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Pelham City Schools Child Nutrition

Pelham City Schools strives to offer students with the best possible meals that provide essential nutrients to meet dietary guidelines.  These meals will be prepared and served under the best possible health and safety conditions to students, staff, and visitors of the school system.  We aim to develop the physical and academic development of our students by providing high quality and nutritious meals in a joyful manner to inspire healthy choices.

  • The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, Public Law 111-296 (Dec. 2010)

    • Requires the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop nutrition standards for “competitive foods” - items sold in vending machines, snack bars, and a la carte lines in competition to the reimbursable school meal
    • Requires USDA to update the current meal pattern (nutrition standards) for school meals
    • Does NOT affect food brought from home or served in classroom parties. Please refer to the District Wellness Procedure Handbook for more guidance on classroom parties

    USDA's Meal Pattern (Nutrition Standards) for School Meals establishes maximum calorie/sodium limits for school meals

    • Requires schools to serve larger portions of fruits and vegetables. Students must take at least 1/2 cup serving of a fruit or vegetable per reimbursable meal. Schools must also offer a minimum number of servings of dark green vegetables, orange/red vegetables, and legumes per week
    • As of July 1st, 2022:
    • 80% of grains offered to students must be whole grain-rich
    • Requires milk to be 1% or nonfat
    • Maintains current limits on fat: no more than 1/3 of school lunch (1/4 of school breakfast) calories can come from fat; less than 10% from saturated fat
    • will modify the proposed sodium standards and establish Sodium Target 1 as the sodium limit for school lunch and breakfast in SY 2022-2023 as proposed, but implement a Sodium Interim Target 1A effective for school lunch beginning in SY 2023-2024
    • USDA's New "Smart Snacks Nutrition Standards for All Foods Sold in Schools (July 2014) established nutrition standards for any food sold in schools, including fundraisers
    • Additional information on Smart Snacks in Schools can be found at: https://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/tools-schools-focusing-smart-snacks
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. 

Program information may be made available in languages other than English.  Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. 

To file a program discrimination complaint, s Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA.  The letter must contain the complainant's name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation.  The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by: 

(1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;


(2) fax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or


(3) email:
[email protected].

 The enclosed “nondiscrimination” language herein was added pursuant to the May 5, 2022, USDA memorandum. However, although included as currently required for audit compliance by the USDA, the State of Alabama objects to its inclusion, applicability, and the application of this language due to currently pending legal challenges in the matter of The State of Tennessee, et al. v. USDA, et al., Case No. 3:22-cv-00257, and may be subject to change or removal. 

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.