FNS Documents & Resources

The Food and Nutrition Service is issuing final regulations amending the meal pattern for infants less than 12 months of age in the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, and the Child and Adult Care Food Program.

The Food and Nutrition Service is issuing final regulations amending the meal pattern for infants less than 12 months of age in the National School Lunch Program, the School Breakfast Program, and the Child and Adult Care Food Program.

This memorandum clarifies the term "equivalent combination" found in the traditional and enhanced food based meal pattern charts at §§ 220.8(g)(2) and 220.8(g)(3) of the School Breakfast Program regulations.

This notice corrects Title 7 of the Code of Federal Regulations, parts 210 to 299.

This final rule also adds a method that allows schools to use “any reasonable approach” to plan menus.

This interim rule amends Summer Food Service Program regulations to incorporate nondiscretionary changes made by the Healthy Meals for Healthy Americans Act of 1994, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, and the William F. Goodling Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act of 1998.

FNS published the subject interim regulation, and established the effective date as Dec. 15, 1999, because the customary effective date for regulations is 30 days after publication and given the health and reimbursement implications, we wished to implement the regulation as soon as possible.

This rule amends the regulations for the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program and Child and Adult Care Food Program to eliminate the option of serving whole cow’s milk as part of reimbursable meals for infants under one year of age. 

The National School Lunch Act requires that schools that are participating in the National School Lunch or School Breakfast Programs claim reimbursements only for lunches or breakfasts which meet the nutrition standards of the National School Lunch Act, including compliance with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.