SFSP Meal Pattern Guidance and Resources

SFSP Meal Pattern Guidance and Resources

All meals served in the SFSP must meet certain requirements in order for the operator to receive reimbursement. These meal pattern requirements, outlined in Title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (7 CFR), Part 225.16(d) , are designed to help the menu planner provide well-balanced, healthy meals that meet the nutritional and energy needs of children.

Effective July 1, 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), posted the Final Rule for Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans . The final rule updates terminology to align with other Child Nutrition Programs (CNP), including the SFSP, and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). The following are SFSP meal pattern updates because of the final rule:

• The food component category is now the meal component.
• Nuts and seeds credit towards the full meats/meat alternates (M/MA) component for meals and snacks.
• Beans and peas (legumes) are now referenced as beans, peas, and lentils.

SFSP Operators preparing meals and snacks using the SFSP meal patterns must serve the minimum required components and food items for each meal type to be considered complete and reimbursable. The SFSP meal patterns must be followed per the requirements, for both congregate and rural non-congregate meal services.

A meal component is one of the food groups that comprise a reimbursable meal. The four components include: (1) milk, (2) fruit/vegetable, (3) grains/bread, and (4) meats/meat alternates (M/MA). A food item is a specific food offered within the meal component. Listed below are the requirements for each meal:

• Breakfast: SFSP Operators must serve one food item from the milk, fruit/vegetable, and grains/bread components.
  
  
• Lunch/Supper: SFSP Operators must serve one food item from the milk, grains/bread, and M/MA components and two food items from the fruit/vegetable component.
  
  
• Snack: SFSP Operators must serve one food item from two of the four components (milk, fruit/vegetable, grains/bread, and M/MA).

SFSP Operators have the option to serve extras, which are additional foods beyond the meal pattern requirements. Extras such as condiments (e.g., catsup, salad dressing) can improve the palatability of the reimbursable meal. Extras, such as additional grains, fruits, and water, provide hydration and/or additional calories to help satisfy children’s appetites. For more information on using program funds for extras, reference the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Policy Memo, SFSP 06-2012: Serving Additional Foods in SFSP (PDF).

As a reminder, all meal pattern serving sizes are minimums, therefore, there is no maximum limit on any of the meal components in the SFSP meal patterns.

School food authorities (SFAs) that operate the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and/or School Breakfast Program (SBP) may substitute the SFSP meal pattern with the NSLP or SBP meal pattern while operating the SFSP. SFAs that participate in the SFSP and offer summer school for academic credit must follow the NSLP/SBP meal patterns per California's Universal Meals Program. For more information about the NSLP and SBP meal patterns, please visit the NSLP and SBP Meal Patterns web page.

SFSP Operators serving meals using the SFSP meal pattern must comply with the requirements listed below for all meals and snacks. SFSP Operators are encouraged to utilize the USDA Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (FBG) for purchasing the right amount of food and the appropriate type of foods for their operations as well as for determining the specific contribution each food makes towards the meal pattern requirements.

• Fruits/Vegetables:
  
  
  • Dried fruits credit based on the volume served. For example, ¼ cup (c) raisins equals ¼ c fruit.
    
    
  • Raw leafy green vegetables credit based on the volume served. For example, ¼ c lettuce equals ¼ c vegetable.
    
    
  • Juice must be 100 percent (full-strength), pasteurized juice.
    
    
  • Best practice: Serve a variety of fruits (fresh, frozen, or canned in 100% juice or water) more often than juice.
    
    
• Milk: Allowable types are pasteurized, unflavored or flavored whole milk, reduced-fat milk, low-fat milk, fat-free milk, buttermilk, lactose-reduced milk, or acidophilus milk. SFSP Operators are only required to serve one type of milk.
  
  
  • Must be fluid and contain vitamins A and D at the levels specified by the Food and Drug Administration.
    
    
  • Allowable types include: pasteurized, unflavored or flavored whole milk, reduced-fat milk, low-fat milk, fat-free milk, buttermilk, lactose-reduced milk, or acidophilus milk.
    
    
  • SFSP Operators cannot serve nondairy milk substitutes to children without a disability. Examples of nondairy milk substitutes include soy milk, almond milk, cashew milk, rice milk, and oat milk. Schools participating in the SFSP and following the NSLP meal patterns may offer nondairy milk substitutes to children who cannot consume fluid milk due to a medical or special dietary need that does not rise to the level of a disability. Schools must received a written request from a recognized medical authority, parent, or guardian that identifies the child's medical or dietary need for a milk substitute. As previously mentioned, refer to the NSLP and SBP Meal Patterns web page for additional updates.
    
