Overview

School Nutrition Programs  |   Program Guidance  |   Forms  |   Resources  |   Nutrition Education

Foods and beverages served in reimbursable meals and snacks must meet specific requirements to credit toward the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) meal patterns for grades K-12 in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), Seamless Summer Option (SSO) of the NSLP, Afterschool Snack Program (ASP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), and Special Milk Program (SMP). For more information, refer to the CSDE's Menu Planning Guide for School Meals for Grades K-12. 

Note: The meal patterns for preschoolers (ages 1-4) have some different crediting requirements (refer to the CSDE's Comparison of Meal Pattern Requirements for Preschoolers and Grades K-12 in the NSLP and SBP). For information on crediting foods in preschool meals, visit the CSDE's Meal Patterns for Preschoolers in School Nutrition Programs webpage.

General Crediting Guidance  |   Crediting Foods Made From Scratch
Crediting Commercial Processed Products
Crediting Guidance for the Meal Pattern Components

General Crediting Guidance for School Nutrition Programs

Food Buying Guide  |   Meal Patterns and Crediting  |   Portion Control   |    Weights/Measures

Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (FBG) 

• Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (USDA webpage)
• Grab and Go Lesson: Food Buying Guide Calculator (Institute of Child Nutrition)
• Training on FBG
  • Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs: Training Resources (USDA webpage)
  • FBG Training Modules (Institute of Child Nutrition)
    • Module 1: Overview of the FBG for CNPs 
    • Module 2: Recipe Analysis Workbook (RAW) 
    • Module 3: Product Formulation Statement (PFS)
    • Module 4: Exhibit A Grains Tool
    • Module 5: FBG Calculator
  • Food Buying Guide Goes Digital (USDA webinar)
  • Exhibit A Grains Tool to the Rescue! (USDA webinar)
  • How to Maximize the Exhibit A Grains Tool (USDA webinar)
  • Navigating the Food Buying Guide Calculator (USDA webinar)

Meal Patterns and Crediting

• ASP Meal Pattern for Grades K-12 (CSDE's Afterschool Snack Program (ASP) webpage)
• Crediting Summary Charts for the Meal Patterns for Grades K-12 in the School Nutrition Programs (CSDE)
• Crediting Updates for Child Nutrition Programs: Be in the Know! Webinar Series (USDA)
• Meal Patterns for Grades K-12 in School Nutrition Programs (CSDE webpage)
• Menu Planning for Child Nutrition Programs (CSDE webpage)
• Menu Planning Guide for School Meals (CSDE webpage)
• Noncreditable Foods for Grades K-12 in the ASP (CSDE)
• Noncreditable Foods for Grades K-12 in the NSLP and SBP (CSDE)
• USDA Memo SP 08-2019, CACFP 02-2019, and SFSP 02-2019: Update of Food Crediting in the Child Nutrition Programs
• USDA Memo SP 38-2019: Meal Requirements under the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program: Q&As for Program Operators
• Water Availability During Meal Service (CSDE's Program Guidance for School Nutrition Programs webpage) 

Portion Control

• Basics at a Glance (Institute of Child Nutrition): Recipe abbreviations, measurement conversions, portioning tools, and steamtable pan capacity
• No Time to Train: How Foods Are Portioned (Institute of Child Nutrition)
• No Time to Train: Portioning Matters (Institute of Child Nutrition)
• On the Road to Professional Food Preparation eLearning: Portion Control (Institute of Child Nutrition)

Weights and Measures

• Weights and Measures (Institute of Child Nutrition)
• On the Road to Professional Food Preparation eLearning: Weights and Measures (Institute of Child Nutrition)  

Crediting Commercial Processed Products

SFAs must obtain appropriate crediting documentation for commercial products. For example, to credit a commercial chicken patty as 2 ounce equivalents of the meat/meat alternates component, the manufacturer’s documentation must indicate that the serving contains 2 ounces of cooked chicken. Allowable documentation includes:

• the original Child Nutrition (CN) label from the product carton or a photocopy or photograph of the CN label shown attached to the original product carton; or
• a product formulation statement (PFS) signed by an official of the manufacturer stating the amount of each meal pattern component contained in one serving of the product. 

These are the only acceptable records for documenting a commercial product’s contribution to the USDA meal patterns. Without this documentation, SFAs cannot credit commercial products toward the USDA meal patterns.

