About NSLP
The National School Lunch Program is a federally assisted meal program operating in over 100,000 public and non‐profit private schools and residential child care institutions. It provides nutritionally balanced, low‐cost or free lunches to more than 31 million children each school day.
School districts and independent schools that choose to take part in the lunch program receive cash subsidies and USDA foods from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for each meal they serve. In return, they must serve lunches that meet Federal requirements, and they must offer free or reduced price lunches to eligible children.
The Food and Nutrition Services administers the program at the Federal Level. Within individual states, the NSLP program is usually administered by the State Department of Education and at the local level it is administered through school food authorities.
Program
Integrating NSLP requirements into your meal planning can be daunting at first. However, once you grasp the core requirements of the National School Lunch Program and the government supplied planning tools, the pieces begin to fall into place. School Foodservice professionals suggest planning week-by-week in for three week spans to streamline procurement and paperwork processing for reimbursement.
NSLP reimbursement can potentially offset significant costs for your school lunch program. However, balancing product sourcing with a focus on value can be a continual challenge. Here, getting the most for your dollar for fruits, vegetables and serving materials with subsidized proteins can help maximize value. Schoolservice products are value focused to help in this effort.
Tracking per student meal presentations are a vital component of the NSLP. It's important to note, while it's the goal of the program for students to actually consume a balanced diet of proteins, grains, dairy, fruits and vegetables, reimbursement under the NSLP is based on presentation or offerings. Detailed tracking of inventory can dramatically reduce food costs and streamline reimbursement.
Submissions for reimbursement under the NSLP can vary from state to state. However, regardless of your region, detailed paperwork is required. Experience school foodservice professionals suggest maintaining a tracking workflow from planning and preparation to service and submission. Successfully tracking portions and NSLP credits is vital. Note: reimbursement payment schedules vary from state to state.
NSLP Nutritional Guidelines Summary
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 updated the NSLP’s meal pattern and nutrition standards based on the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The new meal pattern went into effect at the beginning the 2012 school year, and increases the availability of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in the school menu. New dietary specifications set specific calorie limits to ensure age-appropriate meals for grades K-5, 6-8, and 9-12. While school lunches must meet Federal meal requirements, decisions about what specific foods to serve and how they are prepared are made by local school food authorities.
Lunch Requirements Per Week (Minimum Per Day)
| Category | Grades | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| K-5 | 6-8 | 9-12 | |
 Fruit (cups) |
2 1/2 | 2 1/2 | 5 |
Schools must offer fruit every day at lunch. The fruit requirement may be met with fresh fruit, canned fruit, frozen fruit, dried fruit*, or 100% fruit juice. Grades K-8, must offer 2 ½ cups/week and a minimum of ½ cup/day. Grades 9-12, must offer 5 cups/week and a minimum of 1 cup/day. *Dried fruit is credited for twice the volume served. |
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 Vegetables (cups) |
3 3/4 | 3 3/4 | 5 |
Schools must offer vegetables every day at lunch. The vegetable requirement may be met with fresh, frozen, canned or 100% vegetable juice from 5 different sub-categories: Dark Green, Red/Orange, Beans/Peas, Starchy, and Other. Grades K-8, must offer 3 ¾ cups per week and a minimum of ¾ cups per day. Grades 9-12, must offer 5 cups per week and a minimum of 1 cup per day. |
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 Dark Green |
1/2 | 1/2 | 1/2 |
Some common vegetables that fit into this category are: Romaine Lettuce*, Broccoli, Dark Green Leafy Lettuce*, Kale*, Spinach*, Mesculin* (Spring Mix), Bok Choy, Collard Greens*, Mustard Greens*, Turnip Greens* and Watercress*. Grades K-12, must offer a minimum of ½ cup per week. *Leafy greens are credited for half the volume served; 1 cup of Romaine counts as a ½ cup of Dark Green Vegetables. |
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 Red/Orange |
3/4 | 3/4 | 1 1/4 |
Some common vegetables that fit into that category are: Carrots, Tomatoes, Acorn Squash, Butternut Squash, Hubbard Squash, Pumpkin, Red Peppers, Sweet Potatoes and Tomato Juice*. Grades K-8, must offer a minimum of ¾ cup per week. Grades 9-12, must offer a minimum of 1 ¼ cups per week.*No more than half of the vegetable offerings can be in the form of 100% juice. |
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 Beans/Peas (legumes) |
1/2 | 1/2 | 1/2 |
Some common vegetables that fit into that category are: Black Beans, Black-Eyed Peas (mature, dry), Garbanzo Beans, Kidney Beans, Lentils, Navy Beans, Pinto Beans, Soy Beans, Split Peas and White Beans. Grades K-12, must offer a minimum of ½ cup per week. |
