Title 42 › Chapter CHAPTER 35— - PROGRAMS FOR OLDER AMERICANS › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER III— - GRANTS FOR STATE AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS ON AGING › Part Part C— - Nutrition Services › Subpart subpart iii— - general provisions › § 3030g–21
A State that runs a nutrition program must use a dietitian or someone with similar training in nutrition, or if none is available, a person with comparable meal‑planning skills. The program must serve meals that follow the latest federal dietary guidance from the health and agriculture departments. Meals must give each older participant at least 33⅓ percent of the Dietary Reference Intakes if one meal is served per day, 66⅔ percent if two meals are served, and 100 percent if three meals are served. Meals should be adjusted as much as possible for medical needs and cultural preferences and should be appealing to participants. The program must let local providers design meals, try to keep meal transit time short, and encourage working with schools for shared intergenerational meals when possible. Congregate meals should be near where most older people live, and all food handling must follow state and local safety rules. Providers must get advice from a dietitian, meal participants, and others who know older adults’ needs. Area agencies may offer meals to volunteers and to persons with disabilities who live with eligible older people. Services must be available to older people and their spouses and may include non‑older disabled residents in mostly‑older housing. The program must include nutrition screening, education, and assessment/counseling when needed, share approved medical information (for example about influenza, pneumonia, and shingles vaccines) with homebound older people, and encourage using locally grown foods and local suppliers.
Full Legal Text
The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
42 U.S.C. § 3030g–21
Title 42 — The Public Health and Welfare
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73