School Meals

Meals served through the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs will:

• Be appealing and attractive to children;
• Be served in clean and pleasant settings;
• Meet, at a minimum, nutrition requirements established by local, state and federal statutes and regulations;
• Offer a variety of fruits and vegetables;
• Serve only low-fat and fat-free milk and nutritionally-equivalent non-dairy alternatives (to be defined by USDA); and
• Ensure that half of the served grains are whole grain.

Food Service should engage students and parents, through taste-tests of new entrees and surveys, in selecting foods sold through the school meal programs in order to identify new, healthful and appealing food choices. In addition, Food Service should share information about the nutritional content of meals with parents and students. Such information could be made available on menus, a Web site, on cafeteria menu boards, placards or other point-of-purchase materials.

Breakfast

To ensure that all children have breakfast, either at home or at school, in order to meet their nutritional needs and enhance their ability to learn:

• Schools will operate the School Breakfast Program.
• Schools will, to the extent possible, arrange bus schedules and utilize methods to serve school breakfasts that encourage participation, including serving breakfast in the classroom, "grab-and-go" breakfast, or breakfast during morning break or recess.
• Schools will notify parents and students of the availability of the School Breakfast Program.
• Schools will encourage parents to provide a healthy breakfast for their children through newsletter articles, take-home materials or other means.

Free and Reduced-priced Meals

Schools will make every effort to eliminate any social stigma attached to, and prevent the overt identification of, students who are eligible for free and reduced-price school meals . Toward this end, schools may use electronic identification and payment systems; promote the availability of school meals to all students; and/or use nontraditional methods for serving school meals, such as "grab-and-go" or classroom breakfast.

Summer Food Service Program

During the summer vacation, a Summer Food Service Program will be available in census areas where 50 percent or more of students are eligible for free or reduced-price school meals. The Food Service Division will act as a sponsor or vendor of this program.

Meal Times and Scheduling

Schools:

• Will provide students with at least 10 minutes to eat after sitting down for breakfast and 20 minutes after sitting down for lunch;
• Should schedule meal periods at appropriate times, e.g., lunch scheduled 2 ½ hours after breakfast;
• Should not schedule tutoring, club, or organizational meetings or activities during mealtimes, unless students may eat during such activities; and
• Will provide students access to hand washing or hand sanitizing before they eat meals or snacks.

Qualifications of School Food Service Staff

Qualified nutrition professionals will administer the school meal programs. As part of the school district's responsibility to operate a food service program, ongoing professional development will be provided for all nutrition professionals in schools. Staff development programs should include appropriate certification and/or training programs for child nutrition directors, school nutrition managers  and cafeteria workers, according to their levels of responsibility.

Any person serving as a school food service director or person otherwise responsible for menu planning shall be credentialed as a "school food service and nutrition specialist" or certified by a Level 2 certificate issued by the School Nutrition Association. School cafeteria managers shall annually receive at least two hours of continuing education in applied nutrition and healthy meal planning and preparation.

Sharing of Foods and Beverages

Schools should discourage students from sharing their foods or beverages with one another during meal or snack times, given concerns about allergies and other restrictions on some children's diets.

Foods and Beverages Sold Individually

All foods available on campus (i.e., foods sold outside of reimbursable school meals, such as through vending machines, cafeteria a la carte [snack] lines, fund-raisers, school stores, etc.)  will comply with current USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans and by KRS 158.854(1) / 702KAR 6:090.

Elementary Schools

The school food service program will approve and provide all food and beverage sales to students in elementary schools. Given young children's limited nutrition skills, food in elementary schools should be sold as balanced meals. Foods and beverages sold a la carte should meet the requirements for a meal component recognized for a reimbursable meal.

Middle and High Schools

In middle and high schools, all foods and beverages sold individually outside the reimbursable school meal programs (including those sold through a la carte [snack] lines, vending machines, student stores or fund-raising activities) during and after the school day, will meet the following nutrition and portion size standards:

Beverages

• The regulation requires that beverages sold through vending machines, school stores, canteens or as a la cart items on the cafeteria lines are restricted to:
  1. Plain or flavored milk containing no more than 1 percent milk fat (that is, 1 percent or skim);
  2. Plain or flavored, non-carbonated water containing zero calories;
  3. 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice or any combination equaling 100 percent;
  4. Any other beverage containing no more than 10 grams of sugar per serving; and
  5. The volume size is limited to 17 ounces in elementary schools and 20 ounces in middle and high schools, except for water.
• These standards apply to beverages available as a la carte items on the cafeteria line during breakfast and lunch. In compliance with the Competitive Food Regulation, beverages meeting these standards will only be available through the machines and stores from 30 minutes after the last lunch period and after continues after the close of the school day. With the exception of a regular sports drink (example: Gatorade) will be available after the close of the school day.
• In addition, schools may offer for a la carte sale any item that can be part of a reimbursable breakfast or lunch, according to federal meal pattern regulations.

