2013-2014 School Breakfast Program Meal Pattern

2013-2014 School Breakfast Program Meal Pattern

Questions and Answers

General

1. Will there be a new Breakfast Production Record?

Yes. ODE-CNP has developed a new production record that will be posted to the website as soon as it has gone through review. The old production records should no longer be used. Breakfast production records need toindicate how meat/meat alternate will be credited in the menu either as an alternate grain or as an extra food item.

1. If a school serves 5-8 grades, is there a K-8 menu pattern for the new breakfast meal pattern?

Schools must implement the three age-grade groups (K-5, 6-8 and 9-12). There is significant overlap in the component requirements between the age-grade groups, with the primary difference being increased minimum grain requirements for older students. Schools must plan breakfast meals than meet the calorie range, on average, over the course of the week. There is overlap between the age-grade groups, which provides further flexibility for schools that serve more than one age-grade group at breakfast.

1. Is it going to be required to go through menu certification for breakfast next fall?

No, the menu certification was to receive the additional six (6) cents for the new meal pattern for school lunch. There was no appropriation by congress for additional funds for the new breakfast meal pattern. However, if you are being certified for your lunch menus in 2013-14 then you will need to show that you are following the new meal pattern for breakfast and lunch to receive certification.

1. What will be the requirement for us, the sponsors, to prove we meet the new breakfast pattern? Will it be similar to what we did for lunch?

No, you will have your daily and weekly menu production records for breakfast and we will review those as part of the Administrative Review Process. You will not need to send in your breakfast documentation unless you are applying for certification of your lunch menus for 2013-2014.

1. Would it be in our best interest to check our weekly calorie averages to make sure we are meeting that requirement?

With the additional menu planning regulations for lunch and breakfast, your time is best used in other area of the program. If found to be out of compliance on the review it would be considered a corrective action and you would receive technical assistance from us at that time.

1. Any hints about how the breakfast meal pattern for 2014-15?

We don’t know exactly what it will look like; we do know the fruit requirement will change from ½ cup to 1 cupand Offer vs Serve will require the selection of a ½ cup fruit by the student.USDA has already made changes and will likely continue to make other adjustments as needed.

1. Is the deadline for $.06 cents menu certification by 6/30/13?

Menu certifications will continue throughout the 2013-2014 SY. If you want to use menus from this school year then you would need to have them submitted by June 30, 2013.

1. Is the 6 cent certification available online?

Yes it is available online at:

1. In the power point presentation under definitions, it states we must offer 4 food items and on the next slide it shows the Food Items: Grain, Grain or Option for Meat/Meat Alternate, Fruit or Veggie, and Fluid Milk. Is that 4 different food items like cereal (1oz equivalent), Toast (1oz equivalent), 1/2 cup apple slices, and a choice of non-fat Chocolate or 1% white milk... OR couldit be just3 different food items likea muffin that is a 2oz equivalent, 1/2 cup apple slices and the choice of milks?

Yes. Beginning in School Year 2013-2014, 1 oz. equivalent is the minimum required amount a child must be offered daily, for all age/grade groups, and counts as one item. When a school offers a 2 oz. equivalent grain at breakfast, it counts as two items. For purposes of OVS, a large grain item also counts as two of the four items that must be offered. For example, it is acceptable to offer a large grain item (2 oz. equivalent muffin), fruit and milk. A student that selects the 2 oz. equivalent muffin and the fruit would have a reimbursable meal.

1. Would awhole grain fruit bar that is 2 oz. equivalent grain and has a 1/4 cup of pureed fruit in the center count as 3 food items based on the MPFS for Grains and Fruit?

No. Schools must offer at least ½ cup of fruits and/or vegetables to all age/grade groups. A fruit bar that has a signed Manufacturer’s Product Formulation Statement that documents the item as a 2 oz. equivalent of grains and ¼ cup of fruit for Child Nutrition Programs would only count as 2 food items (grains). The sponsor could count the ¼ cup of pureed fruit toward the ½ cup of total fruit that would need to be offered to students. The sponsor would have to offer an additional ¼ cup of fruit and the student would have to select both the fruit bar and the additional ¼ cup of fruit to have 3 food items.

1. Is this the meal pattern that must be followed for the SFSP breakfast?

No, If you are following the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) meal pattern for Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) you may follow the Breakfast pattern from SY 2012-13. The breakfast pattern implementation for summer is a year behind. If you are following the SFSP meal pattern this does not apply to you. We recommend that if you are participating in the SFSP this year that you follow the SFSP meal patterns for breakfast and Lunch.

1. What meal pattern requirements are SSO sites required to follow?

USDA memo SP 32-2013 – 2013 Edition of Questions and Answers for the NSLP’s Seamless Summer Option answers this question.

SFAs offering the SSO are required to follow meal pattern described in 7 CFR 210.10 for the NSLP and 7 CFR 220.8 for the SBP. Beginning summer 2013, SFAs would follow the updated lunch meal patterns that were in effect for SY 12-13. New breakfast meal patterns are being implemented in schools next school year and are not required for SSO in summer 2013

In the Final Rule - “Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs”, Questions Answers For Program Operators – Revised 1/25/13 states: Each summer these SFAs will be implementing the phased-in meal requirements subsequent to NSLP and SBP operations.

