Crediting Foods in School Nutrition Programs

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This webpage provides guidance and resources for meeting the crediting requirements for the five meal components of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) meal patterns for grades K-12 and preschool in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP)School Breakfast Program (SBP), and Afterschool Snack Program (ASP) of the NSLP. The Seamless Summer Option (SSO) of the NSLP follows the NSLP and SBP meal patterns. Milk served in the Special Milk Program (SMP) must comply with the USDA requirements for fluid milk. 

For guidance on the meal pattern requirements, visit the CSDE's Menu Planning Guidance for School Meals for Grades K-12 webpage and Meal Patterns for Preschoolers in School Nutrition Programs webpage. For a comparison of the different crediting requirements for each school nutrition program, refer to the CSDE's comparison charts.


Creditable Foods  |   Noncreditable Foods
Required Crediting Documentation  |   Upcoming Crediting Changes


Creditable Foods

Creditable foods are foods and beverages that count toward the meal pattern requirements for reimbursable meals and afterschool snacks in the school nutrition programs. The five meal components include meats/meat alternates, grains, vegetables, fruits, and milk. Foods and beverages must meet specific requirements to credit toward each meal component. 

Noncreditable Foods

Noncreditable foods are foods and beverages that do not count toward the meal components. They include foods and beverages in amounts too small to credit, and foods and beverages that do not belong to the meal components. Some examples include reduced-fat (2%) milk, water, potato chips, pudding, ice cream, gelatin, cream cheese, butter, bacon, and condiments, e.g., syrup, jam, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and salad dressings.

Required Crediting Documentation

School food authorities (SFAs) must maintain crediting documentation to indicate the meal pattern contribution of foods and beverages served in reimbursable meals and afterschool snacks. Commercial processed products require a Child Nutrition (CN) label or product formulation statement (PFS). Commercial processed products without this documentation cannot credit in the meal patterns for the school nutrition programs. Foods made from scratch require a standardized recipe. Crediting for all foods and beverages must be based on the yields in the USDA's Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs

Upcoming Crediting Changes

Effective with school year 2025-26 (beginning July 1, 2025), the USDA final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, implements several updates to the meal patterns for grades K-12 and the preschool meal patterns.

  • NSLP and SBP meal patterns for grades K-12: New product-based limits for added sugars in the NSLP and SBP meal patterns for grades K-12.
    • Flavored milk cannot exceed 10 grams of added sugars per 8 fluid ounces. Flavored milk sold as a competitive food in middle and high schools cannot exceed 15 grams of added sugars per 12 fluid ounces.
    • Yogurt cannot exceed 12 grams of added sugars per 6 ounces (2 grams of added sugars per ounce).
    • Breakfast cereals cannot exceed 6 grams of added sugars per dry ounce.
  • ASP meal pattern for grades K-12: Aligns the current meal pattern with the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) snack meal pattern for children. The snack meal pattern will consist of five meal components instead of the current four meal components. Crediting requirements for the five meal components will be the same as the NSLP and SBP meal patterns, except that grain-based desserts will not credit in the ASP.
  • NSLP, SBP, and ASP preschool meal patterns: Changes the current product-based limits for yogurt and breakfast cereals from total sugars to added sugars.

For more information, visit the "Upcoming Meal Pattern Changes" section of the CSDE's Meal Patterns for Grades K-12 in School Nutrition Programs webpage.