This document provides a comprehensive overview of cycle menu planning and USDA foods utilization for schools and RCCIs. It emphasizes the benefits of cycle menus, including efficiency in meal planning, cost reduction, and improved student participation. The document also outlines practical steps for effective menu creation, resource management, and safety considerations.

1. Cycle Menu Planning &
USDA Foods Utilization
Rose Wolterbeek, SNS, MA
Nevada Department of Agriculture
March 1, 2016

2. Goal: An Introduction to Cycle
Menu Planning & USDA Foods
Utilization
Professional Standards Learning Codes: 1000 Nutrition,
1100 Menu Planning, 1120 Cycle Menus, 1170 USDA Foods

3. Agenda:
 Cycle Menu Benefits
 Planning Your Cycle Menu
 USDA Foods in a Cycle Menu
 NV USDA Foods Update

4. Why a Cycle Menu?
 Cycle Menus can help schools and RCCIs serve tasty meals that fit within the United
States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) meal guidelines.
 Reduces the labor/time involved in planning menus;
 Helps reduce plate waste through use of tried and tested meals;
 Reduces foods costs by allowing more foods to be ordered in bulk;
 Price them out based on current year pricing; this can be done in advance.

5. Why a Cycle Menu?
 Cuts ordering/purchasing time due to repeated use of foods/meals;
 May increase participation through planning of the most popular meals;
 Helps with purchasing and effective use of kitchen inventory and staffing;
 Seasonal adjustments can be made for Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer, featuring
local foods in season with cultural flavors;
 The cycle menus must meet the Target 1 sodium levels.

6. Why a Cycle Menu?
 USDA Foods & State Processed Foods can be planned out in advance
 Can produce standardized recipes for all of your kitchen sites to include:
 dark green vegetables
 red/orange vegetables
 beans/legumes
 whole grain rich foods
 Nutrient analysis done in advance for age/grade groups
 USDA Worksheets can be done in advance for “plan check” compliancy

7. How to plan a cycle menu:
Nuts & bolts
 Start with current menu for age/grade group requirements and meal pattern in
place; make adjustments from there.
 Determine length of cycle to best meet needs of your operation: for example, three
week cycle breakfast and five week cycle for lunch
 First look at current menu and most popular items for maximum participation.
 What is working well, and what needs improvement with your current menu?

8. How to plan a cycle menu:
Nuts & bolts
 Use the same core menu and adjust for age/grade groups: for example, you may
need to add items to high school menu from the middle school menu for a calorie
booster or grain item, such as a string cheese serving or graham crackers (M/MA or
grain item)
 Plug cycle menu “plan” into USDA worksheets or menu analysis worksheets for
age/grade grouping by meal to determine if compliant:
“Green means Go!”

9. How to plan a cycle menu:
Nuts & bolts
 Look at staffing in kitchens to meet menu demands-look at when
large delivery items arrive so consider that day for lighter menu
planning options
 Consider kitchen prep/delivery schedules (with vendors for
example)
 Consider canned/frozen fruit on Monday for example in case
fresh produce delivery not there in time to meet fresh menu
items.
 Food Safety: consider scratch items mid-week for time to thaw
and cook meat for example in a safe manner.
 Food Safety: Friday items will probably not hold until the
following Monday. Most salad bar items will be discarded by
Friday.

10. How to plan a cycle menu
Best practices:
 Consider number of items served on front line for flow & efficiency
 Overlay breakfast menus with lunch menus to see if a variety of food and
color are offered throughout the cycle, especially with the entrée and fruit
items. The students will notice this!
 Don’t forget to send final draft to kitchen managers for production input.
 Look at Fresh Fruit and Vegetable program and/or Harvest of the Month to
cross promote featured Fruits & Vegetables on your menu
 Name that entrée: Carrot coins, Happy Sack Lunch, Crazy Corn

11. How to plan a cycle menu:
Best practices:
 Consider sport team schedules for example within your district; maximize sack
lunch options and hot food items accordingly for production.
 Consider festive days, such as potato bars in March, Thanksgiving type meal in the
Spring, and “Breakfast for Lunch” anytime of the year. Start some new trends in
your food establishments.
 Slow movers may need a “Lucky Tray Day” with non-food items, such as stickers,
pencils, trading cards
 Items may be introduced, and/or replaced throughout the cycle anytime if changes
occur within your operation
 Have fun with your menus! The students look forward to their favorite lunches at
your schools/sites.

