1. Offer Vs. Serve Policies Kendal Chavez, Farm to School Specialist September 18, 2019

2. What is OVS? An alternative way to start a tennis match
A way to offer more food choices to students on school menus
An option to reduce food waste and give students flexibility
Required in all New Mexico schools
What is Offer vs. Serve?
(C. An option to reduce food waste in the school meals programs and to give students the flexibility to select the foods they prefer.)

3. 12/5/2019
What is OVS?
Concept that applies to menu planning and the determination of reimbursable meals
Allows students to decline a certain number of food components in the meal
Offer versus serve (OVS) is a concept that applies to menu planning and the determination of reimbursable school meals in the USDA NSLP and SBP.
OVS allows students to decline a certain number of food components in the meal, reducing food waste and food cost, and allowing students to select the foods they prefer to eat.
OVS must be implemented in senior high schools for lunch.
OVS is optional for middle schools, and elementary schools for lunch. OVS is optional for all grade levels at breakfast 3

4. More on Offer vs. Serve Required in grades 9 - 12 at lunch
Optional in grades K - 8 at lunch
Optional in ALL grades at breakfast
(Read the slide.)
Stand up if you work in a school with OVS. What grades are in your school? Would OVS be optional or required? (Help participants with the answers if they seem hesitant.)
(Reinforce the following points.)
Just having choices is not OVS. You can have several choices and not be participating in OVS.
However, you must offer choices when you participate in OVS .
It’s a Georgia thing!
Comments? Questions?

5. Reimbursable Lunch Definitions
Food Component - One of five food groups that make up reimbursable school lunch, school breakfast, and afterschool snack programs Full Component (ex. lunch daily requirements) Food Item - A specific food offered within the five food components for lunch
There are a few definitions that will help you understand what makes a lunch reimbursable.
A FOOD component is a group of foods that make up a reimbursable school lunch or breakfast.
What are the 5 components for lunch?
Fruits
Vegetables
Grains
Meats/meat alternates
Fluid milk
A full component can be determined by the daily requirement on the NMP chart; today we’ll be looking at the one for lunch;
Knowing and understanding FULL component becomes very important for schools participating in OVS.
Look at the amounts by grade group and by component.
What is the full component of vegetable for 6-8 graders? (¾ cup)
What is the meats/meat alternates full component for 9-12 graders? (2 ounce equivalent)
A food item is a specific food within the five food components for lunch.
For example: A hamburger with bun is a food item. The hamburger patty is the meat component, and the bun is the grain component.

6. Definitions (cont.)
Serve – students must take all 5 components, regardless of choices Offer vs. Serve – allows students to decline up to any 2 components at lunch to minimize plate waste; schools are required to offer more food item choices Choice – several food items available as a component selection; choice is not OVS
Another important concept to learn is the difference between “Serve” and “Offer versus Serve.” You will also need to know how “Choice” fits in with each. It’s critical that cashiers and servers understand these definitions.
If you work in a school that does not have OVS, you have a “Serve” program. Under “Serve,” all students must take all 5 components regardless of choices that are offered.
How many of you have OVS in your school? How many of you do not have OVS, and, therefore, have a “Serve” program?
Offer versus Serve allows students to decline no more than 2 of the 5 food components at lunch to meet their preferences. OVS helps minimize plate waste and requires schools to offer more choices to their customers.
Choices means that several food items are available as a component selection. Choices within components can be offered in “Serve,” but the student does not have the option to decline any of the 5 components. Choices are required in Georgia when schools participate in OVS.
Signage is very important. Even small children can learn how to participate in OVS with good signage.
Any comments or questions?

7. School Breakfast Program Meal Pattern Requirements
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School Breakfast Program Meal Pattern Requirements 7

8. Breakfast Meal Pattern
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Breakfast Meal Pattern
Meal Pattern
Amount of Food Per Week (Minimum per day)
5-day Week
Grades K - 5
Grades 6 – 8
Grades
Fruit (cup)
5 (1)
Grains (oz. eq.)
7-10 (1)
8-10 (1)
9-10 (1)
Fluid Milk (cup)
5(1)
4-day Week
4 (1)
5.5-8 (1)
6.5-8 (1)
7-8 (1)
Before we move into discussing OVS it is important to review the breakfast meal pattern.
Some of the main issues we see on reviews are not meeting the weekly grain minimum and not offering enough fruit.
Vegetables in the SBP- if starchy veg offered, must provide at least 2 cups of r/o, dark green, legumes, or “other” subgroups over the course of the week.
Can be served as extra- not a component, not an item under OVS, DO contribute to nutrient requirements
All 3 grade groups overlap
Can use one menu for K-12 (use 9-12 grade range for grains) 8

9. Offer vs. Serve School Breakfast Program
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Offer vs. Serve School Breakfast Program

