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 fluid ounces

¾ cup or

6 fluid ounces

1 cup or

8 fluid ounces

1 cup or

8 fluid ounces

Vegetables, fruits, or portions of both⁴

¼ cup

½ cup

½ cup

½ cup

Grains (oz eq)^5,6,7

* Meat and meat alternates may be used to substitute the entire grains component a maximum of three times per week.
Oz eq = ounce equivalents

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 cereal⁸, cereal grain, and/or pasta

¼ cup

¼ cup

½ cup

½ cup

Whole grain-rich, enriched or fortified ready-to-eat breakfast cereal
(dry, cold)^8,9

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 Must serve all three components for a reimbursable meal. Offer versus serve is an option for at-risk afterschool participants.

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

⁵ 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.

⁶ Meat and meat alternates may be used to meet the entire grains requirement a maximum of three times a week. One ounce of meat and meat alternates is equal to one ounce equivalent of grains.

⁷ Beginning October 1, 2019, ounce equivalents are used to determine the quantity of creditable grains.

⁸ 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).

⁹ Beginning October 1, 2019, the minimum serving size 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.