Plan Meals

Sponsors of child nutrition programs are required to provide meals that meet the nutritional requirements of children and teens. Explore the resources below for information on the meal requirements for each program and menu planning resources.

Meal Patterns

National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program sponsors must plan menus to meet the meal pattern and dietary specification requirements for the grade groups served.

School Breakfast Program Meal Pattern English School Breakfast Program Meal Pattern Spanish

National School Lunch Program Meal Pattern English National School Lunch Program Meal Pattern Spanish

4 Day Lunch Meal Pattern English 4 Day Lunch Meal Pattern Spanish

Vegetable Subgroups English Vegetable Subgroups Spanish

School meal sponsors must plan menus to meet the pre-K meal pattern when serving pre-K students meals separately from older students. View this informational chart to learn more about options to serve meals to preschool and pre-K students.

Pre-K Breakfast Meal Pattern English Pre-K Breakfast Meal Pattern Spanish

Pre-K Lunch Meal Pattern English Pre-K Lunch Meal Pattern Spanish

Serving School Meals to Preschoolers

Yogurt Sugar Limit Worksheet

Breakfast Cereal Limit Worksheet

Grain-Based Desserts

Summer Food Service Program sponsors plan meals that meet the nutritional and energy needs of kids and teens by following the SFSP meal pattern requirements.

SFSP Meal Pattern Requirements English

SFSP Meal Pattern Requirements Spanish

View the Meal Pattern Comparison Chart to compare requirements across the child nutrition programs.

Meal Pattern Comparison Chart

Meal Pattern Requirements: Summer Food Service Program

Documentation & Crediting

Program sponsors must maintain documentation to show how meals meet all program requirements.

Documentation Requirements

Meal Pattern Documentation Requirements

Acceptable Product Documentation for Meal Pattern Requirements

Production Records - National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program

Production Record Instructions English Production Record Instructions Spanish

Production Record Example English Production Record Example Spanish

Template - Two Grade Groups English & Spanish

Template - Three Grade Groups English & Spanish

Salad Bar Production Record English & Spanish

Production Records - Summer Food Service Program

SFSP Menu Production Record and Instructions English & Spanish

Delivery Receipt

Crediting Guides & Calculators

Crediting Fruits and Vegetables

Crediting Grains

Crediting Meat/Meat Alternates

Offering Meats and Meat Alternatives at School Breakfast

Calculate the Components in a Recipe

Calculate the Grain Component in a Recipe

Exhibit A: Grain Requirements for Child Nutrition Program

USDA Food Buying Guide

Standardized Recipes

Standardized Recipe Template

Standardized Recipe Example

Offer Versus Serve

Offer Versus Serve (OVS) allows students to decline some of the food offered in a reimbursable lunch or breakfast meal. OVS helps reduce food waste and allows students to choose the foods they want to eat.

National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program

Offer Versus Serve (OVS)

Offer vs Serve Overview English Offer vs Serve Overview Spanish

Offer vs Serve USDA Guidance Offer vs Serve Tip Sheet

Summer Food Service Program

SFSP Offer vs Serve Overview

Menu Planning & Recipe Resources

Special Dietary Needs

USDA’s non-discrimination regulation and the regulations governing the child nutrition programs mandate that substitutions to the regular meal must be made for children who are unable to eat meals because of their disabilities when that need is certified by a licensed healthcare professional.

Visit the Special Dietary Needs Online Training to learn more about accommodating special dietary needs.

Tools/Guidance & Resources

Forms

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Plan Meals

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Meal Patterns