MIDDLETOWN TOWNSHIP PUBLIC SCHOOLS PO Box 4170, MIDDLETOWN, NJ (732) FAX (732)

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1 MIDDLETOWN TOWNSHIP PUBLIC SCHOOLS PO Box 470, MIDDLETOWN, NJ (732) FAX (732) Dear Middletown Township School District Parent: The USDA has recently issued new school meal requirements that will be effective for the school year. This means Middletown Township School District students will see some changes next school year in the foods served at school. Chartwells School Dining Services manages the food service department at Middletown Township School District and has made strides in incorporating several positive initiatives that will allow for a smooth transition to the new meal requirements. We would like to provide an overview of what your student can expect to see in their school dining center at Middletown Township School District. Increase in Fruits and Vegetables We will offer a larger variety of nutrient dense vegetables, including dark green, orange, starchy vegetables and legumes. Students will now be required to take /2 cup of fruit or vegetable for their meal to be considered a full meal. Colorful fruits and vegetables provide essential vitamins and minerals important for growth and development during childhood. Allowable Grains and Proteins Menus will offer specific amounts of whole grains and proteins. This is intended to make sure students are receiving age appropriate, nutritionally adequate meals that provide the right amount of energy from healthful food sources. We already offer a variety of whole grains on menus with items like whole grain pizza crust, rolls, muffins, pancakes, waffles and cereal. Lower Sodium We have already identified several products for use next year and will continue working with food manufacturers to lower sodium in products. Chartwells chefs and registered dietitians have worked to modify and develop creative new recipes using non salt seasonings, herbs and tasty fresh foods. Reduced Fats Unhealthy fats such as saturated and trans fat can lead to heart disease and high cholesterol, as well as other chronic diseases. We will only use food products and ingredients that contain zero grams of trans fat per serving. Menus by Age Groups New grade groups for menu planning will be aimed at ensuring students receive age appropriate portions and nutrients. New calorie requirements will be implemented to align with these newly established grade groups. Meal Price Increase for These new school meal requirements incorporate many changes, which will directly impact our school meal prices. We have seen a dramatic rise in food prices and will continue to do so over the next several years due to increasing transportation costs and the continued rollout of the new meal legislative requirements. Meal prices are determined by Middletown Township School District leadership School Year Full Meal Prices $.95 Elementary Breakfast $2.25 Elementary Lunch $2.50/3.25 Middle School Lunch $.25 High School Breakfast $2.60/3.35 High School Lunch Both Chartwells and Middletown Township School District are dedicated to providing quality nutritious meals that students will enjoy and choose to eat. We hope you will encourage your students to try new fruits and vegetables and you will join us for a meal at school to see the changes for yourself. If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at (Nicole Tate Director of Food Service) X248 or via at taten@middletownk2.org.

2 MAIN POINTS OF NEW NUTRITION STANDARDS Final Rule: Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs Chartwells School Dining Services and Middletown Town School District are fully committed to providing nutritious, quality school meals that meet the USDA s school meal regulations and comply with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. New Regulations The USDA is required to update school meals regulations to bring them in line with the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These new school meal regulations will start in the school year. Further changes to both breakfast and lunch will be required in following years ( and ). In July 200, Chartwells proactively established our own food and nutrition guidelines with the objectives of promoting student health through our ingredients, menus, and practices. Chartwells has already incorporated many of the new regulations into our current menus. Increase in Fruits and Vegetables Fruits and vegetables are now separate meal components and each must be offered at each lunch at all grade levels. The new regulations require schools to offer a variety of nutrient dense vegetables over the course of the week, including dark green, orange, starchy vegetables and legumes (beans). Students will now be required to take /2 cup of fruit or vegetable for their meal to be reimbursable. Requiring a greater quantity and variety of fruits and vegetables will expose students to more nutrient dense foods that are a part of a healthy diet. Colorful fruits and vegetables provide essential vitamins and minerals important for growth and development during childhood. Allowable Grains and Proteins Menus must offer specific amounts of whole grains and proteins throughout the week, but cannot exceed maximum amounts defined for each grade group. This means we are now limited in the amount of grains and proteins we offer at each meal. These changes are intended to make sure students are receiving age appropriate, nutritionally adequate meals that provide the right amount of energy from healthful food sources. Half of the grains offered at lunch each week must be whole grain rich. This requirement will apply to breakfast in school year , and by school year Only whole grain rich foods will be allowable in both the breakfast and lunch programs. Chartwells has already made great strides in increasing the variety of whole grains on our menus, serving items like whole grain pizza crust, rolls, muffins, pancakes, waffles and cereal. Whole grain foods are part of a healthy diet and recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Whole grains provide fiber, energy, vitamins, and minerals all of which are necessary for maintaining health and preventing chronic disease.