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 Starchy |
1/2 | 1/2 | 1/2 |
Some common vegetables that fit into that category are: Cassava, Corn, Fresh Cowpeas, Field Peas or Black Eyed Peas (not dry), Green Bananas, Green Peas, Green Lima Beans, Plantains, Potatoes, Taro and Water Chestnuts. Grades K-8, must offer a minimum of ½ cup per week. Grades 9-12, must offer a minimum of ¾ cup per week. |
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 Other |
1/2 | 1/2 | 3/4 |
Some common vegetables that fit into this category are: Iceberg Lettuce*, Celery, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts, Cucumbers, Artichokes, Asparagus, Avocado, Bean Sprouts, Beets, Eggplant, Green Beans, Green Peppers, Mushrooms, and Okra. Grades K-8, must offer a minimum of ½ cup per week. Grades 9-12, must offer a minimum of ¾ cup per week. *Leafy greens are credited for half the volume served; 1 cup of iceberg lettuce counts as ½ cup of other vegetables. |
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 Grains (oz. eq.) |
8-9 | 8-10 | 10-12 |
Schools must offer grains every day at lunch. Half of all grains offered must be whole grains and beginning SY 2014-2015, all grains offered must be whole grains. Whole grain rich foods must contain at least 51% whole grains and the remaining grains must be enriched. Grades K-5, must offer 8-9 oz./week and a minimum of 1 oz./ day. Grades 6-8, must offer 8-10 oz./week and a minimum of 1 oz./ day. Grades 9-12, must offer 10-12 oz./week and a minimum of 2 oz./ day. *Memo Code SP 11-2013 allows schools flexibility with maximum requirement as long as the schools meet the minimum daily requirement. |
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 Meat/Meat Alternative (oz. eq.) |
8-10 | 9-10 | 10-12 |
Schools must offer meat/meat alternate every day at lunch. Grades K-5, must offer 8-9 oz./week and a minimum of 1 oz./ day. Grades 6-8, must offer 8-10 oz./week and a minimum of 1 oz./ day. Grades 9-12, must offer 10-12 oz./week and a minimum of 2 oz./ day. *Memo Code SP 11-2013 allows schools flexibility with maximum requirement as long as the schools meet the minimum daily requirement. |
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 Milk (cups) |
5 | 5 | 5 |
Schools must offer fat-free of low-fat milk daily at lunch. Only fat-free milk can be flavored. Two varieties of milk must be offered each day; for example fat- free chocolate milk and low fat milk would meet the requirement. Grades K-12 must offer 5 cups/week and a minimum of 1 cup/day. |
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Other Specifications: Based on the Average for a 5-day Week
| Category | Grades | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| K-5 | 6-8 | 9-12 | |
| Min-Max calories (kcal) | 550-650 | 600-700 | 750-850 |
Over a 5-day school week the average calories of meals offered to each age group must be within the minimum and maximum calorie range. Grades K-5, 550-650 kcals, Grades 6-8, 600-700 kcals, Grades 9-12, 750-850 kcals. |
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| Saturated Fat % of total calories | < 10 | < 10 | < 10 |
Over a 5-day school week the average saturated fat content of the meals offered to each age group must be less than 10% of total calories. |
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| Sodium (mg) | < or = 640 | < or = 710 | < or = 740 |
NSLP has outlined a 3-part timeline to gradually reduce sodium levels in school lunches. Target 1- by SY 2014-2015, sodium levels must be at or below: 1230 mg (K-5), 1360 mg (6-8), 1420 mg (9-12). Target 2- by SY 2017-2018, sodium levels must be at or below: 935 mg (K-5), 1035 mg (6-8), 1080 mg (9-12. Prior to target 2 being implemented the USDA will review relevant studies on sodium intake and health. Target 3- by SY 2022-2023, sodium levels must be at or below: 640 mg (K-5), 710mg (6-8), 740 mg (9-12). |
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Per Meal Reimbursement
Schools participating in the National School Lunch Program receive cash reimbursement for every meal they serve. The reimbursement rates are based on the percentage of students at the school who received a free or reduced price lunch during the second preceding year (2011-2012). The current cash reimbursement rates for schools serving less than 60% of meals for free or at a reduced price are:
- Free $2.93
- Reduced Price $2.53
- Paid $0.28
Schools that served more than 60% of meals for free or at a reduced price will receive an additional $0.02 reimbursement for each meal served. There are also higher reimbursement rates in place for Alaska and Hawaii than all other states, due to a higher cost of living. In addition to the cash reimbursement schools also receive USDA foods at a value of 23.25 cents per meal served.
Free, Reduced, Price & Paid Eligibility
Any child at a participating school may purchase a meal through The National School Lunch Program. Household income for a family of four will determine if the child is eligible for a free or a reduced price meal.
- Free Meals - Household income at or below $30,615
- Reduce Price - Household income from $30,616 to $43,568
- Paid meals - Household income above $43,569