What are the current requirements for food substitutions for children with disabilities?
The current regulations outlined in Title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (7 CFR) sections 210.10(g) and 220.8(d) require that School Food Authorities (SFAs) make food and beverage substitutions for children whose disabilities restrict their diet. Under current requirements, before a meal substitution is made by SFAs for a child with a disability, the SFA must have documentation signed by a licensed physician that includes the following items: • Description of the student’s disability • Description of the student’s major life activity affected • Description of how the disability restricts the student’s diet • Foods to be omitted from the student’s diet • Foods to be substituted for omitted foods in the student’s diet To assist SFAs to meet the current requirements, the CDE’s NSD developed a medical statement form for licensed physicians to complete and sign, which can be found at the following Web page: http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/cr/documents/medstat.doc. SFAs must make menu substituti
