HealthierUS School Challenge Application Process

Grant Coordination and School SupportSchool Nutrition Training

and Programs

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Acknowledgements

This project has been funded at least in part with Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the view or policies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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Our Responsibility to Children

“Schools have the unique opportunity – even the responsibility – to teach and model healthful eating and physical activity, both in theory and in practice… Therefore, schools have a vested interest in improving the nutrition and increasing the physical activity of their students.”

Dr. Satcher, former U.S. Surgeon General and founding chair of Action for Healthy Kids.

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Vision

The HealthierUS School Challenge (HUSSC) was established to recognize schools that are creating healthier school environments through promotion of good nutrition and physical activity.

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Background

Four levels of performance are awarded:

Bronze

Silver

Gold

Gold Award of Distinction

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Goal

The overarching goal of the HUSSC is to improve the health of the nation’s children by promoting healthier school environments.

To meet the goal, schools must:1. Improve the quality of the foods served

2. Provide students with nutrition education

3. Provide students with physical education and opportunities for physical activity

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Purpose of HUSSC

• Schools should take a leadership role in helping students make healthy eating and activity choices.

• USDA wants to recognize nationally a school’s commitment to the health and well-being of its students.

• Schools can be certified Gold Award of Distinction, Gold, Silver, or Bronze for this commitment.

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HUSSC Guiding Principles

Schools will:• Commit to meeting criteria for four years• Meet all the School Meals Initiative (SMI)

requirements• Serve reimbursable meals that reflect good menu

Planningprinciples • Ensure students can select a meal that meets

HUSSC criteria• A significant portion of the menu items planned

for the Challenge criteria should be routinely selected by the students

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HUSSC Guiding Principles

To qualify, a school must:

submit a formal application

meet menu criteria for fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and milk

submit a local school wellness policy

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What is a good school meal program?

One that:• Promotes healthy food and beverage

choices to students while eliminating or reducing energy dense choices

• Provides menus that give each student the opportunity to select a meal that models the principles of the 2005 Dietary Guidelines

• Provides age appropriate portion sizes and good nutrition messages that focus on whole foods

• Provides meals that are pleasing to the eye and palate, and introduces a wide variety of nutritious foods to children

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Award Level Criteria

• School is enrolled as a Team Nutrition (TN) school• Reimbursable lunches meet USDA nutrition standards• Average Daily Participation (ADP) for lunch meets or

exceeds a minimum:

Bronze Silver GoldGold Award of Distinction

Elementary Schools No Minimum 60% 70% 70%

Middle Schools No Minimum 60% 70% 70%

High Schools No Minimum 45% 65% 65%

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ADP Calculation

1. Go to http://www.michigan.gov/meis

2. Pull up SM-4012-SL claim for school

3. ADP = Total servings (lunch) ÷ number of days served ÷ by student enrollment x 100

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Bronze/Silver Menu Criteria (Weekly)

1 Fruit serving daily• at least ¼ cup serving size• different fruit each day (fresh, frozen, canned, dried)• 100% fruit juice can be counted only once per week• 1 serving of fresh fruit weekly

1 Vegetable serving daily• at least ¼ cup serving size• 100% vegetable juice can be counted only once per week• 3 days per week must be dark green/ orange vegetable*• ¼ C minimum serving of dry beans/peas (legumes) must be offered each week

*of the 3, at least 2 must be different

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Bronze/Silver Menu Criteria (Weekly)

1 Whole Grain food serving 3 or more days

• a variety of choices must be offered

1 Milk serving daily• only lowfat (1% or less) and fat-free (skim) milk • flavored or unflavored

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Gold Awards Menu Criteria (Weekly)

1 Fruit serving daily• at least ¼ cup serving size• different fruit each day (fresh, frozen, canned, dried)• 100% fruit juice can be counted only once per week • 2 servings fresh fruit weekly

1 Vegetable serving daily• at least ¼ cup serving size• 100% vegetable juice can be counted only once per week• 3 days per week must be dark green or orange vegetable*• ¼ C minimum serving of dry beans/peas (legumes) must be offered each week

