The board of trustees recognizes the benefits to students of providing healthy, nutritious meals at school. Accordingly, the district will ensure that school meals are provided to students that meet or exceed the nutritional standards required by the program regulations of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the National School Breakfast Program (SBP), as well as the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). In addition, the district will ensure that meals and snacks comply with the requirements of the Healthy and Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 and the Smart Snacks in Schools standards with regard to the nutritional content of food sold or provided by district schools, including school meals, a la carte items, foods sold from vending machines and foods sold for fundraisers. The district permits the sale or distribution of nutrient dense, Smart Snack compliant foods for all school functions and activities as well as non-food items. Nutrient dense foods are those that provide students with calories rich in the nutrient content needed to be healthy. Program regulations focus on reducing added sugars, sodium, and high-fat foods and increasing items like whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Nutrition standards covered by program regulations are set forth below:
Calorie Range: Schools must ensure that meals offered to children comply with USDA calorie levels.
Whole Grains: At least 80 percent of all weekly grain offerings in school lunch and breakfast programs shall be whole grain rich (i.e. between 50 and 100 percent whole grain), based on ounce equivalents of grains offered. Beginning with the 25-26 school year, at least 80% of the weekly grains offered in NSLP snacks must be whole grain rich, based on ounce equivalents of grains offered.
Fruits and Vegetables: Schools must offer, at a minimum, one fruit on all points of service for breakfast. Schools shall offer at least one fruit and one non-fried vegetable at all points of lunch service each day. Schools shall offer a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables when possible. Schools may also offer vegetables at breakfast in accordance with program regulations.
Milk: Schools will offer a variety (at least two different options) of fluid milk at lunch daily, provided that unflavored milk will be offered at each meal service. Beginning with the 25-26 school year, milk must be fat-free or low-fat and may be unflavored or flavored. Also beginning with the 25-26 school year, flavored milk must contain no more than 10 grams of added sugars per 8 fluid ounces, or for flavored milk sold as competitive food for middle and high schools, 15 grams of added sugars per 12 fluid ounces.
Water: Schools will make plain water available to students during meal service free of charge.
Beans, Peas and Lentils: Schools will offer beans, peas and lentils as either a vegetable or as a meat alternative at least one timer per week.
Sodium: Schools will limit sodium to meet NSLP and SBP standards.
Snack Components: Beginning with the 25-26 school year, snacks must contain two different components out of five total components.
Juice: Beginning with the 25-26 school year, no more than half (50%) of the weekly fruit and vegetable offerings in NSLP snacks are in the form of juice.
Grain-Based Desserts: Beginning with the 25-26 school year, grain-based desserts in NSLP snacks do not count toward the grains requirement.
Deep-Fat Fried Foods: Beginning with the 25-26 school year, foods that are deep-fat fried on-site are not reimbursable NSLP snacks.
Added Sugars: Beginning with the 25-26 school year, breakfast cereals must contain no more than 6 grams of added sugars per dry ounce and yogurt must contain no more than 12 grams of added sugars per 6 ounces. Beginning with the 27-28 school year, added sugars are limited to less than 10 percent of calories per week in school lunch and breakfast programs (this is in addition to product limits described in this policy).
Nuts and Seeds: Nuts and seeds may be served as meat/meat alternatives.
Meats/Meat Alternatives at Breakfast: Schools may offer grains, meats/meat alternatives, or a combination of growth at breakfast.
RECORDKEEPING
The district will maintain all records that document compliance with nutrition standards for all competitive foods available for sale to students in areas under its jurisdiction that are outside of the control of the school food authority responsible for the service of reimbursable school meals. The district will also ensure that the organization(s) designated as responsible for food service, if any, maintain appropriate records as required by federal program regulations with respect to nutrition standards. Such records will include, but are not limited to, production and menu records that show how meals offered contribute to the required meal components and food quantities, as well as the latest nutritional analysis of the school menus conducted by the State Department of Education.
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LEGAL REFERENCE:
42 U.S.C. §1751 et seq. – National School Lunch Act
7 CFR Part 210 and 220 – National School Lunch Program and National School Breakfast Program Regulations
CROSS-REFERENCE:
770 – Food and Nutrition Services
569 – School Wellness
ADOPTED: January 13, 2025
AMENDED: