The Healthy Nutrition Guidelines for Cafeterias ensure that employees have healthy food and beverage choices. They apply to food served and sold through cafeterias, cafes, onsite retails, and other concessions.
The Guidelines are point-based. Larger food service venues must earn more points than smaller food service venues.
Small Food Service Venues
- Offer only pre-made and pre-packaged options and the food is prepared off-site and brought in to the food service location. A grab and go venue is an example.
- Only required to implement the basic criteria for food service venues (25 points)
Medium Food Service Venues
- Offer a smaller number of menu options including pre-made or quick-to-make options, such as soups and sandwiches. Delis, cafes, or food service operations with limited on-site preparation facilities are examples.
- Required to implement the basic criteria and earn 10 additional points (35 points)
Large Food Service Venues
- Offer a large menu of options that are made in-house, such as hot entrees, grill items, salad bars, bakery items, deli stations, etc. A full-service cafeteria or conventional food service operation is an example.
- Required to implement the basic criteria and earn 25 additional points (50 points)
Guidelines and Examples
- Implementation guide for cafeterias (PDF)
- Guidelines for cafeterias
- Recommended Foods and Beverages
- Healthy breakfast and refreshment examples – Sample meals that meet the Guidelines for breakfast and light refreshments.
- Healthy lunch and dinner examples – Sample meals that meet the Guidelines for lunch and dinner. This resource includes both plates and boxed meal options.
More Resources
- Reducing Sodium in Cafeterias
- Accommodating special dietary needs – Information on vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free diets.
- Strategies from other cafeterias