Winfield City Child Nutrition Program
2025-2026
Student/Parent Information
The administration of the Winfield City School System believes that good nutrition is very important to learning and that every child has the right to nutritious meals. Winfield City School Lunch Programs are required to meet The Healthy, Hunger - Free Kids Act of 2010 Smart Snacks in Schools and The Alabama State Wellness Guidelines.
Students select three or more of the five menu items offered: entrée, vegetable, fruit, bread, and milk for lunch and three or more of the four menu items offered for breakfast. This year, students must select a fruit with breakfast, a fruit or vegetable at lunch. They may also purchase additional items along with the meal. These are extra sale items and prices on these items are subject to change. Please encourage your child to make good food choices, practice portion control and exercise daily.
The Federal Child Nutrition Program does not allow for competing foods in the lunchrooms so please do not bring in food from outside sources (restaurants or snack machines). Students are not allowed to leave campus during lunch or breakfast. Students are permitted to bring lunch from home if the lunch is in a lunchbox or brown paper bag. If you do choose to send a lunch from home, please make sure it is a nutritious lunch with fruits and vegetables.
Community Eligibility Provision
For School Year 2025-2026 Winfield City will participate in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). CEP is a key provision of the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010, which allows schools and school districts in low-income areas to eliminate school meal applications and serve breakfast and lunch at no charge to all enrolled students.
No further action is required of you. This USDA provision allows your child(ren) to participate in the school meal programs without having to pay a fee or submit a meal application. Parents do not need to complete a Free/Reduced lunch application.
Free/Reduced Meal Applications
Free/Reduced Applications are not required this school year 2025-2026.
Charged Meal Policy
Charged meals are not considered an allowable expense. Therefore, all uncollected charges will be the responsibility of the school where the charge was made. Extra items may not be charged.
A la Carte Items
Extra items can be purchased in the lunchroom. It is the parent’s responsibility to provide money for your child. Extra items may not be charged. Please discuss with your child if they may purchase extra items in the lunchroom. Extra items must be paid for in advance or at the time of service. You may deposit daily, weekly, monthly or yearly in your child’s lunch account. You can now pay by credit card online using PayPAMS or you can pay in the lunch with cash or a check. A transaction fee will be charged for each credit card transaction.
Parents may go to www.winfield.k12.al.us for instructions on how to sign up to view their child’s meal history through PayPAMS (www.paypams.com).
If your child has a medical condition where they need special food requirements, a physician’s order must be on file in the School Nurse’s Office and Child Nutrition Manager’s Office.
Lunch menus are posted in all schools, and on the website at www.winfield.k12.al.us.
Student Breakfast Prices Lunch Prices
Reduced Price…$0.00 Reduced Price...$0.00
Regular Price… $0.00 Regular Price...$0.00
USDA and Alabama Smart Snacks Standards in Schools and Fundraising
Winfield City Schools shall provide a consistent environment that is conducive to healthful eating behaviors during school hours. The school campus shall reflect healthy nutrition environments. Schools must not establish policies, class schedules, bus schedules or other barriers that directly or indirectly restrict access to and compete with meal schedules.
Healthy and appealing foods shall be available through cafeteria meals and a la carte items. Foods served and/or sold through the cafeteria shall adhere to the Smart Snacks in School standards established by USDA and the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Portion sizes, calories, sodium, fat, and sugar limits must comply with the requirements as described by the USDA Smart Snacks in School Standards.
Every school shall ensure that all foods sold in vending machines, school stores, and cafeterias are in compliance with the USDA Smart Snacks in Schools standards. The School Food Authority (SFA) may wish to utilize focus group(s), survey, and other methods to evaluate and approve items that are in compliance with USDA Smart Snacks in Schools standards. Healthy products must be priced at a level to encourage students to purchase items.
Amendments made by Section 208 of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 required the Secretary of Agriculture to establish nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools, other than food sold under the school lunch and breakfast programs. Food sold will follow the Smart Snacks in School Standard, or “Nutrition Standards for All Foods Sold in School FNS-2011-0019.” Food items in competition with the CNP scheduled meal times may not be sold or provided free of charge to students. This includes, but is not limited to food items purchased through school organizations and those donated from outside sources. To encourage students to eat healthy meals, schools are required to restrict student access to concessions, extra sales, vending, and fundraisers one hour before or after meal periods. Therefore, schools may not schedule sales of such items immediately before or after meals that would compete with the meal service.
Nutrition Standards for Foods Sold Individually
(exempts reimbursable meals in the cafeteria)
Smart Snacks in Schools guidelines as established by USDA
ANY food sold in school must:
• Be a “whole grain-rich grain product”; or
• Have as the first ingredient a fruit, a vegetable, a dairy product, or a protein food; or
• Be a combination food that contains at least ¼ cup of fruit and/or vegetable
Foods must also meet several nutrient requirements:
• Calorie Limits: Snack items must be 200 calories or less; Entrée items 350 calories or less
• Sodium Limits: snack items 200 mg or less; Entrée items 400 mg or less
• Fat Limits: Total Fat-35% of calories or less; Saturated Fat-less than 10% of calories; Trans Fat-zero grams
• Sugar Limits: 35% or less of weight from total sugar
Accompaniments
Anything such as ketchup, salad dressing, etc. must be included in the nutrient profile as part of the food item sold to help control the amount of calories, fat, sugar, and sodium added to foods.
