FNS Documents & Resources

The final rule - Child Nutrition Programs: Revisions to Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans - is the next step in an ongoing effort toward healthier school meals that USDA and the broader school meals community have been partnering on for well over a decade.  This table is a reference tool for stakeholders to visualize the proposed implementation timeline.

Meal pattern chart for the School Breakfast Program

A webinar overview on the Transitional Standards for Milk, Sodium, and Whole Grains for Industry Partners. 

Webinar on transitional rule for state agencies & school food authorities.

Meal pattern calculations for short and long weeks. This applies to schools who regularly operate on a shorter or longer weekly cycle.

FNS staff discuss the updated preschool meal patterns in the National School Lunch Program (including snack service) and School Breakfast Program, as well as the updated milk requirements in the Special Milk Program, which went into effect on Oct. 1, 2017.

These materials were compiled to assist companies who are developing or revising certification of compliance/menu planning software for USDA to approve for use in certification of compliance with the National School Lunch Program meal pattern requirements.