Foods

• A choice of at least two fruits and/or non-fried vegetables will be offered for sale at any location on the school site where foods are sold. Such items could include, but are not limited to, fresh fruits and vegetables; 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice; fruit-based drinks that are at least 50 percent fruit juice and that do not contain additional caloric sweeteners; cooked, dried, or canned fruits (canned in fruit juice or light syrup); and cooked, dried, or canned vegetables (that meet the above fat and sodium guidelines).
• During breakfast and lunch, sales are limited to those conducted as part of the school breakfast and lunch programs and schools may offer for a la carte sale on the cafeteria line any item that meets the following standards:
  1. Calories from fat are limited to no more than 30 percent of total calories; [exceptions: reduced fat cheese (2 percent), nuts, seeds, nut butters];
  2. Calories from saturated fat are limited to no more than10 percent of total calories;
  3. Grams of sugar are limited to no more than 32 percent of total weight with a ceiling of 14 grams (exceptions: fresh, frozen, canned or dried fruits and vegetables);
  4. Milligrams of sodium per serving are limited to 300 in chips, cereals, crackers, baked goods, and other snack items;
  5. Milligrams of sodium per serving are limited to 450 in pastas, meats, and soups;
  6. Milligrams of sodium per serving are limited to 600 in pizza, sandwiches, and main dishes;
  7. The portion/pack size for chips, crackers, popcorn, cereal, trail mix, nuts, seeds, or jerky is limited to 2 ounces;
  8. The portion/pack size for cookies is limited to 1 ounce;
  9. The portion/pack size for cereal bars, granola bars, pasties, muffins, doughnuts, bagels, or other bakery-type items is limited to 2 ounces;
  10. The portion/pack size for non-frozen yogurt is limited to 8 ounces; and
  11. The portion/pack size for frozen dessert items, including low fat (1 percent milk fat) or fat free ice cream, frozen juice bars, or frozen real fruit items is limited to 4 ounces.
  In addition, schools may offer for a la carte sale any item that can be part of a reimbursable breakfast or lunch, according to the federal meal pattern regulations.
• Thirty minutes after the last lunch period (Competitive Food Regulation) and after school, schools may offer for sale through vending machines, stores, canteens, etc., food items that meet the following standards:
  1. Calories from fat are limited to no more than 30 percent of total calories; [exceptions: reduced fat cheese (2 percent), nuts, seeds, nut butters];
  2. Calories from saturated fat are limited to no more than10 percent of total calories;
  3. Grams of sugar are limited to no more than 32 percent of total weight with a ceiling of 14 grams (exceptions: fresh, frozen, canned or dried fruits and vegetables);
  4. Milligrams of sodium per serving are limited to 300 in chips, cereals, crackers, baked goods, and other snack items;
  5. Milligrams of sodium per serving are limited to 450 in pastas, meats, and soups;
  6. Milligrams of sodium per serving are limited to 600 in pizza, sandwiches, and main dishes;
  7. The portion/pack size for chips, crackers, popcorn, cereal, trail mix, nuts, seeds, or jerky is limited to 2 ounces;
  8. The portion/pack size for cookies is limited to 1 ounce;
  9. The portion/pack size for cereal bars, granola bars, pasties, muffins, doughnuts, bagels, or other bakery-type items is limited to 2 ounces;
  10. The portion/pack size for non-frozen yogurt is limited to 8 ounces; and
  11. The portion/pack size for frozen dessert items, including low fat (1 percent milk fat) or fat free ice cream, frozen juice bars, or frozen real fruit items is limited to 4 ounces.
  The item must meet all of the criteria or it cannot be sold. A list of some allowable items is available on the KDE Nutrition and Health Services  site.

Fund-raising Activities

To support children's health and school nutrition-education efforts, school fund-raising activities involving food/beverages will take place 30 minutes after the last lunch period (in compliance with the competitive food regulation). In addition, schools will encourage fundraising activities that do NOT involve food or use only foods that meet the above nutrition and portion size standards for foods and beverages sold individually.

Snacks

Snacks served in after-school programs will make a positive contribution to children's diets and health, with an emphasis on serving fruits and vegetables as the primary snacks, milk/fruit juice as the primary beverage, and water as a secondary beverage.

• Schools that provide snacks for after-school programs through the Food Service Division will receive reimbursements through the National School Lunch Program where guidelines are followed.

Rewards

As examples of best practices for schools to consider, schools are encouraged to not use foods or beverages that do not meet the nutrition standards for foods and beverages sold individually (above), as rewards for academic performance or good behavior, and will not withhold food or beverages (including food served through school meals) as a punishment.

Celebrations

As examples of best practices for safety/sanitation purposes, schools may require that food items brought in for celebrations be prepackaged retail items only (homemade items are discouraged). Items for celebrations may be purchased through the Food Service Division.