What are the menu requirements for Go for Green®?
Go for Green® (G4G) labels high-performance foods and drinks as Green and requires military-run dining facilities to provide adequate Green options for diners. The G4G Program Requirements include menu coding goals for breakfast and lunch/dinner. In general, there should always be at least one Green option for each meal part (entrée, starchy side, non-starchy side, etc.) at each station (mainline, short order/grill, specialty bar, etc.) for each meal served daily.
How do I find out how “Green” my current dining facility menu is?
Review your menu to find out how it compares with G4G standards. A certified G4G Coder should code your current menu and compare it to the menu coding goals. For example, your facility might be meeting the goals in one area, such as the salad bar, but need work in other areas, such as the short order/grill or mainline. Don’t worry—it’s to be expected and there are a number of resources available to help you increase the Green options.
How can I make my dining facility more “Green”?
G4G promotes making more Green menu items available and accessible. This can mean replacing current menu items with newer versions, substituting healthier ingredients to change favorite recipes from Red or Yellow to Green, or introducing diners to new recipes or ingredients. Most dining facilities use a combination of these strategies to make their menu G4G compliant.
If you find your dining facility’s current menu falls short of the menu coding goals, there are many valuable resources from the Armed Forces Recipe Service (AFRS) to help create a performance-focused menu:
- AFRS recipes are standardized recipes precoded with G4G color and sodium codes. Use the recipe database to find new tasty and nutritious recipes to bring more variety to your menu.
- Sample menus include AFRS recipes to provide fresh ideas, new flavors, and menu combinations that appeal to diners.
- G4G specialty bar guidelines provide ideas and best practices for a variety of specialty and theme bars, including food placement/set-up guidance, ideas for food items, “Featured Meal” concepts, and suggested items to meet menu coding goals.
Use these G4G program resources to help speed up the menu revision process. Even implementing small changes can encourage diners to try something new.
I’m interested in trying new recipes at my dining facility/galley. Where can I get them?
Providing variety and more Green recipes is an important component of G4G, so it’s great you’re interested in trying new recipes. You can search for recipes two different ways:
- Online recipe database - AFRS has a large collection of over 3,000 legacy and updated recipes housed online. Search by recipe name, number, or ingredient, such as “chicken” or “citrus”. Filter by menu category, color code, sodium level, and/or portion size. Download or print the recipes you would like to try.
AFRS Master Nutrition Recipes spreadsheet - this spreadsheet provides an overview of the AFRS recipe collection, including the recipe name, number, category, portion size, and G4G color and sodium codes. Once you locate a recipe of interest on the spreadsheet, go to the AFRS recipes section, select a category, and scroll down until you find the recipe. You can also search by recipe number (for example, L-040-05) in the search bar. You can then download the recipe, and save or print it for your use.
Updated on: May 29, 2026