School Breakfast Program

USDA Regulations, Policy Memos, and Guidance Materials for Nutrition Standards

Final Rule – Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent with 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines

Final Rule Implementation Timeline in School Meals

• Allowable Milk Offerings
• Whole Grain Rich 80/20

Product-Based Added Sugars Limit – Effective July 1, 2025

• Breakfast cereals – no more than 6 grams of added sugars per dry ounce
• Yogurt – no more than 12 grams of added sugars per 6 ounces
• Flavored Milk – no more than 10 grams of added sugars per 8 fluid ounces with additional Smart Snacks limits

Policy Memo Updates

• SP 19-2024, CACFP 07-2024, SFSP 12-2024 Initial Implementation Memorandum: Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent With the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
• SP 01-2025 Fluid Milk Requirements for School Meal
• SP 02-2025 Substitution of Vegetables for Fruit Flexibility in the School Breakfast Program: Questions and Answers for Program Operators

Meal Pattern

• Preschool Meal Pattern
• 5 Day School Nutrition Meal Pattern (Update as of July 1, 2024)
• 5 Day Overlapping Grade Groupings for K-12
• 7 Day Meal Pattern for Residential Child Care Institutions
• Short and Long Week Calculations

• Menu Planning Tools
• Menu Certification
• Crediting
• Offer versus Serve
• Onsite Review
• Water Availability - Schools must make potable water available to  children at no charge where meals are served during the meal service.

Meal Counting

• Meal Counting Fact Sheet
• Transitioning from CEP to Standard Counting & Claiming Fact Sheet
• Point of Service and Meal Counting Procedures Manual

Edit Checks

• Edit Check Instructions
• Edit Check Daily Meal

Food Production Records

• Food Production Record for Breakfast and Lunch
• Food Production Record Instructions for Breakfast and Lunch
• Interactive Food Production Record for Breakfast and Lunch
• Grades K-12 Breakfast Production Record Example

Record Retention

• Record Retention

Signage for identifying a reimbursable meal must be posted in a visible area near the meal service line prior to the point of service, informing students how to select a reimbursable meal.

• USDA Offer Versus Serve Materials
• Descon Explain-A-Meal Materials
• Commercial Food Systems Signage Materials

Schools participating in the School Breakfast Program must inform families of the availability of breakfast. A notification of the availability of breakfast must be relayed prior to or at the beginning of the school year in the informational packets sent to households with free and reduced price meal applications for the new school year. Additionally, schools should send reminders regarding the availability of the School Breakfast Program multiple times throughout the school year.

All public schools with a 15% or higher free and reduced rate are required to operate the School Breakfast Program.

• Mandatory Breakfast Program Implementation (Indiana  Legislation)
• Outreach to Households on the Availability of the  School Breakfast Program
• School Breakfast Program Regulations

• Traditional Breakfast
• Breakfast in the Classroom
  • Breakfast in the Classroom Self-Monitoring Form - Voluntary
• Grab and Go
• Breakfast After the Bell
• Breakfast on the Bus

• Breakfast Toolkit
• Customizable Promotional Breakfast Flyer
• No Kid Hungry - School Breakfast
• Offering Meats and Meat Alternates
• Offering Smoothies
• Reducing Added Sugars
• Steps to Begin Breakfast
• Universal Free Breakfast