Food Components and Food Items¹

Ages 1 – 2

Ages 3 – 5

Ages 6 – 12

Ages 13 – 18²

at-risk afterschool programs
and emergency shelters

Fluid Milk³

½ cup or

4 fl oz

¾ cup or

6 fl oz

1 cup or

8 fl oz

1 cup or

8 fl oz

Meat/meat alternates

Lean meat, poultry, or fish

½ ounce

½ ounce

1 ounce

1 ounce

Tofu, soy product, or
alternate protein products⁴

½ ounce

½ ounce

1 ounce

1 ounce

Cheese

½ ounce

½ ounce

1 ounce

1 ounce

Large egg

½ large egg

½ large egg

½ large egg

½ large egg

Cooked dry beans or peas

⅛ cup

⅛ cup

¼ cup

¼ cup

Peanut butter or soy nut butter, or other nut or seed butters

1 tbsp

1 tbsp

2 tbsp

2 tbsp

Yogurt, plain or unflavored unsweetened or sweetened⁵

2 ounces or
¼ cup

2 ounces or
¼ cup

4 ounces or
½ cup

4 ounces or
½ cup

Vegetables⁶

½ cup

½ cup

1 cup

1 cup

Fruits⁶

½ cup

½ cup

¾ up

¾ cup

Grains (oz eq)^7,8

Whole grain-rich or enriched bread

½ slice

½ slice

1 slice

1 slice

Whole grain-rich or enriched bread product, such as biscuit, roll, or muffin

½ oz eq

½ oz eq

1 oz eq

1 oz eq

Whole grain-rich, enriched or fortified cooked breakfast cereal⁹, cereal grain, and/or pasta

¼ cup

¼ cup

½ cup

½ cup

Flakes or rounds

½ cup

½ cup

1 cup

1 cup

Puffed cereal

¾ cup

¾ cup

1 ¼ cup

1 ¼ cup

Granola

⅛ cup

⅛ cup

¼ cup

¼ cup

¹ Select two of the five components for a reimbursable snack. Only one of the two components may be a beverage.

² Larger portion sizes than specified may need to be served to children 13 through 18 years old to meet their nutritional needs.

³ 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. Must be unflavored low-fat (1 percent), unflavored fat-free (skim), or flavored fat-free (skim) milk for children six years old and older.

⁴ Alternate protein products must meet the requirements in Appendix A to Part 226.

⁵ Yogurt must contain no more than 23 grams of total sugars per 6 ounces.

⁶ Pasteurized full-strength juice may only be used to meet the vegetable or fruit requirement at one meal, including snack, per day.

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

⁸ Beginning October 1, 2019, ounce equivalents are used to determine the quantity of creditable 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).

¹⁰ Beginning October 1, 2019, the minimum serving sizes specified in this section for ready-to-eat breakfast cereals must be served. Until October 1, 2019, the minimum serving size for any type of ready-to-eat breakfast cereals is ¼ cup for children ages 1-2; 1/3 cup for children ages 3-5; and ¾ cup for children ages 6-12.