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OVS at Breakfast
Always offer all three components in at least the required amounts
For OVS, must offer at least four food items at breakfast
Students must select at least 3 items (if more than 4 items are offered, they may decline more than one)
For purposes of OVS, an item is the daily required minimum amount of each food component that a child can take
1 cup of milk
1 oz eq. of grains
1 cup of fruit (or veg)
Now lets move into offer versus serve requirements. First, the distinction between components and items. Breakfast is unique from lunch in regards to OVS, because under OVS in lunch, students must select 3 of 5 components. Those 3 components might be any number of food items, including a fruit or vegetable choice.. So it is important to keep this in mind: OVS works differently in breakfast.
First, operators must always offer all three components in at least the minimum required amounts. For OVS, schools must offer at least four food items at breakfast, from among three components
To facilitate understanding for both the POS cashier and students selecting a reimbursable meal, a food item is offered in the daily required minimum amount of each food component that a child can take. This translates to 1 cup of milk, 1 oz eq of grains and at least ½ cup of fruit (or vegetable) 10

11. 12/5/2019
OVS- Grains (part 1)
A large grain can count as more than one food item for purposes of OVS in breakfast
e.g. 2 oz. eq. muffin = 2 food items
In addition to the 2 oz. grain, at least 2 other food items must also be offered to have OVS
Student cannot decline the 2 oz grain item
Let’s talk about the grains component under OVS. First, a large grain (such as a 2 oz. eq. muffin) counts as more than one item for purposes of OVS in breakfast. In this specific example, the 2 oz muffin counts as two food items.
This is unchanged from previous OVS practices. 1 oz eq of grain is the minimum required amount a child can take daily, for all age/grade groups. So if 2 oz is offered, the menu planner counts this as 2 items.
This means that if a 2 oz eq grain is offered, only 2 other food items (a fruit and milk variety) must also be offered to have OVS (to make the total of 4 food items needed for OVS). However, operators must also keep in mind that because the 2oz food counts as 2 items, it cannot be declined. For OVS at breakfast, students may only decline one item. 11

12. Example #1 2 oz eq Grain: Choices:
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Example #1 2 oz eq Grain:
School offers 2 oz eq muffin, 1 cup apples, and milk 
5 Items Offered
Choices:
Muffin + Apples + Milk
Muffin + ½ cup of Apples
½ cup of Apples + Milk
Let’s look at some examples. First, a school may offer a 2 oz eq muffin, 1/2 cup apples, and milk, and have OVS. Students can decline one item, only, so the muffin can’t be declined. Therefore, the milk could be declined. This does not provide many options for the student, but then again this is a very limited menu. 12

13. OVS- Grains (part 2) Grains-meat/meat alternate combination items
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OVS- Grains (part 2)
Grains-meat/meat alternate combination items
When counting the meat/meat alternate as grains, the combo may count as two food items
Example: egg sandwich w/ 1 oz. eq. of grains and 1 oz. eq. of m/ma counting as grains = 2 food items
The second part of OVS as it relates to grains has to do with grain-meat/meat alternate combination items
Menu planners have a couple of options related to how to count a meat/meat alternate-grains combination. One option is to count the combination as two items for purposes of OVS.  
For example, a menu planner may choose to credit the egg (meat/meat alternate) toward the grains component and count an egg sandwich as two grain items (a total of 2 oz eq of grains). This is just like the prior slide, when we talked about the 2 oz eq muffin counting as 2 items. The menu planner must also always offer the full required amount of fruits and milk. Again in this case, the student may not decline the combination sandwich under OVS as it would exceed the maximum number of items that may be declined. 13

14. 12/5/2019
OVS-Grains (part 3)
Allowing students to take two of the same grain item
If a menu planner offers two different 1 oz. eq. grain items at breakfast, a student may be allowed to take two of the same grain and count as two items
Example: school offers milk and fruit, plus two grains: cereal (1 oz. eq.) and toast (1 oz. eq.)
Student could select fruit and two toasts
2nd toast selected in place of other grain offered (cereal)
Only one item (milk) declined
If the grains component is offered in two, 1 oz eq servings (e.g. cereal and toast), there would be two grains items.
When a menu planner offers two different 1 oz eq grain items at breakfast, a student may be allowed to take two of the same grain item and count this as two grain items for purposes of OVS.
This is acceptable if the menu planner chooses to do so. The menu planner has discretion whether or not to allow students to select duplicate grain items.
For example, a menu may offer milk and fruit, in addition to two grains: cereal (1 oz eq) and toast (1 oz eq). The student could select the fruit and two pieces of toast. The 2nd piece of toast would be selected in place of the cereal, the other grain offered. Therefore, this would be 3 items under OVS, and only the milk (1 item) is declined. 14

15. National School Lunch Program Meal Pattern Requirements
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National School Lunch Program Meal Pattern Requirements

