Breakfast
In accordance with the provisions of Section IV of the Child Nutrition Act, a breakfast program has been initiated to improve the nutrition and dietary practices of the children attending school. Schools provide breakfast in accordance with the menu published by the Department of Food and Nutrition. These menus meet the following standards:
Reimbursable Breakfast – Four Components
Students must choose a serving of fruit or juice to complete the reimbursable breakfast.
| Milk (low-fat and fat-free) | 1 cup |
| Juice/Fruit/Vegetable (cupped, whole, and canned) | 1/2 Cup |
| Grain/Bread (with optional meat/meal alternate) | 1 ounce |
| Meat/Meat Alternate (optional) | 1 ounce |
Offer Vs. Serve
Students must select a minimum of three (3) food items and may select up to four (4) items for a reimbursable breakfast. Additional food items may be purchased at a la carte prices.
- At least four (4) food items from the required three (3) food components must be offered (e.g., toast, cereal, fruit, milk).
- For a breakfast to be reimbursable, at least one of the items selected must be a fruit or a juice.
- A second serving of fruit juice is to be charged at the a la carte price.
- Additional items exceeding the reimbursable meal are to be charged at the a la carte price.
Signs must be posted to make students aware of the Offer versus Serve option and the federal guidelines.
Lunch
Students are to have available unit-priced lunches, which may include milk and 100% fruit juices. The reimbursable lunch must meet the nutritional requirements set forth by law and regulations of federal and state governments. Schools provide lunches in accordance with the menu published by the Department of Food and Nutrition.
Offer Vs. Serve Lunch
The National School Lunch Act permits students the opportunity to select a minimum of three (3) and a maximum of five (5) offered components of the reimbursable lunch. Additional meal components or other items may be purchased at a la carte prices.
- Meal components are:
- M – Meat/Meat alternate
- B – Bread/Grain
- D – Dairy
- V – Vegetable
- F – Fruit
- For a lunch to be reimbursable, the student must select a fruit, juice (one 4 ounce serving) or a vegetable as one of the three (3), four (4) or five (5) components.
- Students in grades K-8 are allowed up to 1 cup serving of fruit (1/2 of the fruit serving can be a 4 ounce juice) and up to 1 cup of vegetable(s) or up to 2 cups of lettuce.
- Students in grades 9-12 are allowed up to 1 cup serving of fruit (1/2 of the fruit serving can be a 4-ounce juice) and up to 1 cup of vegetable or up to 2 cups of lettuce.
- A second serving of fruit juice is to be charged at the a la carte price.
- Items exceeding the reimbursable meal components are to be charged at the a la carte price.