3 MAIN POINTS OF NEW NUTRITION STANDARDS Lower Sodium We have already identified several products for use next year and will continue working with food manufacturers to lower sodium in products. Chartwells chefs and registered dietitians have worked to modify and develop creative new recipes using non salt seasonings, herbs and tasty fresh foods. Reduction of Saturated Fats and Elimination of Trans Fats Saturated fat levels under the new final rule remain consistent with the previous requirement. School breakfasts and lunches offered to all age/grade groups must, on average over the school week, provide less than 0 percent of total calories from saturated fat. Under the new final rule, schools can only use food products and ingredients that contain zero grams of Trans fat per serving, as indicated on the nutrition label, beginning in 202 for lunch and 203 for breakfast. Unhealthy fats such as saturated and Trans fat can lead to heart disease and high cholesterol, as well as other chronic diseases. Menus by Age Groups The regulations established new grade groups for menu planning, aimed at ensuring students receive age appropriate portions and nutrients. The groups include: o Grades K 5 (ages 5 0 years) o Grades 6 8 (ages 3 years) o Grades 9 2 (ages 4 8 years) New calorie requirements were also developed to align with the newly established grade groups. Menus must provide adequate, but not excessive, calories for the various age groups. Meal Price Increase for These new school meal requirements incorporate many changes which will directly impact our school meal prices. We have seen a dramatic rise in food prices and will continue to do so over the next several years due to increasing transportation costs and the continued rollout of the new meal legislative requirements. Meal prices are determined by Middletown Township School District leadership School Year Full Meal Prices $.95 Elementary Breakfast $2.50/3.25 Middle School $2.25 Elementary Lunch Lunch $.25 High School Breakfast $2.60/3.35 High School Lunch Chartwells continues to be dedicated to providing quality nutritious meals that the students enjoy. If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at (Nicole Tate Director of Food Service) X248 or via at taten@middletownk2.org. 2

4 Final USDA Lunch Weekly and Daily Meal Requirements ¾ c/wk ¾ c/day 3 ¾ c/wk ¾ c/day c/day Dark green ½ c/wk ½ c/wk ½ c/wk Red/orange ¾ c/wk ¾ c/wk ¼ c /wk Legumes ½ c/wk ½ c/wk ½ c/wk Starchy ½ c/wk ½ c/wk ½ c/wk Other: all ½ c/wk ½ c/ wk ¾ c/wk other veg that are not green, orange/red, legumes, or starchy Any Add l veg: any vegetable subgroup c/wk c /wk c/wk Grain Whole Grain Meat/Meat Alternate Milk 8 minimum c/day 8 0 oz /day 9 0 c/day oz /day 0 2 c/day Specific types required within required total servings described to the left Increase 2 July 202 at least half grains must be whole grain rich Whole grain based desserts are limited to 2x/wk Minimum weekly total reduced by 2 oz Minimum weekly total reduced by oz No change in portion size but limited to non fat flavored, white non fat and white low fat and must offer two types Minimum and maximum ranges All grains are whole grain rich Current Change Grade Level K 3 and 4 K K Fruit 3/4 c /day 2 ½ 2 ½ Increase Increase Increase Fruit and c/wk c/wk c/day /2 /2 c/day ¼ c day vegetable ½ ½ c/day fruit or fruit or combined c/day c/day fruit or veg veg veg Vegetabletotal Calories (min max) K 3 (633) 4 2 (785) Saturated <0% <0% <0% <0% Fat % cal Sodium Trans Fat ZTF ZTF ZTF

5 Final USDA Breakfast Weekly and Daily Meal Requirements Current Grade Level K 2 K Menu Planning Food Based Only Fruit ½ c/day c/day Vegetable substitution allowed for all or part of fruit requirement. Starchy veg can be substituted only after 2 c non starchy has been offered. ½ c F or V is required for reimbursable meal Grain and M/MA 2 grain or 2 M/MA or of each Grains Whole Grain Half of all grains must be whole grain rich All grains must be whole grain rich Meat/Meat Alternate Milk Calories (min max) K 3 (633) 2 M/MA can be substituted for grain after min daily requirement is met c non fat flavored, non fat white, low fat white (785) <0% calories Saturated Fat % cal Sodium Trans Fat ZTF USDA Rules Menu Planning Options Food based menu planning is the only option beginning July 202. The exception to this rule is that school districts who are using nutrient standard menu planning and participate in the National School Breakfast Program can delay the change to food based menu planning until July 203. I am checking to see if they can delay lunch and breakfast or just breakfast. Offer vs. Serve and Reimbursable Meal Lunch Mandatory OVS in high school and optional in other grades 5 meal components must be offered (fruit, veg, grain, meat, milk) 3 components must be taken to claim reimbursement AND one of the three must be at least ½ cup fruit or veg. Some of the fruit and vegetable required portion sizes are in ¼ cup increments. Therefore, if a student takes the fruit or vegetable that is portioned in ¼ cup serving, the reimbursable meal requirement will not be met. There are a number of options described below to resolve this but further analysis and discussion are needed. o Serve all fruit and vegetables in ½ cup portion sizes. Ask cashiers to put ½ cup F/V or juice on the tray if the student didn t take any F/V.

