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New Meal Pattern Training Plan

This Management Bulletin (MB) provides an overview of the Nutrition Services Division (NSD)  training plan components including the dates, target audience, and whether course registration is necessary. Please review the New Meal Pattern Training Plan below as you read this MB and consider which trainings will provide the necessary knowledge to support success of your agency.

On January 26, 2012, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), issued the Final Rule, Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP). The Final Rule requires that School Food Authorities (SFAs) adopt a single food-based menu planning (FBMP) approach and implement updated nutrition standards for school meals.

On April 27, 2012, the USDA issued the Interim Rule, Certification of Compliance With Meal Requirements for the NSLP Program Under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. This Interim Rule requires state agencies to certify participating SFAs that are in compliance with meal pattern and nutrition standard requirements as eligible to receive the performance-based cash assistance for each reimbursable lunch served (an additional six cents per lunch available starting October 1, 2012). The NSD will be providing separate direction on the certification requirements.

The Final Rule and Interim Rule may be accessed from the USDA’s Nutrition Standards for School Meals Web page at http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/governance/legislation/nutritionstandards.htm.

The transition to the new FBMP approach and implementation of the updated nutrition standards for the NSLP and SBP provide both opportunities and challenges for California’s School Nutrition Programs (SNPs). The NSD is committed to providing SNPs with the support and resources needed to successfully implement the new requirements and receive the additional six cents lunch reimbursement. To that end, the NSD has developed a long-range, multi-faceted training plan that incorporates communication, trainings, technical assistance (TA), and resources. The training plan has been developed to build a foundation of knowledge on the new requirements, develop skills to implement the new standards, and enhance activities and nurture best practices across the state.

Training Plan Components

Communication

The NSD is providing SNPs with information and resources through a variety of written communications. The MB, generally issued through e-mail, provides information on policy changes and high priority topics from both the USDA and the NSD. When issues of major significance arise, MBs will be delivered through both e-mail and the U.S. Postal Service.

In addition, the NSD is keeping SNPs up-to-date through regularly scheduled e-mails specifically titled New MeAl Planning Priorities (NewMAPP).  NewMAPP e-mails have a consistent message title to alert you to e-mails that provide new and important information regarding trainings, Webinars, resources and references, best practices, questions and answers, and issues the NSD is researching with the USDA. They will include Webinars and trainings offered through partner organizations and the USDA. The NSD will continue to distribute NewMAPP e-mails over the long-term to support SNPs in their transition to the new requirements. The NSD is working to revise and maintain the California Department of Education Menu Planning Web page to include links to resources such as the Final Rule on the nutrition standards, opportunities for trainings, and a variety of other references and resources to meet the certification requirements.

Webinars

In February 2012, the School Nutrition Foundation and the USDA presented the Webinar The New School Meal Patterns: What You Need to Know, which can be viewed at the School Nutrition Foundation’s “Webinar Wednesdays” Web page on the School Nutrition Association’s Web site at http://www.schoolnutrition.org/Content.aspx?id=16474. The NSD has scheduled a number of Webinars designed to build upon this foundation to strengthen SNP knowledge. During March and April, the NSD provided SNPs with a basic overview of the New Meal Pattern (NMP) requirements. Future Webinar offerings will include Peer2Peer discussions featuring child nutrition directors and allowing a forum for the exchange of information among participants.

In collaboration with the NSD, the California Professional Nutrition Education and Training (Cal-Pro-NET) Center at the University of California, Davis (UCD), will present additional Webinars between June and August of 2012. These topic-specific offerings will build skills in areas such as menu production records, meal claiming, salad bars, Offer versus Serve, and transporting meals.

Trainings and TA

The NSD training plan builds further upon the foundation established through the Webinars and written communications with a variety of trainings. These trainings are a major emphasis over the coming months to prepare SNPs for the July 1, 2012, implementation date of the new requirements.

In May 2012, the NSD is sponsoring 48 half-day Make It Right! Lunch Menu Planning Workshops in locations across the state. Additional workshops will be available in June and through the summer. In these hands-on sessions, food service directors and menu planners will assess and revise their existing menus to align with the NMP requirements. Certification will be reviewed, but the NSD will provide more in-depth certification training through Webinars. The NSD has also collaborated with the National Food Service Management Institute to provide two trainings on the NMP and the HealthierUS School Challenge. These full-day trainings will be offered this month—one in northern California and one in southern California.

The Cal-Pro-NET Center at San Jose State University, in collaboration with the NSD, develops and maintains the Online Mandatory Training for Child Nutrition Programs (CNPs). The Meal Pattern Module will provide CNPs with updated training on the new requirements.

Throughout 2013, the UCD Cal-Pro-NET Center will continue to offer the full-day, face-to-face training on the NMP. The in-person sessions will provide an in-depth review of the NMP requirements and provide hands-on skill-building. Courses will be offered in locations across the state.

As noted above, the NSD is committed to building a strong foundation of knowledge and skills to support the transition to the NMP and ensure that California’s SNPs receive the additional six cent lunch reimbursement. The NSD is supporting SNPs in this transition from the basics to most complex areas through Webinars, workshops, trainings, and ongoing communication. Conference presentations and the mandatory training provide additional reinforcement. Simultaneously, the NSD is providing training to your Child Nutrition Consultant. This will ensure field-based expertise to reinforce the other components of the training plan.

Long Range Training Plans

The NSD’s commitment to ensure that California’s SNPs have the resources, knowledge, and skills to successfully implement the NMP requirements and receive the additional six cents per reimbursable lunch will involve an on-going planning process. As new topics emerge and issues arise, the NSD will provide communication, develop trainings, and provide TA and resources.

Furthermore, as we implement the training plan components outlined above, the NSD is developing longer-range plans to provide training and TA at the regional level. As this long-range training plan evolves, we will provide SNPs with more detailed information.

More Information

For more information, or if you have questions about this MB, please contact Grace Huppert, Nutrition Education Consultant, by e-mail at ghuppert@cde.ca.gov or by phone at 916-322-1563.

New Meal Pattern Training Plan

Written Communications

CDE New Meal Pattern Web Page

Webinars

Trainings

Note: Prior to attending this workshop, participants should watch the archived Webinar, The New School Meal Patterns: What You Need to Know, presented by the School Nutrition Foundation (SNF) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, February 2012. The Webinar can be viewed on the SNF Web page on the School Nutrition Association Web site at http://www.schoolnutrition.org/Content.aspx?id=16474.

Legend

CPN = California Professional Nutrition Education and Training (Cal-Pro-NET) Center
CNIPS = Child Nutrition Information and Payment System
FSD = Food Service Directors
FPS = Food Production Staff
MB = Management Bulletin
MP = Menu Planners
NSD = Nutrition Services Division
POS = Point of Service
SNP = School Nutrition Program
UCD = University of California, Davis
USDA = U.S. Department of Agriculture

Related Content

• New Meal Pattern Training Plan--Update - Management Bulletin NSD-SNP-13-2013: Nutrition Services Division training plan to support transition to the new meal pattern requirements and certification of compliance--update.