16. Amount of Food Per Week (Minimum per day)
Lunch Meal Pattern
Meal Pattern
Amount of Food Per Week (Minimum per day)
5-day Week
Grades K - 5
Grades 6 – 8
Grades
Fruit (cup)
2 ½ (½)
5 (1)
Vegetables (cup)
3 ¾ (¾)
Dark green
Red/Orange
1 ¼
Beans/Peas (Legumes)
Starchy
Other
Additional to reach total 1
1 ½
Grains (oz. eq)
8-9 (1)
8-10 (1)
10-12 (2)
Meat/Meat Alternate (oz. eq)
9-10 (1)
Fluid Milk (cup)
5(1)
The lunch meal pattern requires daily and weekly amounts of all 5 components based on three different grade levels. This chart shows the requirements for a 5-day school-week. Please refer to the Short and Long Week Calculations for meal pattern requirements for schools with different lengths of weeks.
Main issues we see with lunch are inadequate quantities of grains and m/ma and less with fruit/veg

17. Offer vs. Serve National School Lunch Program
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Offer vs. Serve National School Lunch Program

18. OVS Lunch Requirements
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OVS Lunch Requirements
Signage explaining what must be selected to make a meal reimbursable must also be present for the National School Lunch Program. 18

19. Combination Foods Beef Taco:
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Beef Taco:
Grain/Bread, Vegetables, Meat/Meat Alternate
Ham Sandwich: Grain/Bread Meat Alternate, Vegetables
Pepperoni Pizza: Grain/Bread & Meat/Meat Alternate
Macaroni and Cheese: Grain/Bread & Meat Alternate
Some main dishes contain more than one food item or component.
don’t be confused by these combination foods - make sure you count each food item. for instance, a burrito might contribute 2 servings of grain and 2 oz meat/ meat alternate. thus, it would count as two food items at the point of sale under offer vs serve.
pasta with meat sauce may contribute 2 oz/servings grain, 1/2 cup vegetable and 2 oz meat alternate. thus, the cashier could count the main dish as contributing 3 food items. this entrée alone would qualify as a reimbursable meal.
the cashier should be informed of the food contributions before meal service when a combination food is offered. 19

20. Q: Special Circumstance: What happens if a student selects only 3 items and two are from the fruit and vegetable component? Is this allowable?
Full Portion Other Component
½ Portion Fruit/Vegetable
Full Portion Fruit/Vegetable
Reimbursable Meal
As we all know with OVS, students will select various combinations- and try to throw us off our game. This circumstance you may not see vary often in the elementary schools; however, you may come across this in middle and high school. This scenario can be confusing. This only matters at the high school level, as the ½ cup of fruit is the full portion for K-8.
When a student selects only three items and two are from the fruit and vegetable components, the student must select the full required minimum portion size of one fruit or vegetable and may select the ½ cup minimum of the other.
Again, this is only when a student selects two components from both the fruit and vegetable category.
K-8
Vegetable – Full portion is ¾ cup
Fruit- Full portion is ½ cup
9-12
Vegetable- Full portion is 1 cup
Fruit- Full portion is 1 cup
K-12
If full serving of Fruit Or Vegetable is selected, and the second choice is a Fruit/Vegetable the serving must be at least a ½ cup serving size.
The other component (Meat, Grain, Milk) must be the full minimum required serving size

21. Offer vs Serve: Guidance for the NSLP and the SBP
“Offering choices within components does not constitute OVS. If students are required to select every component, the SFA is not using OVS. Students must be allowed to decline components (except ½ cup serving of fruit and/or vegetable).”
Offer vs Serve: Guidance for the NSLP and the SBP
Choice is not OVS

22. “If OVS is in place students must be able to decline items they do not want and select the minimum required amounts for at least three food components, including a fruit or vegetable. One option is for students to pre-order the entrée and choose the side dishes at the point of service.”
Policy Memo SP (v.9)
Pre-Serving is not OVS

23. Salad Bar Post-POS is not OVS
“…Un-monitored salad bars after the POS are considered extra food that cannot contribute toward the reimbursable meal, but counts toward the dietary specifications. For the vegetable subgroups to count, the school has to establish a monitoring mechanism [approved by the State agency].”
Policy Memo SP

24. Signage

25. Your manager will… Review daily menu with staff before meal service
Ensure correct serving sizes
Discuss possible combinations of offerings
Observe that Serve or OVS is being implemented correctly
Your manager plays a key role in making sure that correct serving sizes are being offered or served and that meals served to students are reimbursable. However, he or she needs help from everyone on staff.
The manager needs to ensure all staff members know what is being offered and the serving sizes required.
The manager needs to check serving lines before meal service to be sure correct serving utensils or portions are available on the line.
The manager needs to discuss possible menu combinations and what will be acceptable for reimbursement. This information is particularly important for cashiers since they will be checking trays for reimbursable meals. However, servers also need to recognize a reimbursable meal in case they need to encourage a student to pick up an additional item.
Working with the team, the manager will keep a watchful eye out to ensure that Serve or OVS is being implemented correctly.
Are there other questions you would like to ask before we wrap up today?

26. Additional Tips and Tricks?
-Post signage with pictures to help students identify the required components in a reimbursable meal (front of line best)
-Keep fruit near the cashier bowl so students can complete their meal if necessary
-Highlight menus and food components through teachers or sent home with newsletters or school packets
Additional Tips and Tricks?

27. Thank you!