CN Labels  |   Product Formulation Statements  |   Documentation for Processed Foods

Child Nutrition (CN) Labels

• Authorized Manufacturers and Labels (USDA webpage)
• Child Nutrition (CN) Labeling Manual (USDA)
• CN Labeling Program (USDA website)
• Using Child Nutrition (CN) Labels in the School Nutrition Programs (CSDE)
• USDA Memo SP 11-2015v2, CACFP 10-2015, and SFSP 13-2015: CN Labels Copied with a Watermark Acceptable Documentation
• USDA Memo SP 27-2015, CACFP 09-2015, and SFSP 12-2015: Administrative Review Process Regarding the Child Nutrition (CN) Label, Watermarked CN Label and Manufacturer's Product Formulation Statement
• Training on CN labels
  • FBG Module 3: Product Formulation Statements (PFS) (ICN): Addresses CN labels and PFS
  • Manufacturer's Product Formulation Statement: Is it Acceptable? (Institute of Child Nutrition and USDA)
    • Slides for Manufacturer's Product Formulation Statement: Is it Acceptable? (Institute of Child Nutrition and USDA)
  • What’s in a Meal Module 6: Meal Pattern Documentation (CSDE)

Product Formulation Statements

• Tips for Evaluating a Manufacturer's Product Formulation Statement (USDA)
• Using Product Formulation Statements in the School Nutrition Programs (CSDE)
• When Commercial Grain Products Require a Product Formulation Statement to Credit in the School Nutrition Programs (CSDE)
• Training on PFS
  • FBG Module 3: Product Formulation Statement (PFS) (ICN): Addresses CN labels and PFS
  • Manufacturer's Product Formulation Statement: Is it Acceptable? (Institute of Child Nutrition and USDA)
    • Slides for Manufacturer's Product Formulation Statement: Is it Acceptable? (Institute of Child Nutrition and USDA)
  • What’s in a Meal Module 6: Meal Pattern Documentation (CSDE)
• USDA PFS for School Nutrition Programs: USDA’s CN Labeling and PFS Guidance for Food Manufacturers/Industry webpage
  • Grains: Product Formulation Statement for Documenting Grains in the Child Nutrition Programs (USDA)
    • Completed Sample PFS: Grains (USDA)
  • Meat/Meat Alternates: Product Formulation Statement (Product Analysis) for Meat/Meat Alternate (M/MA) Products in Child Nutrition Programs (USDA)
    • Reviewer’s Checklist for Evaluating Manufacturer Product Formulation Statements for Meat/Meat Alternates (USDA)
  • Vegetables/Fruits for School Meals: Product Formulation Statement for Documenting Vegetables and Fruits in School Meal Programs (USDA)
    • Completed Sample PFS:  Vegetables (USDA)
    • Completed Sample PFS:  Fruits (USDA)
  • Vegetables/Fruits for the ASP: Product Formulation Statement for Documenting Vegetables and Fruits in the Child and Adult Care Food Program, Summer Food Service Program, and NSLP Afterschool Snacks (USDA)

Required Documentation for Processed Foods

• Accepting Processed Product Documentation in the NSLP and SBP (CSDE)
• CSDE Operational Memo No. 10-15: Guidance for Accepting Processed Product Documentation for Meal Pattern Requirements
• Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (USDA webpage)
• USDA Memo TA-2010 (v.3): Guidance for Accepting Processed Product Documentation for Meal Pattern Requirements
• When Commercial Grain Products Require a Product Formulation Statement to Credit in the School Nutrition Programs (CSDE)
• Yield Study Form for Child Nutrition Programs (CSDE)

Crediting Foods Made from Scratch

To credit foods made from scratch toward the USDA school meal patterns, school food authorities (SFAs) must maintain standardized recipes that document the crediting information per serving. For example, to credit a serving of macaroni and cheese as 2 ounce equivalents of the meat/meat alternates component and 2 ounce equivalents of the grains component, the SFA's standardized recipe must indicate that each serving contains 2 ounces of cheese and 1 cup of whole grain-rich or enriched pasta. 

Standardized Recipes

• Basics at a Glance Poster (Institute of Child Nutrition): Recipe abbreviations, measurement conversions, portioning tools, and steamtable pan capacity
• Chapter 4: Meal Preparation Documentation (USDA’s Menu Planner for School Meals)
• Manager’s Corner: Standardized Recipes (ICN)
• Measuring Success with Standardized Recipes (Institute of Child Nutrition)
• No Time to Train: Identifying the Parts of a USDA Quantity Recipe (Institute of Child Nutrition) 
• Recipe Analysis Workbook (RAW) in USDA's FBG: Determines the meal pattern contribution for recipes (users must create a free eAuth account)
• Recipes for Child Nutrition Programs (CSDE's Menu Planning for Child Nutrition Programs webpage)
• Section 2: Menu Records in CSDE's Menu Planning Guide for School Meals for Grades K-12
• Standardized Recipe Form for School Nutrition Programs (CSDE)
• Training on standardized recipes
  • Basic Culinary Math for School Nutrition Professionals (Institute of Child Nutrition)
  • On the Road to Professional Food Preparation eLearning: Recipe Adjustments (Institute of Child Nutrition)
  • STAR Strategies for Utilizing Standardized Recipes (Institute of Child Nutrition)
• USDA Recipe Standardization Guide for School Nutrition Programs (Institute of Child Nutrition)
• What’s Standard About Standardized Recipes? (School Nutrition Association)
• Why Use Standardized Recipes? Fact Sheet (Institute of Child Nutrition)

Crediting Guidance for the Meal Pattern Components

For resources on crediting foods for grades K-12 in the school nutrition programs, go to the Documents/Forms section in the left navigation bar.