The Nutrition Guidelines Summary for Student Nutrition Programs developed by Toronto Public Health provides highlights of the key messages, a list of foods to serve or not serve, and quick tips on label reading for volunteers and staff at Student Nutrition Programs.
There are two types of Student Nutrition Programs – meals and snacks:
A Meal at a Student Nutrition Program (Breakfast, Morning Meal, Lunch) includes at least:
- One vegetable or fruit, plus
- One protein food, plus
- One whole grain food
Example of a Meal:
- Cucumber slices (Vegetables and Fruits)
- Cheese slices (Protein Foods)
- Whole wheat bread (Whole Grain Foods)
A Snack at a Student Nutrition Program includes at least:
- One vegetable or fruit, plus
- One protein food or one whole grain food
Example of a Snack:
- Banana (Vegetables and Fruits)
- Milk (Protein Foods)
Important Principles to Follow at Student Nutrition Programs
- Offer a variety of vegetables, fruits, protein foods and whole grain foods.
- Offer tap water at every meal or snack.
- Limit highly processed foods. This means offering fewer pre-packaged, ready-to-eat foods when possible.
- Practice safe food handling.
- Follow your school or centre’s Allergy and Anaphylaxis Policy.
- At least one person is on-site when the program is running who has completed a Food Safety and Nutrition Training for student nutrition programs within the last 2 years.
- Offer a pleasant eating environment, where children and youth are encouraged to listen to their hunger and fullness cues.
- Adjust the amount of food offered as needed. Where possible, offer larger portions of vegetables and fruit over other food categories.
Vegetables and Fruit
Serve vegetables and/or fruits at every meal and snack.
Examples of foods to Serve:
- Fresh vegetables and fruits
- Frozen vegetables and fruit with no added sugar, salt or sauce
- Unsweetened applesauce or fruit purées
- Canned fruit in water or 100% juice, drained
- Canned vegetables (drained and rinsed) and tomato sauce1
- Dried fruit with no added sugar2
Examples of foods on the Do Not Serve list:
- Vegetable and fruit juice, including 100% juice
- Fruit flavoured drink, punches, cocktails
- French fries, hash browns, instant potatoes, battered potato or vegetable
- Vegetable and fruit chips
- Dried fruit with sugar added
- Canned fruit in syrup
- Fruit flavoured candies (e.g. gummies, fruit rolls)
- High fat cream-based vegetable soups
- Raw sprouts, unpasteurized juice for food safety
1Choose products with less than or equal to 10% DV (daily value) sodium per serving.
2To reduce the risk of cavities, if dried fruit is offered, it should be with a meal including water and crunchy vegetables and fruit or cheddar cheese.
Whole Grains
- Choose products with whole grain, whole wheat, or bran listed first on the ingredient list.
- Products should have less than or equal to 8 grams of sugar per 30 g serving.
- Products should have less than or equal to 10% DV (daily value) of sodium per serving.
Examples of foods to Serve:
Whole grain or whole wheat bread products:
- Breads, English muffins, pitas, buns, rolls, tortilla, roti, pizza crust, flatbreads, bannock and pancakes
Whole grain grain-based snacks, baked goods, cereals, and other grains:
- Whole grain cereals, oatmeal
- Whole grain muffins, scones, granola bars
- Whole grain crackers, brown rice cakes (unflavoured and unsweetened)
- Popcorn (plain, unsalted, no butter)
- Whole grains (quinoa, oats, couscous, brown rice)
Examples of foods on the Do Not Serve list:
Bread products:
- Flavoured, sugar coated breads and bagels
Grain-based snacks, baked goods, cereals and other grains such as:
- Any item with chocolate, candy, marshmallow or yogurt dip or pieces
- Cakes, donuts, pies, squares, cookies
- Instant noodle soup
- Toaster pastries, pastries, croissants
- Tortilla chips
Protein Foods
Choose protein foods that come from plants more often.
Examples of foods to Serve:
Milk, milk alternatives, and dairy:
- Plain milk and yogurt less than or equal to 2% milk fat
- Unsweetened/unflavoured, fortified soy beverage
- Flavoured/sweetened yogurt with less than or equal to 11g of sugar per 100g serving and less than or equal to 2% milk fat
- Hard cheese, cheese strings with less than or equal to 20% milk fat (when possible)¹
Plant-based protein foods:
- Dried or canned beans, lentils (drained, rinsed)¹
- Nuts², seeds², and nut butters²
- Hummus¹, baked chickpeas¹, and plant-based burgers¹
- Lentil or chickpea pasta¹
Fish, eggs and meat:
- Eggs
- Fresh or frozen fish, meat
- Canned light tuna (drained, rinsed)¹
- Canned chicken/turkey (drained, rinsed)
Examples of foods on the Do Not Serve list:
Milk, milk alternatives, and dairy:
- 3.25% cow’s milk, unpasteurized milk and milk products
- Flavoured milk (e.g. chocolate, strawberry)
- Hot chocolate, milkshakes, cream
- Flavoured/sweetened plant-based drinks
- Drinkable yogurt
- Cheese with more than 10% DV sodium per serving
- Processed cheese slices
Plant-based protein foods:
- Salted, candied or coated nuts² or seeds²
- Tofu dessert
Fish, eggs and meat:
- Canned albacore tuna
- Meat pies
- Bacon, hot dogs, deli meats
- Pre-frozen breaded products
¹Choose products with less than or equal to 10% DV (daily value) sodium per serving.
²For nut and seed foods: always follow your school or centre’s Allergy and Anaphylaxis Policy.
Minor Ingredients
May be served in small amounts (approximately 1-2 tbsp./student unless otherwise noted)
- Condiments e.g. ketchup, cream cheese, mustard, 3 tbsp. salsa
- Gravies and sauces
- Dips e.g. salad dressings, sour cream, baba ganoush, and 3 tbsp. spinach dip
- Oils, mayonnaise e.g. butter, non-hydrogenated margarine Toppings and extras e.g. 4-5 olives, 2-3 tbsp. parmesan cheese, and one pickle
- Sweets and spreads e.g. honey, jam, jelly, fruit butter, syrup
Do Not Serve – Miscellaneous
These products contain few or no essential nutrients, and/or contain high amounts of salt, sugar, or unhealthy fats.
- Caffeinated food and beverages such as coffee, tea, and iced tea
- Diet pop, regular pop, energy drinks, sports drinks, flavoured or vitamin water
- Protein or meal replacement drinks and bars
- Candy, chocolate, marshmallows, jelly desserts, pudding, frozen treats (e.g. ice cream, frozen yogurt, slushies, frozen juice snacks)
- Hard margarine, lard or shortening, palm oil, foods with artificial trans fat
- Foods with sugar substitutes or sweeteners
Use the Nutrition Labels to Choose Products
Most packaged foods and beverages have a food label. This information is needed to determine if a food or beverage can be served at Student Nutrition Programs (SNP). Some things you need to know:
- Information in the nutrition facts table is based on a quantity called serving size. It may or may not be the amount of food that you choose to serve in your SNP.
- The % DV (daily value) shows how much (or how little) of a nutrient is in a food or beverage. 5% DV or less means there is a little of a nutrient and 15% DV or more means there is a lot.
- Look for foods and beverages with less than or equal to 10% DV (daily value) of sodium to serve in your SNP.
- Look for whole grain products with less than or equal to 8 grams of sugar per 30 gram serving.
- Look for flavoured yogurts with less than or equal to 11 grams of sugar per 100 gram serving.
- The ingredient list shows all the ingredients in a packaged food in order of weight, starting with the ingredient that weighs the most.
References and Additional Resources
