The Vegetable Subgroup List

Overview

This list of vegetables found in each of the required vegetable subgroup categories is intended to support school food authorities to incorporate seasonality and variety in their school menus. Note that this list is not all-inclusive and for serving size recommendations visit the respective meal pattern page.

• The meal pattern for the National School Lunch Program requires a minimum weekly offering of vegetables from each vegetable subgroup category.
  
  
• The meal pattern for the School Breakfast Program allows schools to substitute vegetables for fruits. For School Year (SY) 2026–27 only, schools may substitute any vegetable in place of fruit at breakfast on two or more days per school week without offering at least two different vegetable subgroups.

1. Dark Green Vegetables
   
   
   • Arugula lettuce
   • Bok choy
   • Broccoli and broccoli rabe
   • Butter head lettuce (Boston, bibb)
   • Chard
   • Cilantro
   • Collard greens
   • Dark green leafy lettuce
   • Kale
   • Mesclun
   • Mixed dark leafy (includes romaine, chicory, escarole, and endive)
   • Mustard greens
   • Parsley
   • Red leaf lettuce
   • Romaine lettuce
   • Seaweed (laver)
   • Spinach
   • Turnip greens
   • Watercress

2. Red and Orange Vegetables
   
   
   • Acorn squash
   • Butternut squash
   • Carrots and 100% carrot juice
   • Hubbard squash
   • Orange and red peppers
   • Pumpkin
   • Sweet potatoes and yellow yams
   • Tomatoes and 100% tomato juice

3. Beans, Peas, and Lentils
   
   
   • Black beans
   • Black-eyed peas (mature, dry)
   • Edamame (soybeans)
   • Garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
   • Kidney beans
   • Lentils
   • Lima beans (mature), including fava and mung
   • Navy beans
   • Pinto beans
   • Soy beans
   • Split peas
   • White beans

4. Starchy Vegetables
   
   
   • Cassava
   • Corn
   • Fresh cowpeas, field peas, or black-eyed peas (not dry)
   • Green bananas
   • Green lima beans
   • Green peas
   • Jicama
   • Lima beans (immature)
   • Parsnips
   • Plantains
   • Taro
   • Water chestnuts
   • White potatoes
   • White yams

5. Other Vegetables (includes fresh, frozen and canned vegetables, cooked, or raw)
   
   
   • Artichokes
   • Asparagus
   • Avocado
   • Bamboo shoots
   • Bean sprouts
   • Beets
   • Brussels sprouts
   • Cabbage (green, red, napa/celery)
   • Cactus
   • Cauliflower
   • Celery
   • Chives
   • Cucumbers and pickles
   • Eggplant
   • Garlic
   • Green beans
   • Green peppers
   • Iceberg (head) lettuce
   • Mung bean sprouts
   • Mushrooms
   • Okra
   • Olives
   • Onions
   • Purple bell peppers
   • Radishes
   • Seaweed (wakame)
   • Snow peas
   • Summer squash (e.g. zucchini, yellow, spaghetti)
   • Tomatillos
   • Turnips
   • Wax beans
   • Yellow peppers
   • Plus any vegetable from lists 1, 2, and 3

6. Additional Vegetables to Reach Total
   
   
   • Mixed Vegetables (unknown amounts of each vegetable)
     
     

For more information on vegetables in Child Nutrition Programs, refer to the Vegetable section under on the USDA Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs . For general information visit the USDA MyPlate web page.