    
  • SFSP Operators who are unable to obtain fluid milk on a temporary or continuing basis may contact their program specialist, located in the Download Forms section of the Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS), to request a waiver to not provide fluid milk, or to provide reconstituted nonfat dry (powdered) milk, during breakfast, lunch, and supper.
    
    
  • SFSP Operators are allowed to serve shelf-stable milk without the need to request a waiver from the California Department of Education (CDE).
    
    
  • Additional guidance and specific SFSP requirements regarding milk can be found on the Milk Requirements in the Child Nutrition Programs web page.
    
    
  • Best practice: Serve unflavored whole milk for age 1; unflavored low-fat or fat-free milk for ages 2-5; and unflavored or flavored low-fat or fat-free milk for ages 6 and older.
    
    
• Grains/Breads:
  
  
  • Must be made with whole grain, enriched grain, bran, or germ.
    
    
  • Cereals must be fortified or made with whole grain, enriched grain, bran, or germ.
    
    
  • SFSP Operators should reference the USDA Exhibit A: Grain Requirements for CNP Operators (PDF) to determine the minimum amount various grain products must weigh to provide one serving. For example, cereal bars, breakfast, bars, and granola bars must weigh 50 grams (g) or 1.8 ounces (oz) to provide one serving.
    
    
  • Best practice: Serve breakfast cereals with the lowest amount of sugar per serving.
    
    
• Meat/Meat Alternate:
  
  
  • Beans, peas, and lentils cannot be credited as both a vegetable and an M/MA within the same meal.
    
    
  • Yogurt may be plain or flavored, unsweetened or sweetened.Processed single-component M/MA foods (e.g., dried meat products, canned meats, most luncheon meats, and commercially packaged hummus [also creditable toward the vegetable component]) must be accompanied by a Child Nutrition (CN) Label or a manufacturer’s product formulation statement (PFS), providing information about the contribution of the M/MA component to the meal pattern.
    
    
  • Best practice: Limit processed meats and poultry (such as hot dogs, bologna, luncheon meats, pepperoni, and sausages) to no more than once per week. Choose low-fat or reduced-fat cheeses and yogurts.
    
    
• Commercially Prepared Combination Foods: Must either be listed in the FBG with the name of the food product in the Food As Purchased column of the FBG exactly matching the name of the food listed on the food product label (e.g., Beef Stew, Chicken Chili, Turkey with Dumplings) in order to use the crediting information listed in the FBG. Commercially prepared combination foods that are not listed in the FBG (e.g., pizza, burritos, chicken nuggets) must be accompanied by a CN Label or a manufacturer’s PFS, providing information about the contribution of each component to the meal pattern.
  

Additional SFSP Meal Pattern Requirements for Lunch/Supper

• Fruits/Vegetables:
  
  
  • Must serve two or more kinds of vegetables or fruits, or a combination of both. For example, SFSP Operators could serve two kinds of vegetables (e.g., carrots and broccoli), two kinds of fruits (e.g., apple and banana), or a combination of both (e.g., broccoli and banana).
    
    
  • Juice may not be used to meet more than one-half of the fruit/vegetable component requirement each day. If juice is served, at least 3/8 c of another fruit or vegetable must be served.
    
    
  • Operators, institutions, and facilities serving primarily Native American or Alaska Native participants have the option to substitute vegetables to meet the grain component. One-half cup of vegetables credits for one ounce equivalent of grains.
    
    
• M/MA: A serving of nuts and seeds can credit for 100% or the full M/MA meal component at all meal types.

Additional SFSP Meal Pattern Requirements for Snack

• Required Components: Only two of the four components are required to be served for a reimbursable snack.
  
  
• Fruits/Vegetables: Juice may not be served when milk is the only other snack component.

For additional guidance on serving meals that meet the SFSP meal pattern requirements, access the USDA SFSP 2018 Nutrition Guide (PDF) and the USDA SFSP Meal Patterns web page .

