Hawaiʻi State Department of Education

Ka ʻOihana Hoʻonaʻauao o ke Aupuni Hawaiʻi

Nutrition Guidelines

We believe that nutritious meals are fundamental to student success. Our school meal programs are designed to provide students with essential food groups like milk, meats, grains, and vegetables, contributing to improved diets and higher overall nutrient intake, as supported by research. By serving over 100,000 meals daily during the school year, we actively support student learning, physical activity, and overall well-being.

Smart Snack Nutrition Guidelines

The chart below provides an easy reference to the nutrition guidelines for food and beverages sold and served to students on campus. 

Glossary of Terms

A glossary of terms related to school food

Smart Snack Nutrition Standards Resources:

Last reviewed 11/24/24.

Tools to assess compliance: 

Check if your snack is Smart Snack Approved.  

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

School Menu information

Special Meal Accommodations:

To request a meal modification please visit our special meal accommodation page for more information. 

Carbohydrate Counts

  • School carbohydrate counts are available for download on your school’s digital menu page. Menus by district are linked on our HIDOE school menus page.

Farm-to-School Media Releases

Read about Hawaiʻi public schools efforts to incorporate fresh, locally grown produce in their school meals:

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:
    [email protected]

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.