6 o Serve F/V in ½ c and ¼ portion sizes and ask cashiers to put an additional ¼ cup or ½ portion of F/V or juice on the tray depending on what the student chose. This may get complicated. o If there is a self serve salad bar or F/V bar, use portion utensils for students that are ½ cup servings. Students can of course take the full fruit and vegetable component Offer vs. Serve and Reimbursable Meal Breakfast Optional at all grade levels Must offer 3 meal components: o Grains and/or Meat o Fruit and/or Veg o Milk In order to apply OVS at breakfast, 4 components must be offered and 3 must be taken Beginning in 204, ½ c fruit or veg must be taken for meal to be reimbursable Grade Groupings K 5, 6 8, 9 2, can use K 8 meal pattern because most nutrients and calories overlap but would need to use the lower sodium standard Fruit Can be canned in light syrup, juice or water; frozen without added sugar; dried Juice can be no more than ½ the fruit component of any meal Fruit is a separate component from vegetable with it s own requirements Portion size increased from ¾ cup fruit and/or vegetable per day to ½ cup fruit K 8 and cup per day 9 2 Vegetables can be offered as a substitute for all or part of the fruit component except starchy vegetables can only be substituted after 2 cups of non starchy vegetables have been substituted Snack type fruit products are not creditable as a fruit component regardless of the real fruit content ¼ c dried fruit counts as ½ c fruit Vegetable Can be frozen, fresh or canned No limit on starchy vegetables or method of cooking Minimum requirements per week for dark green, orange/red, legumes, starchy and other Portion size increased from ¾ cup fruit and/or vegetable per day to ¾ cup veg K 8 and cup per day for 9 2 Added a requirement for starchy vegetables c leafy greens counts as ½ vegetable /8 cup of tomato paste or sauce counts as a vegetable for purposes of a reimbursable meal, however since the minimum portion of F/V required for reimbursement is ½ c, pizza can no longer be counted as a reimbursable meal unless there is 3/8 cup additional fruit or vegetable on the pizza c leafy greens counts as ½ c vegetable Grains Grain servings increased in high school Additional servings may be needed in other grades to reach minimum calories ½ of all grains must be whole grain rich in July 202 All grains must be whole grain rich in July 204 Whole grain based desserts are limited to 2x/wk CN labeling program is being updated to report the whole grain rich contribution of the product Schools must evaluate a grain product according to the following: o Element #: A serving of the food item must meet portion size requirements for the G/B component AND

7 o Element #2: The food must meet one of the following: Whole grains per serving must be to 8 grams OR Product contains the FDA whole grain health claim on the packaging OR Product ingredient listing lists whole grain first: For non mixed dishes (bread, cereal, etc) whole grain must be first on the entire ingredient list For mixed dishes (pizza, breaded chicken) whole grain must be the first grain ingredient Meat/Meat Alternate Minimum daily serving reduced in elementary and middle school Tofu is now creditable as a meat/meat alternate There is no M/MA requirement for breakfast. It can be substituted for grain after the minimum daily grain requirement is met Milk Only non fat flavored, non fat white and low fat white fluid milk may be served. There is no restriction on the sugar content in flavored milk Fat All products must be free of artificial trans fat (<.5g according to FDA and on product label) Saturated fat standard has not changed and remains at <0% calories from fat There is no standard for total fat Calories Required calories have a minimum and maximum according to grade level Monitoring Beginning in 203, CRE audit every 3 years which will incorporate nutrition review State agency will conduct a weighted nutrient analysis for one week of menus that includes breakfast and lunch Fiscal action is mandatory and will be immediate if the meal is missing an entire component Fiscal action is mandatory for repeated violations of the vegetable subgroup and milk requirements Fiscal action is discretionary for violations of food quantity, whole grain, and nutrient specifications Signage Schools must identify the foods that are part of the reimbursable meal(s) for the day at or near the beginning of the serving line(s). Commodities Low sodium canned vegetables and beans are currently available at no more than 40 mg/ ½ cup A variety of frozen fruits and vegetables with no added salt or sugar are currently available Reduce sodium and fat processed cheeses are available (cheddar and mozzarella) Resources

NEW SCHOOL LUNCH MEAL PATTERN

NEW SCHOOL LUNCH MEAL PATTERN OBJECTIVES Review required changes to the lunch meal pattern and nutrition standards Review implementation timelines Provide resources and suggestions to implement changes