Making the Grade

Making the Grade 2024-2025

Making the Grade provides regulation updates, product updates, great tools for school foodservice, and more. Don't have your copy of Making the Grade yet? Contact your Gordon Food Service Customer Development Specialist or download excerpts from the book using the links below.

If you have any suggestions or comments on this publication, please share them directly with the Nutrition Resource Center at (800) 968-4426 or nrc@gfs.com.

Menus & Product Lists

distribution centers: Grand Rapids & Brighton, MI; Kenosha, wi; springfield, oh; imperial, pa; shepherdsville, ky

Cycle Menus

Below are sample breakfast and lunch menus for grades K-8 and 9-12. Please check out the menu outlines, complete with serving sizes, reorder numbers, and school lunch equivalent information. K-12 menus meet the USDA Meal Pattern Guidelines (NSLP/SBP/SSO).

Please call the Nutrition Resource Center at 1-800-968-4426 for additional information.


Product Lists

Shop Gordon Food Service's most popular products for schools, organized in lists to help your program meet regulations. These lists are intended to assist in your menu planning to ensure you are using items with the appropriate documentation, therefore, it is recommended to only select items with confirmed documentation. Please note that manufacturers may change formulations, which can affect the content of products. It is good practice to verify information on the actual label of each product.

distribution centers: Plant city & miami, FL

Cycle Menus

Below are sample breakfast and lunch menus for grades K-8 and 9-12. Please check out the menu outlines, complete with serving sizes, reorder numbers, and school lunch equivalent information. K-12 menus meet the USDA Meal Pattern Guidelines (NSLP/SBP/SSO).

Please call the Nutrition Resource Center at 1-800-968-4426 for additional information.

Product Lists

Shop Gordon Food Service's most popular products for schools, organized in lists to help your program meet regulations. These lists are intended to assist in your menu planning to ensure you are using items with the appropriate documentation, therefore, it is recommended to only select items with confirmed documentation. Please note that manufacturers may change formulations, which can affect the content of products. It is good practice to verify information on the actual label of each product.

distribution centers: houston & dallas, tx

Cycle Menus

Below are sample breakfast and lunch menus for grades K-8 and 9-12. Please check out the menu outlines, complete with serving sizes, reorder numbers, and school lunch equivalent information. K-12 menus meet the USDA Meal Pattern Guidelines. (NSLP/SBP/SSO).

Please email the Nutrition Resource Center at nrc@gfs.com for additional information.


Product Lists

Shop Gordon Food Service's most popular products for schools, organized in lists to help your program meet regulations. These lists are intended to assist in your menu planning to ensure you are using items with the appropriate documentation, therefore, it is recommended to only select items with confirmed documentation. Please note that manufacturers may change formulations, which can affect the content of products. It is good practice to verify information on the actual label of each product.

distribution center: taunton, ma

Cycle Menus

Below are sample breakfast and lunch menus for grades K-8 and 9-12. Please check out the menu outlines, complete with serving sizes, reorder numbers, and school lunch equivalent information. K-12 menus meet the USDA Meal Pattern Guidelines (NSLP/SBP/SSO).

Please call the Nutrition Resource Center at 1-800-968-4426 for additional information.


Product Lists

Shop Gordon Food Service's most popular products for schools, organized in lists to help your program meet regulations. These lists are intended to assist in your menu planning to ensure you are using items with the appropriate documentation, therefore, it is recommended to only select items with confirmed documentation. Please note that manufacturers may change formulations, which can affect the content of products. It is good practice to verify information on the actual label of each product.

distribution center: aberdeen, md

Cycle Menus

Below are sample breakfast and lunch menus for grades K-8 and 9-12. Please check out the menu outlines, complete with serving sizes, reorder numbers, and school lunch equivalent information. K-12 menus meet the USDA Meal Pattern Guidelines (NSLP/SBP/SSO).

Please call the Nutrition Resource Center at 1-800-968-4426 for additional information.


Product Lists

Shop Gordon Food Service's most popular products for schools, organized in lists to help your program meet regulations. These lists are intended to assist in your menu planning to ensure you are using items with the appropriate documentation, therefore, it is recommended to only select items with confirmed documentation. Please note that manufacturers may change formulations, which can affect the content of products. It is good practice to verify information on the actual label of each product.

distribution center: Douglasville, ga

Cycle Menus

Below are sample breakfast and lunch menus for grades K-8 and 9-12. Please check out the menu outlines, complete with serving sizes, reorder numbers, and school lunch equivalent information. K-12 menus meet the USDA Meal Pattern Guidelines (NSLP/SBP/SSO).

Please call the Nutrition Resource Center at 1-800-968-4426 for additional information.

Product Lists

Shop Gordon Food Service's most popular products for schools, organized in lists to help your program meet regulations. These lists are intended to assist in your menu planning to ensure you are using items with the appropriate documentation, therefore, it is recommended to only select items with confirmed documentation. Please note that manufacturers may change formulations, which can affect the content of products. It is good practice to verify information on the actual label of each product.

If you have any suggestions or comments on this publication, please share them directly with the Nutrition Resource Center at (800) 968-4426 or nrc@gfs.com. 

distribution center: Kannapolis, nc

Cycle Menus

Below are sample breakfast and lunch menus for grades K-8 and 9-12. Please check out the menu outlines, complete with serving sizes, reorder numbers, and school lunch equivalent information. K-12 menus meet the USDA Meal Pattern Guidelines.

Please call the Nutrition Resource Center at 1-800-968-4426 for additional information.


Product Lists

Shop Gordon Food Service's most popular products for schools, organized in lists to help your program meet regulations. These lists are intended to assist in your menu planning to ensure you are using items with the appropriate documentation, therefore, it is recommended to only select items with confirmed documentation. Please note that manufacturers may change formulations, which can affect the content of products. It is good practice to verify information on the actual label of each product.

Additional Menu Support Tools

If you don’t see a menu specific to your DC, please reach out to your Sales Rep or nrc@gfs.com

Summer and Emergency Feeding Menus

This menu is based on Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) regulations and focuses on mainly individually wrapped items. Please select your menu based on the distribution center (city, state) listed below. 

SFSP Individually Wrapped Menu

This menu is based on Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) regulations and includes a combinations of items and simple recipes.

SFSP Individually Wrapped Menu Springfield, OH

SFSP Individually Wrapped Menu Shepherdsville, KY

SFSP Individually Wrapped Menu Brighton and Grand Rapids, MI

SFSP Individually Wrapped Menu Kenosha, WI

SFSP Traditional Menu

SFSP Traditional Menu Springfield, OH

SFSP Traditional Menu Shepherdsville, KY

SFSP Traditional Menu Brighton and Grand Rapids, MI

SFSP Traditional Menu Kenosha, WI

Menu Substitutions

Use the commodity product lists (based on the distribution center listed) below to help identify product substitutions, if needed.

Menu Substitutions Springfield, OH

Menu Substitutions Shepherdsville, KY

Menu Substitutions Brighton and Grand Rapids, MI

Menu Substitutions Kenosha, WI

Meal Service Solutions

Schools are continuously challenged to "think outside the box" during any public health emergency, the way that they prepare and provide meals to school-aged children. Waivers have allowed program operators to provide more than 1 days' worth of meals to eligible children with single-meal pick-up/delivery options. Although there are considerations that program coordinators must think through, this provides another avenue to support access to nutritious meals while minimizing potential exposure to the virus. 





KidZ.i.n.e

Explore these fun food topics. These pages include fun recipes, experiments, and activities to promote a healthy lifestyle, and good nutrition for your students.