12. Sample Cycle Menu Screenshots

14. How to utilize USDA Foods

15. How to utilize USDA Foods
 Brown Box/Bulk items-Beef, cheese, canned foods, frozen
items
 Processed Foods-Pizza, breakfast items, IW or bulk
 DOD Fresh-Fresh bulk produce
 All items are ordered in advance in CNP 2000; delivered monthly from State of
Nevada warehouses and/or DOD Fresh vendor/FAVORS

16. How to use USDA Foods with Cycle Menus
 USDA Foods (Brown Box)
 Entitlement + Shipping and Handling per case (out of pocket $$)
 Processed Foods
 Entitlement + Processing Fee (out of pocket $$) + Shipping and
Handling (out of pocket $$)
 DOD Fresh
 ONLY entitlement—no out of pocket costs!

17. How to use USDA Foods with Cycle Menus
 USDA Foods Bulk
1 case of frozen corn (draws down entitlement funds + $2.50 S/H)
Total cost=$2.50
 Processed Foods- Approved list from State
1 case of mozzarella string cheese (draws down entitlement + $13.34 processing
+$2.50 S/H)
Total cost=$15.84; draws down entitlement funds
 DOD Fresh Produce
1 case of apples (draws down entitlement funds)
Total cost=$0
**Note: funds must be diverted in advance!

18. Milk .21
Breadsticks .14
Nuggets .37
(proc plus s/h)
Apple 0
(DOD entitlement .24)
Carrots .17
Potatoes .02
(USDA Foods)
Total food
budget=0.91
Sample Food Cost of meal w/ USDA Foods
pricing:

19. Sample Food Cost of meal w/ USDA Foods
pricing:
Milk .21
String Cheese
(w/USDA Foods) .09
Apple juice .14
Fresh apple 0
Total food cost=0.44
Add WGR
Grain!

20. USDA Foods Available List

21. How to utilize USDA Foods

22. How to utilize USDA Foods

23. How to utilize USDA Foods

24. How to utilize USDA Foods

25. How to utilize USDA Foods

26. How to utilize USDA Foods

27. How to utilize USDA Foods
 Buy American Provision
 Washington
 New York
 Michigan
 Pennsylvania
 California
 Georgia
 New Jersey
 Washington

28. State of Nevada USDA Foods update
 RFP in the works-in final stages for upcoming release to the public
 Entitlement: Check your balances and use it up!
 DOD Fresh Produce: If interested, please contact NDA
 Entitlement balances are uploaded and ready to be viewed now
 Surveys in CNP 2000 to be posted soon for 2016/17 School Year

29. Resources for Menu Planning:
 Nevada Department of Agriculture: http://agri.nv.gov/Food/FoodNutrition_Home/
 Healthier Kansas Menus: http://www.kn-
eat.org/SNP/SNP_Menus/SNP_Resources_Healthier_Kansas_Menus.htm
 Menus that Move-Ohio Department of Education:
http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Other-Resources/Food-and-Nutrition/Resources-
and-Tools-for-Food-and-Nutrition/Menus-that-Move
 What’s Cooking Nebraska Department of Education:
http://healthymeals.nal.usda.gov/state-sharing-center/nebraska
 Team Nutrition Menu Planning: http://healthymeals.nal.usda.gov/menu-planning-0
 USDA Foods: http://healthymeals.nal.usda.gov/menu-planning/usda-food-
commodity-resources

30. Professional Standards Learning Topics:
1000 Nutrition
1100 Menu Planning, 1120 Cycle Menus & 1170 USDA Foods
 You Tube Archive NDA site:
 Upcoming Webinars in April:
Annual Application Renewal
 Upcoming Regional Procurement Trainings April 2016:
Elko, Las Vegas, & Reno/Sparks
https://www.youtube.com/user/nevadaagriculture

31. Questions?
Type in text box at this time or raise hand