N.M. Admin. Code § 6.12.16.7

Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 21, November 5, 2024

Section 6.12.16.7 - DEFINITIONS

A."Eligible meals" means meals served to full-price, paid students that qualify for reimbursement under the national school lunch program (NSLP) and the school breakfast program (SBP).

B."Federal free meal reimbursement" means the free meal reimbursement paid by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) under 42 U.S.C. 1759a for meals that qualify for reimbursement pursuant to the national school lunch program and the school breakfast program.

C."Federal paid meal reimbursement rate" means the paid reimbursement rate as set annually by the USDA under 42 U.S.C. 1759a for meals that qualify for reimbursement under the NSLP and the SBP.

D."Freshly prepared" means meal pattern components that are prepared and cooked for same dayconsumption utilizing scratch cooking or speed scratch preparation methods.

E."Healthy universal school meals program" means the universal school meals for children program created pursuant to the Healthy Hunger-Free Students' Bill of Rights Act.

F."Meal pattern components" means food groups established by the USDA in 7 C.F.R. § 226.20 to provide the basis for the NSLP and SBP meal patterns, each component of which is based on the nutrient content of the food items in each category, which shall include meats or meat alternates, grains, fruits, vegetables, and milk.

G."Meal quality improvement requirements" means performance standards created to improve school meal quality pursuant to the Healthy Hunger-Free Students' Bill of Rights Act.

H."National school lunch program" or "NSLP" means the federally assisted meal program that provides nutritious, low-cost, or free lunches to children in public schools, private schools, and residential childcare institutions.

I."Paid meal rate" means the paid student rate reported by the department to the USDA based on the average paid meal rate charged by school food authorities in the prior school year.

J."Reimbursable meal line" means the designated area in a school where students queue to receive meals that are eligible for reimbursement.

K."School breakfast program" or "SBP" means the federally assisted meal program that provides reimbursement to states to operate nonprofit breakfast programs in public schools, private schools, and residential childcare institutions.

L."School food authority" means public school districts, charter schools, Bureau of Indian Education schools, tribally controlled schools, and private schools that operate the NSLP and the SBP.

M."Scratch cooking" means the use of whole, fresh ingredients that may include, but are not limited to, raw proteins, whole grains, and fresh fruits and vegetables. This preparation method omits the utilization of premade commercial food products.

N."Speed scratch" means the blending of fresh ingredients together with pre-prepared and ready-made minimally processed ingredients that are processed in a way that does not fundamentally alter the product and does not substantially change the nutritional content, to prepare a meal for same day consumption.

O."Unprocessed and minimally processed products" means raw or frozen products, products that retain their inherent character, such as shredded carrots or ground beef, and dried products, such as beans, but does not include any products that are heated, cooked or canned.

P."Value-added processed products" means products that are altered from their unprocessed or minimally processed state through preservation techniques, including cooking, baking, or canning.

N.M. Admin. Code § 6.12.16.7

Adopted by New Mexico Register, Volume XXXV, Issue 18, September 24, 2024, eff. 9/24/2024