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Menu Planning Options

The National School Lunch Program now provides menu planning options to achieve the nutritional standards. There are two food based menu planning options: traditional meal pattern and enhanced food based meal pattern. Both of these menu planning options have specific amounts and components that must be served for the reimbursable meals. In addition, there are two computer based menu planning options: NuMenus and Assisted NuMenus. The computer based menu planning options are used with USDA approved software programs. Each menu planning option is explained in the following sections.

Enhanced Food-Based Menu Planning

Lunch Meal Pattern

The traditional meal pattern of the past has been successful in providing adequate calories and most nutrients for most students. However, it did not have quantitative limits for fat and saturated fat, or encourage an increase in complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber. The meal pattern for lunch was enhanced from the traditional meal pattern to include:

• Two required groups for grades K-6 and 7-12
• Increased quantities for vegetables/fruits and grains/breads for lunch
• Allowing grain-based desserts to count toward grains/breads.

There is no change in the following:

• Types of food components and items offered
• Minimum quantity requirements
• Serving size criteria

Grains/Breads Requirement

The food-based meal patterns for the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs contains a grains/breads requirement.The instruction on the serving of grains/breads for the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs adds the following items:

• A serving of sweet dessert products such as cookies, cakes, doughnuts, formulated grain-fruit products, or sweet rolls when made with whole-grain and/or enriched meal or flour. Up to one grains/breads serving per day may be a dessert. (This is allowed only for the Enhanced Food Based Menu Planning option).
• A serving of pie crust from dessert, meat, meat alternate or other pies.
• A serving of snack products such as hard pretzels, hard bread sticks, and chips made from whole-grain and/or enriched meal or flour.

In addition to adding the grains-based desserts, some items no require a larger weights for a serving of some grains/breads. This will affect both the breakfast and lunch menus.

There is still a requirement of one serving of grains/breads per day. The lunch quantity of grains/breads for grades K-6 is increased to 12 servings per week, and 15 servings per week for grades 7-12. One grains/breads serving per day can come from a grains-based dessert.

Vegetables/Fruits

To meet the minimum lunch quantities required for the vegetables/fruits component for grades K-6, the minimum daily quantity is 3/4 cup with an additional 1/2 cup served over a week. For grades 7-12, the minimum daily quantity is one cup.

Offer versus Serve for Lunch

Students must be offered all five required food items:

One serving each of:

• Meat/Meat Alternate
• Milk
• Grains/Breads

Two servings of:

• Vegetables/Fruits

The serving sizes must equal the minimum required quantities by age or grade group. The lunch must be priced and sold as a unit. Students have the option to decide which food item(s) to decline.

Senior high students are allowed to decline two of the five required food items.

Offer versus serve is optional below the senior high level. Students below the senior high level may be permitted to decline one or two of the five required food items.

When a student takes a hamburger on bun and cookie, this meal is not reimbursable because the student took only two food components: meat/meat alternate and grains/breads.

NuMenus and Assisted NuMenus

NuMenus and Assisted NuMenus are two new menu planning options allowed in the USDA School Meals Initiative for Healthy Children. For NuMenus and Assisted NuMenus, any foods in any quantities may be used to meet the nutrition goals, unlike food-based menus, where foods from specific food groups and in specific quantities must be offered.

With NuMenus, a nutrient analysis of the menus is conducted. During state agency reviews, a check will be made to ensure that the analysis is being done accurately.

With Assisted NuMenus, an outside consultant or other entity will perform the nutrient analysis for the local education agency. With the Assisted NuMenus, menu cycles must include the nutrition standards, recipes, food product specifications, and preparation techniques. The state agency must approve the initial menu cycle, recipes, and other specifications to determine if all required elements for correct nutrient analysis are incorporated. After serving the menu cycle, the nutrient content will be reassessed and appropriate adjustments made. The local education agency is responsible for ensuring that menus meet the nutrient standards and calorie levels.

Menu Items

In NuMenus and Assisted NuMenus, the menu planner is dealing with menu items instead of food components and food items. A menu item may be any single food or combination of foods. The determination of whether a food can be counted as one menu item or two depends on how it is served. If it is served as one item, it is counted as one menu item; if it is served as two items, it is counted as two menu items.

Lunch

In NuMenus and Assisted NuMenus, lunches are required to have three menu items:

• Entree
• Milk, Served as a Beverage
• Side Dishes

An entree is the main course, served either as a combination of foods or a single food item. To determine if an entree can be counted as one menu item or more than one menu item when it consists of a combination of foods, look at the way it is served. If an entree is served as a unit, such as a sandwich, it is one menu item; however, if the meat is served separately from the bread, it then becomes two menu items.

Fluid milk must be offered to students as a beverage. The amount of milk that must be offered will be determined by the nutrient analysis.

Any other menu item offered is considered a side dish unless it is a condiment.

While condiments must be taken into consideration when planning and analyzing a meal, they are not counted as menu items for the purpose of meeting the minimum requirement of three menu items nor for the purpose of counting the menu items for offer versus serve.

Condiments include such items as relishes, catsup, mustard, jelly, gravies and table spreads. Condiments are included in the nutrient analysis.

