Breakfast Meal Pattern
Grains and what other meal component are combined into one component for the OVS breakfast meal pattern?
Meat/Meat Alternative
How many food items must be offered at breakfast and how many must a student take for it to be a reimbursable meal?
We must offer at least 4 food items and the student must select at least 3, one of which being a 1/2 cup of fruit or veggies.
Do toppings on Creation Station salad bar or nachos count towards their meal components?
Yes! They could have just the bowl of chips, cheese, and meat: they have their grain with the chips and the meat/meat alt in the cheese/taco meat, then they could grab a fruit or veggie off the salad bar for a complete meal.
But if they add 1/4 cup of peppers and 1/4 cup of diced tomatoes on top of their nachos, that would count as their 1/2 cup of veggies.
True or False? It is NOT okay to limit which condiments you put out on certain days to make sure you are meeting the weekly sodium requirements?
False! It is completely fine to not put out the mayo on pizza day, ect., to meet the weekly sodium requirements. We are not required to have all condiments available at all times. Starting July 2027, the allowed sodium amount per week is decreasing drastically, so we need to start prepping for that now.
True or False? Water may count as a meal component and be used as a substitute for milk.
False.
If a child cannot have milk, we must OFFER an alternative approved option such as soy milk. Water does not count as a meal component.
No more than what percentage of weekly fruit offerings can be in the form of juice at breakfast?
No more than 50% of weekly fruit offerings can be in the form of juice at breakfast.
A student comes through the breakfast line with an 8oz carton of milk, a 1oz grain muffin and a cheese stick. Do they have a reimbursable meal?
No. Although they have their 3 required items, they must have a 1/2 cup of fruit or veggies.
Students must take 3 of this for their meal to count as a reimbursable lunch.
3 Components
We must offer at least how many different kinds of milk daily? What flavor must at least one of the milks be?
We must offer at least two different kinds of milk. At least one type must be unflavored (white) milk. So we could offer just 1% white and Nonfat white and be compliant.
How much bigger can a purchased adult meal be compared to the same student meal?
Adult meals must be the same portion size as the child meal even though we charge more. We do not receive ANY reimbursement money for adult meals, so we are eating the extra cost on adult meals if we over-serve them.
How many veggies are we required to offer daily/weekly at breakfast?
None. Veggies are not required at breakfast, but you can substitute fruit for a veggie one time per week max.
Ex: could do hashbrowns for breakfast 1x per week.
Could we hand out pre-bagged breakfasts and still be compliant under offer versus serve?
Yes! We could pre bag a breakfast with three items like a 1oz cereal, cheese stick, and apple, then have an extra fruit out and the milk available for students to choose if they wish. We are still offering them choices!
What is the required portion size for fruit when only offering one option?
1. If only one kind of fruit is out as a choice, you must allow the child to take up to a full cup of the item. Same with veggies.
A student takes 1/2 cup of apples, 2oz of tortilla chips and an 8oz milk. Is this a reimbursable lunch?
YES! They have 3 components and the minimum required amount for all three.
What must students take at both breakfast and lunch under offer versus serve?
1/2 cup of fruit or vegetable
Students must take 3 of this for it to be a reimbursable breakfast.
A student comes through the breakfast line with a bag of Mini French Toast sticks and a juice. Is this a reimbursable breakfast?
Yes! The Mini French Toast is a 2oz grain, meaning it counts as 2 grain items. Their 3rd item is a fruit. It is a reimbursable meal.
The only breakfast entrees that counts as one item currently are the muffin and cereal. They can have a muffin or cereal and a fruit, but must have one other item.
Where should you look to see the component contribution for a menu item?
Production Sheets
A student asks if they can not have meat sauce on their spaghetti noodles or not have cheese on their nachos, ect. Is this allowed?
YES. As long as the child picks at least 2 more meal components and at least one is a half cup of fruit or veggies. We must allow them to make their own choices, but it is our responsibility to know if their finished tray is reimbursable or not.
What is the goal of implementing offer versus serve?
To reduce waste by allowing students to choose the foods they want to eat.
What 3 questions must we ask ourselves to determine if a student's breakfast is reimbursable under OVS?
1. Was the child offered at least 4 food items?
2. Does the meal offered include the minimum required amounts of fruits, grain and milk?
3. Does the student's completed tray contain at least 3 food items including 1/2 cup of fruit or veggies?
A student comes through the breakfast line with a cheese stick, 1/2 cup of juice and a packet of craisins. Is this a reimbursable breakfast?
Yes! They have 3 items: cheese stick, craisins, and juice, and at least 1/2 cup of fruit/veggies.
Name the 5 vegetable subgroups we are required to offer weekly in the National School Lunch Program.
Dark Green (broccoli, romaine lettuce), Red/Orange (carrots, tomatoes, salsa), Beans/Peas/Lentils (baked/refried/black/garbanzo), Starchy (corn, green peas, potatoes) and Other (cucumbers, green beans, celery, cauliflower, snap peas, pickles, olives, radishes, onions).
A student comes through the lunch line with an 8oz milk, 1/2 cup of salad, and a slice of pizza counting as 2 grains and 2 meat/meat alternates. Do they have a reimbursable meal?
NO. With lettuce, it only counts as half the amount given. So a student must have a full cup of lettuce for it to count as their 1/2 cup of fruits or veggies.
What is the difference between a food component and a food item?
A food component is a required food group in a reimbursable meal; fruit, veggie, meat/meat alt., fluid milk, grains.
A food item is a specific food within the food components. Under the food component fruit, you might offer several food items like apples, oranges and pears.