*of the 3, at least 2 must be different

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Gold Awards Menu Criteria (Weekly)

1 Whole grain food serving daily• a variety of choices must be offered

1 Milk serving daily• only lowfat (1% or less) and fat-free (skim) milk • flavored or unflavored

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Dark Green or Orange Vegetables

The following are the only foods that meet the HUSSC criteria for dark green or orange vegetables:

Acorn squash Collard greens Kale Spinach

Beet greens

Bok choy

Dark green leafy …lettuce

Mesclun

Mustard greens

Sweet potatoes

Swiss chard

Broccoli Endive Pumpkin Turnip greens

Butternut squash Escarole Romaine lettuce Watercress

Carrots Hubbard squash

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Dry Beans or Peas (Legumes)

The following are the only foods that meet the HUSSC criteria for dry beans and peas:Black beans Kidney beans

Red beans

Soybeans, mature

Black-eyed peas, …mature

Lentils

Lima beans, matureGarbanzo beans …(chickpeas)

Navy (Pea) beans

Pink beans

Great Northern beans Pinto beans Split peas

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Whole Grain Foods• Whole grain food products must be at least the portion

size of one Grains/Breads serving as defined by the USDA Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs manual.

• Whole grain food products that meet HUSSC criteria are categorized into two groups:

o Group A – Food products with whole grain(s) as the primary ingredient by weight (whole grain is first ingredient on list)

o Group B – Food products with whole grain(s) as the primary grain ingredient by weight . For example:

• water is the first ingredient, whole grain is the second

• Whole grain food products from Group A must be the majority of whole grain foods offered each week.

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What is a Whole Grain?

Whole Grains consist of the entire cereal grain seed or kernel. The kernel has three parts – the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. Usually the kernel is cracked, crushed, or flaked during the milling process. If the finished product retains the same relative proportions of bran, germ, and edosperm as the original grain, it is considered a whole grain.

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Whole Grain Descriptions

When you see the following wording, you will know that, by regulation (FDA Standards of Identity), they describe whole grains that are used as ingredients:

• Cracked wheat• Crushed wheat• Whole wheat flour• Graham flour• Entire wheat flour• Bromated whole wheat flour• Whole durum wheat flour

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More Whole Grain Descriptions

A more comprehensive list of whole grains is provided as Attachment A of the Whole Grains Resource link found on page 1 of the application.

Common and usual names for other whole grains are noted below:

• The word whole listed before a grain, for example, whole corn

• The words berries and groats are also used to designate whole grains, for example, wheat berries or oat groats

• Rolled oats and oatmeal (including old-fashioned, quick-cooking, and instant oatmeal)

• Other whole grain products that do not use the word “whole” in their description, for example, brown rice, brown rice flour, or wild rice

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Not Whole GrainsGrain products (ingredients) that are not whole grains:

Flour has been designated by the FDA as the term for refined wheat flour. The following ingredients are not whole grains:

Flour Phosphated flour Hominy grits

White flour Self-rising flour Hominy

Wheat flour Self-rising wheat flour Farina

All-purpose flour Enriched self-rising flour Semolina

Unbleached flour Bread flour Degerminated corn meal

Bromated flour Cake flour Enriched rice

Enriched bromated flour Durum flour* Rice flour

Enriched flour Corn grits Couscous*

Instantized flour

*Can be whole grain. The words whole grain must be on the ingredient list.

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Competitive Foods Guidelines

All food sold /served outside the reimbursable school meals must meet specified criteria:

Bronze/Silver – during meal periods within foodservice areas

Gold/Gold of Distinction – throughout the school day and campus

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Competitive Foods Guidelines

≤ 35% of calories from fat (nuts, seeds, nut butters, and reduced-fat cheese exempt)

< 10% of calories from saturated fat (reduced-fat cheese exempt)

< 0.5 grams trans fat per serving (trans fat free)

≤ 35% of weight from sugar (F/V/Milk exempt)

≤ 480mg sodium per non- entrée, ≤ 600mg sodium per entreeFor Gold Award of Distinction:– ≤ 200mg sodium per non- entrée, ≤ 480mg sodium per

entrée– OR Physical Education is ≥ 150 minutes/week for

elementary schools

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Competitive Beverages Guidelines

• Milk: Only lowfat (1% or less) / fat-free (skim), flavored or unflavored milk - 8 oz limit

• Juice: 100% full strength fruit and vegetable juices - 6 oz limit (8 oz HS)

• Water: Unflavored water, no sweeteners (nutritive or non-nutritive), noncarbonated, caffeine-free

All beverages sold/served outside the reimbursable school meals must meet specified criteria:

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Why Apply?

