9-12.
A variety of meat/meat alternates should be offered each week and throughout the month.
Low-fat and low-sodium entrees, as well as vegetarian offerings are encouraged. Chicken, turkey, beef, dried beans and peas, tofu, low-fat dairy products, etc. should be offered for variety and incorporated into entrees, soups, sandwiches and salads.
There are now additional vegetarian protein sources (e.g. tofu and soy yogurt) available. There is a USDA Memo with the crediting information.

29. Amount of Food Per Week (Minimum Per Day)
Meat/Meat Alternate
Lunch Meal Pattern
Grades K-5
Grades 6-8
Grades 9-12
Meal Pattern
Amount of Food Per Week (Minimum Per Day)
Meats/Meat Alternates (oz eq)
8-10 (1)
9-10 (1)
10-12 (2)
Eggs and cheese may be used to meet all or part of the Meat/Meat Alternate (M/MA) component
Nuts or seeds may only be used to meet one-half of the component and must be paired with another M/MA to meet the full requirement
Two tablespoons of nut and/or seed butters equals one ounce of the M/MA requirement
Other meat alternates, such as eggs and cheese, may be used to meet all or part of the meat/meat alternate component.
Other meat alternates, such as nuts or seeds, may be used to meet no more than one-half of the meat/meat alternate component and must be paired with another meat/meat alternate to meet the full requirement.
Two tablespoons of nut butter, almond butter, cashew nut butter, peanut butter, reduced-fat peanut butter, sesame seed butter, soy nut butter, or sunflower seed butter equals one ounce of the meat/meat alternate requirement.

30. Amount of Food Per Week (Minimum Per Day)
Fluid Milk
Milk requirements go into effect for both breakfast and lunch in SY
Allowable milk options:
Fat-free (unflavored or flavored)
Low-fat (unflavored only)
Fat-free or low-fat (lactose-reduced or lactose-free)
Must offer at least two choices
Does not alter nutrition standards for milk substitutes (e.g., soy beverages)
Milk provisions also apply to children ages 3-4
Lunch Meal Pattern
Grades K-5
Grades 6-8
Grades 9-12
Meal Pattern
Amount of Food Per Week (Minimum Per Day)
Fluid milk (cups)
5 (1)
Milk requirements are in effect for SY
Two choices must be offered.
The requirements for nutrition standards for milk substitutes have not changed. The USDA Memo on milk substitutions is still applicable.

31. Dietary Specifications
Dietary Specifications: Daily Amount Based on the Average for a 5-Day Week
Grades K-5
Grades 6-8
Grades 9-12
Min-max Calories (kcal)
Saturated Fat (% of total calories)
< 10
Sodium (mg)
< 640
< 710
< 740
Trans Fat
Nutrition label or manufacturer specifications must indicate zero grams of trans fat per serving.
Weekly average requirements
Calories, saturated fat and sodium
Daily requirement
Trans fat
In addition to complying with the meal pattern, meals must also meet a few dietary specifications. These specifications are intended to improve consistency with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Dietary Reference Intakes.
These specifications are calories, saturated fat, sodium and trans fat.
The standards for calories, saturated fat and sodium are averaged over the school week.
This means that the amount of calories can fall short or exceed the daily standard as long as the weekly average falls within the range of specifications. In regards to saturated fat and sodium, the daily amount can exceed the standard on any given day, but should fall below their respective limits over the course of the week.
However, in regards to trans fat, food products and ingredients used daily must contain zero grams of trans fat per serving.

32. Dietary Specifications
Calories
Minimum and maximum calorie levels
Current regulations only established minimums
Dietary Specifications: Daily Amount Based on the Average for a 5-Day Week
Grades K-5
Grades 6-8
Grades 9-12
Min-max Calories (kcal)
There are only a few nutrient and calorie requirements that must be met with the new meal pattern.
There are minimum and maximum calorie levels each week.
It is intended that with the new required meal pattern and vegetable subgroups, the calorie amounts will fall within the required minimum and maximum calorie range.

33. Dietary Specifications
Sodium
Maximum limits on sodium; gradual implementation
Dietary Specifications: Daily Amount Based on the Average for a 5-Day Week
Sodium (mg)
Grades K-5
Grades 6-8
Grades 9-12
Lunch
Breakfast
Target 1 (SY )
< 1230
< 540
< 1360
< 600
< 1420
< 640
Target 2 (SY )
< 935
< 485
< 1035
< 535
< 1080
< 570
Target 3 (SY )
< 430
< 710
< 470
< 740
< 500
The final rule requires schools to make a gradual reduction in the sodium content of meals. USDA recognizes that it will be difficult to achieve substantial reductions in sodium immediately. Therefore, schools are required to meet two intermediate sodium limits, as well as a final limit.
Target 1 will be required beginning SY for both breakfast and lunch. This reflects sodium reductions that menu planners can achieve through menu changes and recipe modifications.
Target 2 will be required beginning SY This is based on sodium reductions that can be feasibly achieved with product reformulations by food industry, using currently available technology.
The Final Target will be required beginning SY Meeting the Final Target will require new technology and/or food products; therefore, there is a 10-year period to meet the new requirement.

