Nutrition Guidelines for Food, Beverages

Children who eat school lunches are more likely to consume milk, meats, grains and vegetables than students who bring lunch from home. They also tend to have higher nutrient intakes — both at lunch and over the course of an entire day. We make it a priority to ensure students get nutritious meals that fuel learning and physical activities. The Department serves more than 100,000 meals daily during the school year.

Nutrition Guidelines

The chart below provides an easy reference to the nutrition guidelines for food and beverages sold and served to students on campus. Click here to learn more about the Wellness Guidelines


Glossary of Terms

Click here to view a glossary of terms related to school food. 

Additional Resources

Calculators

Note: Do not use to calculate nutrition requirements for beverages.

  • Scratch-made items calculator, click here for the Alliance Product Calculator or click here for SELFNutritionData.

Carbohydrate Counts

  • Click here to view carb counts which are listed on the special meal accommodations page. 

Smart Snack Nutrition Standards

  • Click here for a summary of HIDOE Smart Snack Nutrition Standards for all foods/beverages sold or provided in schools.

‘Aina Pono: Harvest of the Month Nutrition Information

Okinawan Sweet Potato PieThe Hawaii State Department of Education (HIDOE) continues its efforts to include local agriculture in student meals through its 'Aina Pono: Harvest of the Month program. 

This November, participating public schools statewide will be serving Okinawan Sweet Potato Pie. For more information, click here. 

To view the carbohydrate count for the Okinawan Sweet Potato Pie, click here. 

Previous months of the 'Aina Pono: Harvest of the Month program featured: 

2017-2018 School Year

2018-2019 School Year


USDA Nondiscrimination Statement

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, a 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; or
  2. fax:
    (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
  3. email:
    program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.


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