SFSP Meal Pattern Tables for All Meals and Snacks

Meal Component - Milk

Meal Component - Vegetables and Fruits

Meal Component - Grains and Breads

Meal Component - Meat and Meat Alternatives

SFSP Sample Menus

The CDE developed the sample menus below to provide SFSP Operators with ideas on how to provide meals that meet the SFSP meal pattern requirements in the amounts required for each component. The menus are designed for participants who can refrigerate food items or plan to consume the food items immediately. The menus include fresh foods, whole fruit, and commercially packaged foods.

In accordance with food safety principles, foods served to SFSP participants that are perishable (i.e., spoil quickly or require refrigeration) should be discarded after more than two hours at room temperature; one hour if the temperature is above 90 degrees. All shelf-stable items are perishable upon opening.

Sample Menus: Congregate or Non-congregate Meals

Breakfast Menu

Lunch or Supper Menu

Snack (Supplement) Menu

• Breakfast grains: French toast, bagels, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, tortillas, cereal bars, breakfast bars, and pastries
  
  
• Sandwiches, wraps, and pitas (e.g., nut or seed butter and jelly; grilled cheese; chicken or tuna salad; turkey ham)
  
  
• Individually packaged commercial products that can be heated or thawed (e.g., burrito, pizza, breakfast and lunch sandwiches)
  
  
• Salads and bowls (green, leafy, or grain [pasta, rice, quinoa] with protein (e.g., cheese, chicken, beans, peas, and lentils)
  
  
• Lunch pack consisting of an egg, cheese slices or cubes, hummus, fresh fruit, vegetable sticks, and cracker package
  
  
• Yogurt parfait with granola and berries

Menu Modifications

The CDE understands that SFSP participants with special dietary needs and medical disabilities may not be able to consume some foods included in these menus. SFSP Operators must accommodate all medical disabilities. Below are examples of dietary modifications to accommodate some disabilities that meet the SFSP meal pattern requirements.

• Quinoa, rice cereals, brown rice, corn chips, and corn tortillas meet the grains requirement in case of a gluten allergy.
  
  
• Lactose-free milk and some soy beverages meet the milk requirement in case of a lactose intolerance or allergy.
  
  
• Sunflower seeds and butters meet the M/MA requirement in case of a nut allergy.
  
  
• Nuts, seeds, nut/seed butters, and beans, peas, and lentils meet the M/MA requirement for a vegan diet; cheese, eggs, and yogurt can be served in addition for a vegetarian diet.

For additional guidance on meal modifications, please visit the USDA Policy Memo CACFP 14-2017, SFSP 10-2017 Modifications to Accommodate Disabilities in the Child and Adult Care Food Program and the Summer Food Service Program web page.

Additional SFSP Meal Pattern Resources

Resources	Description
USDA SFSP Meal Patterns	All meals and snacks must follow the SFSP meal pattern as prescribed by the USDA.
USDA MyPlate	MyPlate's symbol is a simply visual reminder to choose a variety of foods throughout the day and throughout the week. It represents what and how much to eat from each of the food groups over the course of the day, whether you eat on a plate, from a bowl, or another way.
USDA Food Buying Guide	Essential food procurement and meal pattern details.
USDA Food Buying Guide Calculator	Provides the steps for using the USDA Food Buying Guide Calculator to determine required quantities of foods to purchase to meet the meal pattern requirements.
USDA Food Buying Guide Mobile Application	Whether it is for the procurement of foods, ensuring meal pattern compliance or just getting nutrition information from foods, SFSP Operators can access the USDA Food Buying Guide on their mobile communication devices.
USDA Food Buying Guide Crediting Tip Sheets	The crediting tip sheet series provides handy references for SFSP Operators on how to credit the five meal components. Each tip sheet provides simple, easy-to-use information for one meal component.
Dietary Guidelines for Americans	The Dietary Guidelines for Americans provides advice on what to eat and drink to meet nutrient needs, promote health, and prevent disease. It is developed and written for a professional audience, including policymakers, healthcare providers, nutrition educators, and Federal nutrition program operators.
USDA SFSP 2018 Nutrition Guide (PDF)	The Summer Food service Program for Children: Nutrition Guide for Sponsors was developed to help sponsors plan and serve menus with a variety of nutrient-rich foods and beverages and operate a safe an successful food service.
Recipe Resources	The following resources can provide menu inspiration for SFSP Operators: Child Nutrition Recipe Box is a resource of standardized recipes for SFSP Operators Team Nutrition Recipes includes recipes for breakfast, lunch, supper, and snack time, including multi-cultural recipes Meal Talk Webinar Series