School Definitions:
• Elementary Schools Pre K – Grade 54
• Middle Schools Grades 5 – 8
• High Schools Grades 9 – 12
Beverage Portion Sizes
ALL SCHOOLS MAY SELL:
1) Plain water (with or without carbonation), 2) Unflavored low fat milk, 3) Unflavored or flavored fat free milk, 4) 100% fruit or vegetable juice, 5) 100% fruit or vegetable juice diluted with water (with or without carbonation), no added sweeteners, 6) no more than 20-ounce portions of calorie-free, flavored water (with or without carbonation); and other flavored and/or carbonated beverages that are labeled to contain less than 5 calories per 8 fluid ounces or 10 calories or less per 20 fluid ounces, 7) no more than 12 ounce portions of beverages with 40 calories or less per 8 fluid ounces, or 60 calories or less per 12 fluid ounces.
Portion size limitation by school categories:
• Elementary schools may sell up to 8-ounce portion of milk or juice
• Middle schools and High schools may sell up to 12 ounces portion of milk or juice
• There is no portion size limit for plain water.
Fundraising Activity Guidelines
School Day
School Day means, for the purpose of competitive food standards implementation, the period from midnight, to 30 minutes after the end of the official school day.
Fundraising Activities
Fundraising activities that involve the selling of food should reinforce food choices that promote good health. Allowable Fundraising on School Campuses:
• Sold in competition with school meals. Example: Fruit
• Foods that do not meet the USDA Smart Snacks in School standards, but are not consumed at school. Example: Cookie Dough Sales
• Non-food item. Example: School Supplies
• Food fundraisers which meet exempt fundraising definition.
Exempt Fundraiser Definition
An exempt food fundraiser is defined as the sale of food items that do not meet the USDA Smart Snacks in School standards and are sold during the school day. A school may sponsor up to and not to exceed 30 exempt fundraisers per year, for no more than one (1) day each in length. Exempt fundraiser food is prohibited from being sold as a la carte item, in vending machines or in school stores, or before school, on school campus. Food sold as part of exempt fundraisers may not be sold one (1) hour before or after meal periods. Example: If lunch ends at 12:30 p.m. then the fundraiser could not start until 1:30 p.m.
Physical Activity
At a minimum, students will receive the Physical Education State Course of Study recommendation for per day activity and students will be encouraged to fully embrace regular physical activity as a personal behavior at school and at home. Waiver for exemption to physical education requirements must be approved by the State Department of Education.
For other information about the Child Nutrition Program, please call Sandy McCaleb, Director of Child Nutrition Programs at the Winfield City Board of Education Office, 205- 487-0228 or email smccaleb@winfield.k12.al.us.
Breakfast Benefits
Breakfast at school is. . .
• Convenient
• Inexpensive
• Packed with good nutrition
• Linked to improved academic performance
• Available at free, reduce or paid price
• Available every day of the school year
What if I don’t have time to feed my child breakfast at home?
Early morning and crazy schedules make breakfast difficult some days. You don’t have to worry about your child missing a meal, because breakfast is served at school at the following times:
Will my child benefit from eating breakfast?
School breakfast will give your child a healthy start to the day. A nutritious breakfast helps students be more alert so they can learn more in class. School breakfast is also packed with vitamins and nutrients, to help make a strong healthy body.
Nutritional Benefits of Breakfast
• Adolescents who eat breakfast tend to have a lower body mass index (BMI)
• Studies have shown that children who eat breakfast on a regular basis are less likely to be overweight.
• Eating breakfast provides more important nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, such as calcium, dietary fiber, folate, and protein.
• Eating breakfast as a child is important for establishing healthy habits for later in life.
Academic Benefits of Breakfast
• Eating breakfast has been shown to help improve math, reading, and standardized test scores.
• Breakfast helps children pay attention, perform problem-solving task and improves memory.
• Children who eat school breakfast are likely to have fewer absences and incidents of tardiness than those who do not.
We hope that you and your child have a great school year!
This is an equal opportunity provider.
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, 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/ad-3027.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.
Departamento de Agricultura de Estados Unidos
Declaración de no discriminación
De acuerdo con la ley federal de derechos civiles y las normas y políticas de derechos civiles del Departamento de Agricultura de los Estados Unidos (USDA), esta entidad está prohibida de discriminar por motivos de raza, color, origen nacional, sexo, discapacidad, edad, o represalia o retorsión por actividades previas de derechos civiles.
La información sobre el programa puede estar disponible en otros idiomas que no sean el inglés. Las personas con discapacidades que requieren medios alternos de comunicación para obtener la información del programa (por ejemplo, Braille, letra grande, cinta de audio, lenguaje de señas americano (ASL), etc.) deben comunicarse con la agencia local o estatal responsable de administrar el programa o con el Centro TARGET del USDA al (202) 720-2600 (voz y TTY) o comuníquese con el USDA a través del Servicio Federal de Retransmisión al (800) 877-8339.
Para presentar una queja por discriminación en el programa, el reclamante debe llenar un formulario AD-3027, formulario de queja por discriminación en el programa del USDA, el cual puede obtenerse en línea en: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027s.pdf, de cualquier oficina de USDA, llamando al (866) 632-9992, o escribiendo una carta dirigida a USDA. La carta debe contener el nombre del demandante, la dirección, el número de teléfono y una descripción escrita de la acción discriminatoria alegada con suficiente detalle para informar al Subsecretario de Derechos Civiles (ASCR) sobre la naturaleza y fecha de una presunta violación de derechos civiles. El formulario AD-3027 completado o la carta debe presentarse a USDA por:
(1) correo: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; o
(2) fax: (833) 256-1665 o (202) 690-7442; o
(3) correo electrónico: program.intake@usda.gov
Esta institución es un proveedor que ofrece igualdad de oportunidades.