• Improve the school nutrition environment

• Compliment local wellness policy efforts

• Provide valuable staff development

• Improve the image of your program

• Improve student health

• To gain recognition for what you are already doing

• Receive monetary incentives, award banner, media

attention and national, state, and community recognition

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$$$ Why Apply? $$$

USDA will offer financial incentives for each school certified under the current criteria. (The current criteria were revised and implemented in early 2009.)

$2,000 Gold of Distinction $1,500 Gold $1,000 Silver $500 Bronze

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Application Process

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Application Guidance and Menu Development Resources

• Criteria for HUSSC Awards•Criteria for Elementary Schools•Criteria for Secondary Schools•Comparison Criteria for All Schools

• Fact Sheets for Healthier School Meals

• Frequently Asked Questions

• Guidance on Vegetables, Dry Beans, and Peas

• HealthierUS School Vision

• Tips for States

• Whole Grains Resource

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Application Packet

http://healthymeals.nal.usda.gov/hsmrs/HUSSC/

General Information– Application Cover Sheet– Award Criteria Check List– Lunch Menu Worksheets (4 weeks)– Supporting Documentation for Menus/Foods– Nutrition Education Worksheet– Physical Activity Worksheet– Competitive Foods Worksheet– Schools Policies and Practices Checklist– Review Committee Verification Form– Application Check-Off Sheet

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Nutrition Education Worksheet

Nutrition Education is provided in Elementary Schools:

• To at least half of the grade levels• Integrated into classroom instruction• Though classroom, cafeteria and

home/parentsNutrition Education is provided in Middle and

High Schools• To at least one grade level in middle school• In at least two courses required for

graduation in the high school

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Physical Education/Activity

Elementary Schools• Structured physical education classes

– Bronze/Silver – 45 minutes/week

– Gold – 90 minutes/week

– Gold with Distinction – 150 minutes/week

• Unstructured daily opportunities for physical activity

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Physical Education/Activity

Secondary Schools• Structured physical education

classes to at least two grades

• Actively promoting participation in physical activities

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Competitive Foods WorksheetFor any foods or beverages outside the NSLP sold anytime during the school day, enter nutrition facts into the Calulator to see if the item meets HUSSC criteria.

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School Policies and Practices

Fundraising– Are primarily non-food items sold through school fundraising

activities?– Do food items meet competitive foods guidelines?

Physical Activity– Commitment to neither deny nor require physical activity as a

means of punishment?

Nutrition– Use of food as a reward prohibited?

Wellness Policy– Approved wellness policy included?

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Additional Documentation

Please submit the following additional documentation:

Copy of the School Wellness Policy and Team Nutrition Verification

Monthly menus for reimbursable school lunches served in your school (Menus must reflect four consecutive weeks where each week has at least three days and the total number of days over the 4-week menu is 16 days or more. For example: 3 days week 1; 3 days week 2; 5 days week 3; 5 days week 4 = 16 days)

Production records for the 4 weeks (for Gold and Silver Awards)

Documentation including recipes, food product ingredient statements, and/or Nutrition Facts labels to verify that the criteria have been met for the following: whole grain products, a la carte, snack bar, and vended items sold anytime, anywhere on the school campus

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Submit Application

Once application is complete, submit the application* in a 3-Ring Binder to:

School Nutrition Program and TrainingMichigan Department of Education608 W. AlleganLansing, MI 48933

*online option starting October 1, 2010

For technical assistance or questions, please contact us at 517-373-3347 or mde-schoolnutrition@michigan.gov

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Thank You