Crediting Foods in School Nutrition Programs

Grains

The crediting guidance and resources below include the changes to the NSLP, SBP, and ASP meal patterns required by the USDA final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 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.

The grains component includes whole grain-rich (WGR) and enriched breads and bread products (such as biscuits, bagels, rolls, tortillas, and muffins), snack products (such as crackers, animal crackers, graham crackers, hard pretzels, tortilla chips, and popcorn), cereal grains (such as buckwheat, brown rice, bulgur, and quinoa), ready-to-eat (RTE) breakfast cereals, cooked breakfast cereals (such as oatmeal), bread products used as an ingredient in another menu item such as combination foods (e.g., breading on fish or poultry and pizza crust in pizza), pasta, and grain-based desserts (such as cookies, brownies, cakes, and granola bars). 


Serving Requirements  |   General Guidance  |   Breakfast Cereals  |   Enriched Grains
Grain-based Desserts  |   Popcorn  |   Whole Grain-rich Requirement


Serving Requirements

The USDA’s document, Exhibit A: Grain Requirements for Child Nutrition Programs ("Exhibit A") indicates the required grain ounce equivalents (oz eq) for the NSLP, SBP, and ASP meal patterns for grades K-12 and preschool. The minimum creditable amount is ¼ oz eq. The serving must meet the required weight (groups A-G) or volume (groups H-I) in the USDA’s Exhibit A chart or provide the minimum creditable grains.

NSLP, SBP, and ASP for grades K-12

NSLP, SBP, and ASP for preschool

General Crediting Guidance

Grain products and recipes must be made with creditable grains (whole grains, enriched grains, bran, and germ). 

Breakfast Cereals

Effective July 1, 2025, breakfast cereals cannot exceed 6 grams of added sugars per dry ounce.

Enriched Grains

The NSLP, SBP, and ASP meal patterns for grades K-12 require that enriched grains cannot exceed 20 percent of all grains offered during the week. Enriched grains must meet the limit for noncreditable grains. Noncreditable grains cannot exceed 3.99 grams per portion for groups A-G or 6.99 grams per portion for groups H-I. The NSLP, SBP, and ASP preschool meal patterns do not require a limit for enriched grains or a limit for noncreditable grains.

Grain-based Desserts

Examples of grain-based desserts include cookies, piecrusts in sweet pies, doughnuts, cereal bars, granola bars, sweet rolls, pastries, toaster pastries, cake, and brownies. 

 NSLP and SBP meal patterns for grades K-12

The NSLP and SBP meal patterns for grades K-12 allow grain-based desserts but have certain restrictions. Grain-based desserts at lunch cannot exceed 2 oz eq per week. The breakfast meal pattern does not require a weekly limit for grain-based desserts but restricts the types that are allowed.

ASP meal pattern for grades K-12 and preschool meal patterns

Grain-based desserts do not credit in the ASP meal pattern for grades K-12 or the NSLP, SBP, and ASP preschool meal patterns. Sweet crackers such as graham crackers and animal crackers are allowed, but should be limited to no more than twice per week between all meals and snacks in the preschool meal patterns, and no more than twice per week in the ASP.

Popcorn

Whole Grain-rich Requirement

NSLP, SBP, and ASP for grades K-12

At least 80 percent of the weekly grains offered at breakfast, lunch, and snack must be WGR based on the total oz eq of offered grains. A WGR food must meet two criteria: 1) the food is 100 percent whole grain or contains a blend of whole and enriched grains that is at least 50 percent whole grain; and 2) noncreditable grains cannot exceed 3.99 grams per portion for groups A-G or 6.99 grams per portion for groups H-I.

NSLP, SBP, and ASP for preschool

Preschool menus must include at least one WGR serving per day, between all meals and snacks served to preschoolers. The USDA’s CACFP best practices recommend at least two WGR servings per day. WGR foods for the CACFP contain at least 50 percent whole grains and the remaining grain ingredients are enriched, bran, or germ. A grain food meets the WGR criteria if a whole grain is the first ingredient (or second after water), and the next two grain ingredients (if any) are creditable grains. A combination food meets the WGR criteria if the first grain ingredient (or second after water) is a whole grain, and the next two grain ingredients (if any) are creditable grains.