1. If you offer a muffin that counts as 2oz. equivalent plus a 1oz.equivalent egg does that count as three items?

The 2oz equivalent muffin could count as one or two items, this would depend on how the menu planner menued the item. The egg could count as a grain and then it would be a food item and would count for OVS. The menu would be:

Muffin (2 oz. equivalent)2 food items

Egg (1 oz. equivalent)1 food item

Peaches (1/2 cup)1 food item

Milk (1 cup)1 food item

For OVS the student would need to select 3 food items.

The 1oz egg could also be considered as an “extra” and not count as a food item for OVS. It would count toward the weekly dietary specifications.

Grains

1. If a student takes a meat/meat alternate, would it be listed in the grains column on the production record? Does this mean there will be no protein column on the production record?

There is no separate requirement to offer meat/meat alternates in the new SBP meal pattern. Schools may offer a meat/meat alternate in place of 1 grain requirement after the minimum daily grain requirement is offered in the menu or planned breakfast. A serving of 1 oz. equivalent of meat/meat alternate may credit as 1 oz. equivalent of grains. A school may also offer a meat/meat alternate as an extra food and not credit it toward any component. The new production record will have a column to indicate how the meat/meat alternate is being used in the menu.

1. If a school offers a breakfast sandwich that is 2 oz. equivalent grains and 1 oz. equivalent meat/meat alternate, how would that credit toward the meal pattern?

Menu planners have a couple of options related to how to count a combination food consisting of meat/meat alternate and grains such as a breakfast sandwich. In this case the combination food (e.g. breakfast sandwich) would count as two items under the grains component. It provides at least 1 oz. equivalent of grains (the minimum daily requirement for the grains component) plus an additional oz. equivalent of grains. The meat/meat alternate could count as an additional grain and count as a food item for the purpose of OVS. The meat/meat alternate on the sandwich (e.g. egg) could also be an ‘extra’ food and then it would not count as an item for the purposes of OVS. The meat/meat alternate would also not count toward the weekly grains requirement as it was considered an ‘extra’ food item. The meat/meat alternate in both cases would count toward the weekly dietary specifications (calories, saturated fat and transfat).

1. If the grain requirement is met for the week, can 1 day's menu offer 2 m/ma + 1 fruit/veg + 1 milk?

No, the two (2) M/MA options are no longer an option. The new requirement is that a 1oz eq. of grain must be offered every day. The minimum weekly requirement for K-5 is 7oz grain equivalent for a five (5) day week, one - 1oz grain eq. offered every day, with an additional 2oz equivalent spread out throughout the week.

1. Would the minimum weekly grain requirement change for a 4 day week?

Yes, there is a 20% reduction of the minimum requirements for the 5 day week.

1. Will you be sending out a new grain chart?

The new grain chart is available on our Meal Pattern Resource Webpage.

Milk

1. Will it be required to offer two choices of milk at breakfast for the 2013-2014 school year?

Yes. A variety of milk, at least two options, must be offered. Schools must offer only fat-free (unflavored or flavored) or low-fat 1% (unflavored) milk.

1. May a school that does not use offer vs. serve at breakfast only offer 1 type of milk?

No. All schools must offer at least two varieties of milk at breakfast. The other meal items can be served to students and then offer the individual student a choice of milk. If breakfast is served as a packaged meal, different packages can be created with the variety of milk types.

1. Are Residential Child Care Institutions (RCCIs) required to offer milk variety daily?

Consistent with memorandum SP 38-2012, RCCIs that are juvenile detention centers may meet the milk variety requirement over the week rather than daily if there are potential, legitimate safety concerns regarding offering different milk to students.For example, the RCCI may offer all students flavored nonfat milk on some days of the week, and unflavored low-fat milk on other days.

1. Can you serve reduced fat 2% milk at breakfast instead of chocolate milk as one of the choices?

No, the only choices for milk in the breakfast program is nonfat flavored/unflavored and 1% unflavored.

Offer vs. Serve

1. A school offers a breakfast sandwich that is 1 oz. equivalent of grain and 1 oz. equivalent of meat/meat alternate that is counted as a grain plus a 1 oz. equivalent muffin, fruit and milk. The student selects the sandwich, fruit and milk; would that be considered a reimbursable meal?

Yes. The breakfast sandwich counts as 2 items (1 grain + 1 meat/meat alternate) and the muffin counts as 1 item, the fruit as 1 item and milk as 1 item. The meal is planned as 5 items and the student only needs to take 3 of the items for a reimbursable meal. Therefore the student may select the sandwich (2 items) plus the fruit and milk for a total of 4 items.

1. Would a 4oz. yogurt, 1/2 cup fruit & milk be allowed if a 1oz. grain was being offered?

Yes, the full menu would be 1oz grain, 4oz yogurt, 1/2 cup fruit and 1 cup milk. As the student only has to take 3 items, the student selecting the yogurt, fruit and milk would have a reimbursable meal.

1. Can you offer a 1oz. grain with a 1oz. meat which is an item offered together i.e. tortilla with egg and a fruit or milk; would this be a reimbursable meal?

Yes. Each of the ingredients in the one entrée would be counted as a food item. Students must take 3 of the 4 items being served, meaning they would have to take the entrée (Two (2) items; tortilla and egg), the fruit or the milk to make this a reimbursable meal.