{"id":3990,"date":"2014-12-12T18:38:00","date_gmt":"2014-12-13T00:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/live-gordon-food-service.pantheonsite.io\/smart-snacks-challenging-foods-and-beverages\/"},"modified":"2023-02-01T14:15:11","modified_gmt":"2023-02-01T20:15:11","slug":"smart-snacks-challenging-foods-and-beverages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gfs.com\/es-us\/ideas\/smart-snacks-challenging-foods-and-beverages\/","title":{"rendered":"Smart Snacks – Challenging Foods and Beverages"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the implementation of USDA\u2019s Smart Snacks in School nutrition <\/a>standards, many schools are finding some favorite snack foods challenging to serve. Here are some options that demonstrate ways to serve challenging foods and beverages while still meeting nutrition rules.<\/p>\n

How to Serve Challenging Food and Beverages in Schools<\/h2>\n

Eggs<\/h3>\n

Eggs are naturally high in fat. In fact, of the calories in an egg, about 60 percent of them are from fat. In order to meet Smart Snacks requirements, items must contain \u2264 35% calories from fat, meaning that eggs can be difficult to menu. But, don\u2019t fear! There are still some ways you can serve them \u00e0 la carte:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Menu eggs as an entr\u00e9e at breakfast twice a week; this will qualify them to be exempt from Smart Snacks standards the rest of the day and the following day (for both breakfast and lunch).<\/li>\n
  • Serve eggs with a slice of whole-grain bread, allowing the combination to qualify as either a snack or entr\u00e9e, depending on the nutritional content of the bread.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Coffee & Other Hot Beverages<\/h3>\n

    Caffeinated beverages, such as coffee, are only allowed in high schools, regardless of whether the beverage is brewed in a pot or dispensed from a hot beverage machine. To meet Smart Snacks standards, drinks must stay within calorie and portion-size restrictions:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Calorie-free beverages\u2014up to 20 fl. oz. serving.\n
        \n
      • < 5 calories per 8 fl. oz. or \u2264 10 calories per 20 fl. oz.<\/li>\n
      • Plain coffee would fit into this category.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
      • Lower-calorie beverages\u2014up to 12 fl. oz. serving.\n
          \n
        • \u2264 40 calories per 8 fl. oz. or \u2264 60 calories per 12 fl. oz.<\/li>\n
        • Milk, cream, and sweeteners may be added to coffee and other drinks, but the beverage must stay within the above calorie guidelines.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
        • Espresso combined with steamed\/boiled (1% or skim) milk, and\/or ice is allowed, but if any flavoring is added, the beverage must meet calorie guidelines.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          Smoothies<\/h3>\n

          Smoothies may be sold as a food or beverage, depending on the ingredients used to make the smoothie.<\/p>\n

          Beverage<\/strong><\/p>\n

          When the smoothie contains only approved beverages (100% juice, fat-free or low-fat milk, water, or ice) it would automatically meet standards, but it must stay within portion requirements\u2014up to 8 fl. oz. for elementary schools, and up to 12 fl. oz. for middle schools and high schools.<\/p>\n

          If the smoothie contains added sweeteners or other ingredients, it must meet the \u201clower-calorie\u201d beverage standards (\u2264 40 calories per 8 fl. oz. or \u2264 60 calories per 12 fl. oz.) and can only be served in high schools.<\/p>\n

          Food<\/strong><\/p>\n

          If the smoothie contains one of the main food group categories as the first ingredient, and meets the specific nutrient standards, it can count as a food.<\/p>\n

            \n
          • Entr\u00e9e: If the smoothie contains a meat alternate (yogurt, peanut butter) and a    fruit or vegetable, it meets the definition of an entr\u00e9e item and may be sold as such.<\/li>\n
          • Snack: If the smoothie does not contain a meat alternate, then it would not qualify as an entr\u00e9e. However, if it meets the general and nutrient standards for snacks, it may be sold as such.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            If a smoothie is served as a breakfast entr\u00e9e in the School Breakfast Program, it is exempt from Smart Snacks standards and may be sold \u00e0 la carte the day of and day after service.<\/p>\n

            Peanut Butter\/Cheese<\/h3>\n

            Peanut butter and cheese are naturally high in fat, however they are exempt from fat limits when sold alone. When combined with other items (bread, crackers, fruit, or vegetables) they would have to meet additional standards.<\/p>\n

              \n
            • With bread\u2014Peanut butter or cheese combined with whole-grain bread would be considered an entr\u00e9e. All entr\u00e9e items must meet Smart Snacks general and nutrient standards unless served as part of the National School Lunch Program, in which case they could be sold \u00e0 la carte the day of and day after service.<\/li>\n
            • With fruit\/vegetables\u2014These snacks qualify as \u201cpaired exemptions\u201d and are only required to meet calorie and sodium requirements (do not have to meet fat, saturated fat, or sugar standards).<\/li>\n
            • With crackers\u2014Must meet one of the general standards and all nutrient standards in order to be sold.<\/li>\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

              When following nutrition standards, finding the right approach is the key to serving some favorites.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":3991,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[112,69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3990","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-k12-education","category-running-your-business"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSmart Snacks - Challenging Foods and Beverages<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gfs.com\/es-us\/ideas\/smart-snacks-challenging-foods-and-beverages\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_ES\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Smart Snacks - Challenging Foods and Beverages\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When following nutrition standards, finding the right approach is the key to serving some favorites.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/gfs.com\/es-us\/ideas\/smart-snacks-challenging-foods-and-beverages\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Gordon Food Service\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GordonFoodService\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-12-13T00:38:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-02-01T20:15:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/gfs.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/challenging-food-and-beverages-boiled-eggs.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"760\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Cody Rivers\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@GFSDelivers\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@GFSDelivers\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Cody Rivers\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Smart Snacks - 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