34. Dietary Specifications
Saturated Fat
Limit remains the same; <10% of total calories
Trans Fat
Nutrition label or manufacturer’s specifications specify zero grams per serving
No Total Fat Requirement
The saturated fat and trans fat requirements remain the same.
There is no total fat requirement.

35. Offer vs. Serve
Offer vs. Serve continues to be mandated at the secondary level and optional at lower grade levels
The Dietary Guidelines stress the importance of increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables
The final rule requires that the reimbursable lunch selected by a student includes a fruit or a vegetable for SY
Offer vs. Serve continues to be a requirement at the secondary level and optional for lower grade levels; the NSLP application must indicate the grade levels that participate.
Sponsors must offer: milk, fruit, vegetable, grain, and a meat/meat alternate.
Students may decline as many as two food components.
Beginning this school year (SY ), students must select a fruit or vegetable as one of the 3 required components to be counted as a reimbursable meal under Offer vs. Serve.

36. Offer vs. Serve Must offer 5 food components:
Milk, fruit, vegetables, grains, meat/meat alternate
Student may decline as many as two food components
The full component serving size must be offered to the student
Student must select at least ½ cup of either a fruit or vegetable. The minimum creditable amount of a individual fruit or vegetable is 1/8 cup to counts towards the minimum ½ cup
Sponsors must offer: Milk, fruit, vegetable, grain, and a meat/meat alternate.
Students may decline as many as two food components.
Students must be offered the full component serving (1 cup for grades 9-12), but it is not necessary to prepare a full serving for every student.
Students must walk away from the point of service with at least ½ cup of either a fruit or vegetable. The minimum creditable amount of an individual fruit or vegetable is 1/8 cup to count toward the minimum ½ cup.

37. Offered to students in full serving sizes: Is the meal reimbursable?
Lunch Example
Grades 9-12
Offered to students in full serving sizes:
Sandwich-
Bread and Meat
Broccoli-1 Cup
Apple-1 Cup
Milk- 1% White
Example: This menu was planned for grades 9-12.
The student is offered a deli sandwich, 1 cup of broccoli, an apple, and 1% milk.
The student takes the sandwich and the apple. ***Is the meal reimbursable?***   
Yes. It is reimbursable because it has 3 of the 5 required components.
Another student chooses the sandwich and milk. ***Is this meal reimbursable?***
No. It is not reimbursable because it does not have a ½ cup of fruit or vegetable (discuss the vegetables on the sandwich).
Student takes
Is the meal reimbursable?

38. Point of Service
Staff must be trained to determine accurately the quantities of self-serve items on a students tray to identify the ½ cup fruit/vegetable servings:
Spoodles and portioning spoons
Pre-portioned cups
Identification of Food Items
Must identify at or near the beginning of the serving line the food items that contribute to the unit-priced reimbursable meals
After students have gone through the serving line, staff at the point of service must be trained to accurately judge the quantities of items on a student’s tray and to identify the minimum ½ cup fruit or vegetable serving.
It is recommended that sponsors use spoodles/portioning spoons. Another option is to use souffle cups, however, that can be costly.
It is now required that food items be identified at or near the beginning of the serving line as to how they contribute to the unit-priced reimbursable meal.

39. Point of Service Opportunity to Select Current New POS POS
To ensure that each student’s selections from the salad/garden bar meet the required portions for an entrée or food/menu item, the POS must be stationed after the salad bar.
If a school is not able to position the salad bar in a location prior to the POS, the State Agency may approve an alternative to the POS location. In such cases, there must be a system in place to ensure that each reimbursable meal selected by the student includes a fruit or a vegetable, and that the total of any fruit or vegetable item selected under OVS equals at least 1/2 cup.
With regard to meal identification, although the food components do not have to be in the same location, they must be labeled, listed, or otherwise identified near or at the beginning of the serving line so the students can easily choose all the components for a reimbursable meal.
POS

40. Resources USDA Team Nutrition Best Practices Sharing Center
HHFKA Meal Pattern Calculator

41. Questions????