The National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs supply students with age-appropriate, well-balanced meals to enhance their diet and health and to help mitigate childhood obesity and malnutrition. As a result of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, the meal patterns and standards of these programs align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and require participating schools to increase the availability of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fat-free and low-fat milk. The standards also set age-appropriate calorie limits and support a reduction in the sodium, saturated fat and trans fat content of school meals.1
National School Breakfast Program Nutrition Standards (SBP)2
The SBP requires participating schools to offer meals with three food components:
- Fruits
- Grains (At least half of the grains offered weekly must be whole grain-rich.)
- Fluid Milk (Students must be offered at least 2 different milk options, which can include fat-free and/or low-fat (1%) unflavored or flavored milks. If a flavored milk is offered, an unflavored milk must also be made available.)
Vegetables are not required in the SBP, but schools may offer vegetables in addition to, or in place of, fruits. Meat/Meat Alternates are also not required but may be offered.
There are age-appropriate daily and weekly minimums for the amounts of each food component offered, as well as limits on calories, sodium, saturated fat and trans fat (see chart below).
Additional Resources
Program Fact Sheet (English)
Program Fact Sheet (Spanish)
National School Lunch Program Nutrition Standards (NSLP)2
The NSLP requires participating schools to offer meals with five food components:
- Fruits
- Vegetables, including minimum requirements for 5 vegetable subgroups (dark green, red/orange, beans/peas (legumes), starchy and “other” vegetables)
- Grains (At least half of the grains offered weekly must be whole grain-rich.)
- Meats/Meat Alternates
- Fluid Milk (Students must be offered at least 2 different milk options, which can include fat-free and/or low-fat (1%) unflavored or flavored milks. If a flavored milk is offered, an unflavored milk must also be made available.)
There are age-appropriate daily and weekly minimums for the amounts of each food component offered, as well as limits on calories, sodium, saturated fat and trans fat (see chart below).
Additional Resources
Program Fact Sheet (English)
Program Fact Sheet (Spanish)
Smart Snacks in School & Massachusetts Nutrition Standards for Competitive Foods & Beverages in Public Schools
Smart Snacks in School refers to national nutrition standards for competitive foods and beverages, which are those sold outside of the federal reimbursable school meal programs during the school day*. These standards place limits on fat, sugar, sodium and calorie content.3
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has established the Massachusetts Nutrition Standards for Competitive Foods and Beverages in Public Schools which also set standards for competitive foods and beverages sold or provided in schools.
Schools in Massachusetts must adhere to whichever of the two standards, state or federal, is stricter. Additionally, schools may choose to enact stricter standards of their own.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which foods and beverages need to meet these standards?
Any food and beverage sold or provided to students at schools during the school day,* other than those provided as part of the school meals programs.
Examples include, but at not limited to, foods sold:
- In vending machines
- At school stores
- At snack bars
- Foods and beverages sold during fundraisers, unless these items are not intended for consumption at school.
How do I know if a food or beverage is compliant with state and federal standards?
If you are looking for items for your school’s vending machine, school store, snack bar, or if you want to provide healthy snacks for an event or classroom party, The John C. Stalker Institute of Food and Nutrition (JSI) at Framingham State University has resources that can assist you in determining if a food or beverage is compliant.
- The A-List is an up-to-date and ever-expanding list of single-serve vending and snack products available through distribution or direct ship from manufacturer** that meet the Massachusetts Nutrition Standards for Competitive Foods and Beverages in Public Schools and the USDA’s Smart Snacks nutritional standards, whichever is stricter. The A-List is updated weekly and products are re-evaluated annually in July.
- The Massachusetts Nutrition Evaluation Tool for Schools (MassNETS) is an evaluative tool that can be used to determine if products, not on the A-List, meet the Massachusetts School Nutrition Standards for Competitive Foods and Beverages and USDA Smart Snacks in School, whichever is stricter. MassNETS can be used to evaluate any single-serving snack or beverage item, including those purchased outside of the school nutrition program. This tool can be helpful when evaluating products for school stores, vending machines, classroom parties or other school-based events.
NOTE: Product evaluation by JSI is not mandatory, however, compliance to both the state and federal standards is required in Massachusetts.
*The school day is defined as midnight the night before until 30 minutes after the school day ends.
**A-List products are generally not available at your local grocery store; rather they are formulated to meet nutrition standards for school snacks and may be purchased by your school nutrition program.
Free and Reduced-Price Meal Eligibility4
The National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs allow schools to offer low-cost or no-cost meals to qualifying students. Children can qualify for free or reduced-price school meals* in a few ways:
- Household income and family size: Children from families with incomes at or below 130% of the Federal poverty level are eligible for free meals. Those with incomes between 130 and 185% of the Federal poverty level are eligible for reduced-price. The Income Eligibility Guidelines (IEGs) are updated annually and are effective from July 1 through June 30.
- Categorical eligibility: Children may be determined “categorically eligible” for free meals through participation in certain Federal Assistance programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or a federally-funded Head Start Program.
- If they are homeless, migrant, runaway, or a foster child.
*Meals are limited to 1 breakfast and 1 lunch per day at the free or reduced-price.
If you believe your child is eligible for free or reduced-price meals, reach out to your school or district’s school nutrition department for information on how to apply. Applications must be submitted each school year to maintain meal eligibility status.
Рекомендации
- US Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service. Nutrition standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs; final rule. Federal Register. 2012;77(17). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2012-01-26/pdf/2012-1010.pdf. Published January 26, 2012. Accessed March 24, 2021.
- US Department of Agriculture. Meal requirements under the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program: questions and answers for program operators. https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/SP38-2019os.pdf#page=2. Published September 23, 2019. Accessed March 24, 2021.
- Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Smart Snacks. CDC website. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/npao/smartsnacks.htm. Updated May 29, 2019. Accessed March 24, 2021.
- Fact sheet: The National School Lunch Program. US Department of Agriculture. 2017. https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/NSLPFactSheet.pdf. Updated November 2017. Accessed March 24, 2021.
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