Offer Versus Serve Webinar presented by Catrina Peters of the Nevada Department of Agriculture. Presentation covers School Meal Pattern Basics, Lunch OVS, Breakfast OVS, and Resources Available.

1. Offer Versus Serve
Catrina Peters, MS, RD
School Nutrition Services Manager
Nevada Department of Agriculture
Food and Nutrition Division
November 5th, 2014

2. Today’s Agenda
• Housekeeping
• How to ask a question
• Slides will be posted in slideshare, youtube
• Meal Pattern Basics
• Lunch OVS Requirements
• OVS Examples
• Breakfast OVS Requirements
• OVS Examples
• Resources Available

3. Offer Versus Serve Success
• Menu planning is the first step
• Keeping the number of types of items within components
consistent can help site staff easily identify reimbursable
meals
• Extra, non creditable items can make component
“counting” more difficult
• Training Site Staff (and Students!) is the second step
• Staff must understand what constitutes a reimbursable
meal
• Students must also be shown what they can select

4. Lunch Menu Requirements
• All 5 food components must be offered at lunch
• If using multiple food lines, every line must offer the
required 5 food components to all students
• Senior high schools are required to use Offer Versus
Serve for lunch
• OVS optional for junior high, middle, and elementary
schools
• OVS is optional at Breakfast

5. Offer Versus Serve (OVS) - LUNCH
• Students must be offered all five required
components:
• meat/meat alternate
• grains
• fruit
• vegetables
• fluid milk

6. What Can Students Decline?
• Students are allowed to decline two of the five
required food components
• Must take three components
• One must be a ½ cup of fruit or a vegetable
• How do I communicate this to students?
• “Choose three or more, one must be a fruit or vegetable”
• “Choose at least three, one must be a fruit of veggie”
Is this the same as the number of “items” a student
must take?
No- if non creditable items are on the menu, they
don’t count towards the three components

7. What About Choices Between Components?
• Choice between components is not the same as OVS
• Example: choice of burrito or pizza, but students
must take all other components offered
• Not OVS
• Example: Serving students a burrito, milk, vegetable
and fruit choice (student must take one)
• Not OVS

8. Can I Do Both OVS and Offer Choices?
• Yes, you can do OVS and offer students choices
between components
• Example: If students had a choice of
• Pizza or burrito (M/MA and Grain)
• Baby carrots or buttery corn
• Choice of fresh fruit
• Choice of milk Student would only need to select
three of the five components:
Pizza & Fruit
Burrito & Corn
Pizza, Corn and Milk
Corn, Fruit and Milk

9. What About Portion Size?
• If the meat or grain component is offered in two food
items to meet minimum quantity, the component is only
credited if the student selects the required daily minimum
quantity for the grade group
• Example: if a pizza slice (1.5 oz) is offered in a high school with a cheese stick
(1 oz eq) both items would need to be taken to count as one component
• Example: If 1/2 cup of pasta (1 oz eq grains) is offered with a breadstick (1 oz
eq) in a high school, both items would need to be taken to count as one
component

10. That ½ Cup of Fruit of Vegetable….
• Can it be a combination of two vegetable subgroups?
• Can it be a combination of fruit and vegetable?

11. What About Signage?
• Students must be able to identify what constitutes
reimbursable meal
• Near or at the beginning of serving line
• Must have signage even if you aren’t implementing OVS

12. Now a round of question and answer….

13. Is this a reimbursable meal? (K-5)
WGR Mac n Cheese
1 oz M/MA credit
1.0 oz eq grain
1 Apple
3/4 Cup Carrots
YES: At least 3 components, at least one is a ½ cup fruit or
vegetable 13
1 cup milk

14. Is this a reimbursable meal? (K-5)
No, only 2 components--M/MA, Vegetable
14
1 oz String Cheese
½ Cup Carrots
½ Cup Salad

15. Is this a reimbursable meal? (k-5)
Sandwich
1 oz M/MA
1.0 oz eq grain ½ Cup Pear
½ Cup Salad
YES: At least 3 components, at least one is a fruit or vegetable
Bonus: What if
this was a high
school?
What would we
need to
consider?

16. Is this a reimbursable meal? (k-5)
YES: At least 3 components, at least one is a fruit or vegetable
Bonus: What if
this was a high
school?
What would we
need to
consider?

17. Is this a reimbursable meal? (k-5)
No, only 2 components--Grain, Vegetable

18. Breakfast

19. Offer Versus Serve-Breakfast
• Option for all age/grade groups
• At least four food items must be offered
• A food item is a specific food offered within a
component
• Example: Blueberry Muffin, Apple Slices, Orange
Juice, Milk
What are the components?
What are the items within each
component?

20.  3 Components must be offered
- Grain, Fruit and Milk
 Students must take at least ½
cup of fruit
 Minimum quantities of each
component must be offered
OVS-Breakfast

21. Breakfast Menu Requirements
21
Component Grades K-5 Grades 6-8 Grades 9-12
Grain 1 oz equivalent
Minimum Daily
7 oz equivalents
Minimum Weekly
1 oz equivalent
Minimum Daily
8 oz equivalents
Minimum Weekly
1 oz equivalent
Minimum Daily
9 oz equivalents
Minimum Weekly
Fruit 1 cup Minimum Daily
5 cups Minimum
Weekly
1 cup Minimum Daily
5 cups Minimum
Weekly
1 cup Minimum Daily
5 cups Minimum
Weekly
Milk 1 cup daily 1 cup daily 1 cup daily
Note: Full Strength juice may be offered to meet up to one-half of the weekly requirement

22. What About Vegetables?
• Vegetables or vegetable juice can be substituted for fruit
or fruit juice
• If a starchy vegetable is served, other subgroup minimum
quantity must be met
• 2 cups planned for the week must be from the:
• Dark green
• Red/orange
• Beans, peas, legumes
• Other vegetable subgroup

23. What About Substituting Meat/Meat Alternate?
• A meat/meat alternate can be substituted at
breakfast for a grain
• At least 1 oz eq of grain must still be offered
• Student does not have to select the grain item in
order of the meat/meat alternate to count
• A meat/meat alternate, ½ cup fruit and milk could be
a reimbursable meal

24. “Splitting” Large Items
• Larger items crediting as more than one ounce
equivalent, such as a 2 oz equivalent muffin, could
credit as 2 items
• At the discretion of menu planner
• Signage must still indicate what constitutes a
reimbursable meal
• Example: Menu items offered are muffin (2 oz eq),
cereal bowl (1 oz eq), orange slices (1/2 cup), apple
juice (1/2 cup) and milk
Student could select the following:
Muffin and orange slices
Cereal bowl, milk and juice
Muffin, orange slices and milk

25. Now a round of question and answer….

26. Is this a reimbursable meal? (K-5)
Yes, three items selected, ½ cup fruit

27. Is this a reimbursable meal? (9-12)
Yes, three items selected, ½ cup fruit

28. Is this a reimbursable meal? (k-5)
No, only two items

29. Is this a reimbursable meal? (K-8)
Yes, three items selected, ½ cup fruit
Bonus: What if
this was a high
school?

30. Is this a reimbursable meal? (K-5)
Yes, at least three items selected, ½ cup fruit

31. Is this a reimbursable meal? (9-12)
Yes, at least three items selected, ½ cup fruit

32. Is this a reimbursable meal? (k-5)
No—needs ½ fruit

33. Resources
http://www.fns.usda.gov/updated-offer-versus-serve-guidance-
national-school-lunch-program-and-school-breakfast-
program
• Updated August 2014
http://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/guidance-and-resources

34. Questions?