Breakfast for NuMenus and Assisted NuMenus

A breakfast consists of a minimum of three menu items:

• Fluid milk, served as a beverage
• Any two foods except a food of minimal nutritional value

Food of Minimal Nutritional Value

The foods of minimal nutritional value as defined in the regulations cannot be sold during meal time in the dining area where reimbursable meals are served and consumed. Foods affected by this rule are:

Soda water
Water Ices
Chewing gum
Certain candies; such as hard candies, jellies and gums, marshmallow candies, fondant, licorice, spun candy, candy-coated popcorn

If a food of minimal nutritional value is part of a menu item, the nutritional contribution can be counted when the nutritional analysis of the meal is calculated (for example, marshmallows on sweet potato casserole).

Offer Versus Serve for NuMenus and Assisted NuMenus-Lunch

Students must be offered at least three menu items (one menu item must be an entree and one must be fluid milk).

Students in schools with offer versus serve must select at least two of the menu items. If more than three menu items for a single reimbursable lunch are offered, students may only decline a maximum of two menu items. Student must select the entree in order to have a reimbursable lunch.

Offer Versus Serve for NuMenus and Assisted NuMenus-Breakfast

Students must be offered at least three menu items. Students must select at least two items and decline a maximum of one menu item.

Age and Grade Groups

For NuMenus and Assisted NuMenus, schools have the option to provide the calories and nutrient level for school lunches and breakfast for age or grade group levels. The age groups include:

• Ages 3-6
• Ages 7-10
• Ages 11-13
• Ages 14-17

The grade groups for lunch include:

• Preschool
• Grades K-6
• Grades 7-12
• An optional standard for grades K-3

The grade groups for breakfast include:

• Preschool
• Grades K-12
• An optional standard for grades 7-12

Not all schools’ grade structures will match the grade or age groups. Menu planners may also develop their own customized groups corresponding to the age groups in their school. The software will perform the calculations for the customized groups.

If only one age or grade is outside the established level, a school or group of schools may use the nutrient standard level for the majority of children regardless of the nutrient standard option selected. However, when more than one grade or age is outside of the established levels, the menu planner should use two of the required groups or develop a customized age group.

If ages span more than two years beyond the 10-11 age breaks, two groups must be used.

Weekly Weighted Average

The menus will be analyzed over a school week using a weighted nutrient analysis with an average based on the projected number of servings of each menu item. Menu items that are served to more students provide a larger proportion of the nutrients in that meal; therefore, the nutrients in those menu items should be given more weight.

A school week is defined as a maximum of seven consecutive days. If there are fewer than three consecutive days in a week, those menus may be combined with either the previous or the coming week.

The determination of whether the daily lunches or breakfasts meets the requirements depends on having the correct number of menu items. Whether the weekly menu meets the requirements depends on meeting the nutrient standards. Local education agencies are exempt from the weighting requirement until July 1, 1998.

Combination Meal Nutrient Standards

NuMenus and Assisted NuMenus provide the option to combine the total nutrients for breakfast and lunch together in proportion to the participation in each meal. The software has the capability to conduct this analysis.

Approved Software and Database

When performing nutrient analysis with NuMenus and Assisted NuMenus, the USDA-approved software that contains the National Nutrient Database for Child Nutrition Programs (NNDCNP) must be used.

Leftovers and Substitutions

If the need for service of a substitute item or leftover occurs prior to a two-week window before the week the original menu item is to be served, the week’s menus will be reanalyzed and the nutrient standards met with the substituted item. If the need occurs within the two week window, no reanalysis is required.

Assisted NuMenus Approval Requirements

Local education agencies (LEAs) planning to use Assisted NuMenus must submit the following items to the state agency for approval 45 days prior to implementation:

1. Menus with portion sizes and number of servings forecasted to be produced by menu item

2. Recipes with nutrient analysis

3. Nutrient information for processed food products

4. Preparation techniques for food items

5. Nutrient analysis conducted on menus

6. Name, address, and phone number of contact person who has conducted the analysis for the LEA.

LEAs may apply at any time for this option. However, if this option is chosen all information listed above must be submitted to this office at least 45 days prior to the date of implementation. An approval will be mailed within 30 days of receipt of all necessary data.

Traditional Meal Pattern

Local education agencies (LEAs) electing to continue using the traditional meal pattern which was used for the 1994-1995 school year must ensure that the federal nutrition standards are met. The LEA must have the following information: production records, menus, nutrient data for processed foods, and standardized recipes. During a review, if the nutrient analyses show that the federal nutrient standards are met, then the LEA can continue to use the traditional menu pattern. However, if the necessary data are not available or the analyses do not meet federal nutrient standards, the LEA will be required to select a different menu planning option.

The traditional meal pattern may be appropriate for younger children, such as in K-6 building. Because of the higher calorie requirements as students become older, larger portions of fruits and vegetables, and more servings of grains and breads may be served to the older students to meet the nutritional standards.

Local education agencies that select the traditional meal planning option must implement the new grains and breads instruction, however, the grain based desserts cannot be counted towards the grains/breads serving.

Offer versus Serve for Lunch

There was no change in offer versus serve for school lunch. Students must be offered all five required food items:

One serving each of:

• Meat/Meat Alternate
• Milk
• Grains/Breads

Two servings of:

• Vegetable/Fruits

The serving sizes must equal the minimum required quantities by grade group. The lunch must be priced and sold as a unit. Students have the option to decide which food item(s) to decline.Senior high students are allowed to decline two of the five required food items.