7 CFR 210.10 Meal requirements for lunches and requirements for afterschool snacks

210.10.p Lunch requirements for preschoolers?

210.10.p.1 Lunches served to preschoolers. Schools serving lunches to children ages 1 through 4 under the National School Lunch Program must serve the food components and quantities required in the lunch meal pattern established for the Child and Adult Care Food Program, under § 226.20(a), (c)(2), and (d) of this chapter. In addition, schools serving lunches to this age group must comply with the requirements set forth in paragraphs (a), (c)(3), (4), and (7), (d)(2) through (4), (g), (k), (l), and (m) of this section.

210.10.p.2 Preschooler lunch meal pattern table. The minimum amounts of food components to be served at lunch are as follows:

PRESCHOOL LUNCHMEAL PATTERN

	Ages 1-2	Ages 3-5
Food Components and Food Items {1}	Minimum Quantities	Minimum Quantities
Fluid milk {2}	4 fluid ounces	6 fluid ounces
Meat/meat alternates (edible portion as served):
Lean meat, poultry, or fish	1 ounce	1 1/2 ounces
Tofu, soy products, or alternate protein products {3}	1 ounce	1 1/2 ounces
Cheese	1 ounce	1 1/2 ounces
Large egg	1/2	3/4
Cooked dry beans or peas	1/4 cup	3/8 cup
Peanut butter or soy nut butter or other nut or seed butters	2 Tbsp	3 Tbsp
Yogurt, plain or flavored unsweetened or sweetened {4}	4 ounces or 1/2 cup	6 ounces or 3/4 cup
The following may be used to meet no more than 50 percent of the requirement:
Peanuts, soy nuts, tree nuts, or seeds, as listed in program guidance, or an equivalent quantity of any combination of the above meat/meat alternates (1 ounce of nuts/seeds = 1 ounce of cooked lean meat, poultry or fish).	1/2 ounce = 50%	3/4 ounce = 50%
Vegetables {5}{6}	1/8 cup	1/4 cup
Fruits {5}{6}	1/8 cup	1/4 cup
Grains (oz eq){7}{8}{9}	1/2 ounce equivalent	1/2 ounce equivalent

Endnotes:

{1} Must serve all five components for a reimbursable meal.

{2} Must be unflavored whole milk for children age one. Must be unflavored low-fat (1 percent) or unflavored fat-free (skim) milk for children two
through five years old.

{3} Alternate protein products must meet the requirements in appendix A to part 226 of this chapter.

{4} Yogurt must contain no more than 23 grams of total sugars per 6 ounces.

{5} Pasteurized full-strength juice may only be used to meet the vegetable or fruit requirement at one meal, including snack, per day.

{6} A vegetable may be used to meet the entire fruit requirement. When two vegetables are served at lunch or supper, two different kinds of vegetables must be served.

{7} At least one serving per day, across all eating occasions, must be whole grain-rich. Grain-based desserts do not count towards the grains requirement.

{8} Refer to FNS guidance for additional information on crediting different types of grains.

{9} Breakfast cereals must contain no more than 6 grams of sugar per dry ounce (no more than 21.2 grams sucrose and other sugars per 100 grams of dry cereal).

210.10.q Lunch requirements for infants?

210.10.q.1 Lunches served to infants. Schools serving lunches to infants ages birth through 11 months under the National School Lunch Program must serve the food components and quantities required in the lunch meal pattern established for the Child and Adult Care Food Program, under § 226.20(a), (b), and (d) of this chapter. In addition, schools serving lunches to infants must comply with the requirements set forth in paragraphs (a), (c)(3), (4), and (7), (g), (l), and (m) of this section.

210.10.q.2 Infant lunch meal pattern table. The minimum amounts of food components to be served at lunch are as follows:

INFANT LUNCH MEAL PATTERN

Infants	Age birth through 5 months	Age 6 through 11 months
Lunch	4-6 fluid ounces breastmilk {1} or formula {2}	6-8 fluid ounces breastmilk {1) or formula {2}; and 0-1/2 ounce equivalent infant cereal; {2}{3} or 0-4 tablespoons meat, fish, poultry, whole egg, cooked dry beans, or cooked dry peas; or 0-2 ounces of cheese; or 0-4 ounces (volume) of cottage cheese; or, 0-4 ounces or 1/2 cup of yogurt {4}; or a combination of the above {5}; and 0-2 tablespoons vegetable or fruit, or a combination of both {5}{6}

Endnotes:

{1} Breastmilk or formula, or portions of both, must be served; however, it is recommended that breastmilk be served in place of formula from birth through 11 months. For some breastfed infants who regularly consume less than the minimum amount of breastmilk per feeding, a serving of less than the minimum amount of breastmilk may be offered, with additional breastmilk offered at a later time if the infant will consume more.

{2} Infant formula and dry infant cereal must be iron-fortified.

{3} Refer to FNS guidance for additional information on crediting different types of grains.

{4} Yogurt must contain no more than 23 grams of total sugars per 6 ounces.

{5} A serving of this component is required when the infant is developmentally ready to accept it.

{6} Fruit and vegetable juices must not be served.