Nutrition Standards For Cacfp Meals And Snacks Food And Nutrition Serv

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Oct 31, 2025, 1:21 PM

nutrition standards for cacfp meals and snacks food and nutrition serv

Centers and day care homes offering meals through the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) play a critical role in supporting the wellness, health, and development of children, older adults, and individuals with... In particular, child care providers have a powerful opportunity to instill healthy habits in young children that serve as a foundation for healthy choices in life. The nutrition standards for meals and snacks served in the CACFP are based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, science-based recommendations made by the National Academy of Medicine, cost and practical considerations, and stakeholder... The standards support the service of a greater variety of vegetables and fruit, whole grains, lean meats/meat alternative, and low-fat and fat-free dairy while minimizing added sugar and saturated fat. In addition, the standards encourage breastfeeding to align the CACFP with the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). USDA provides guidance, resources, best practices, and training for CACFP operators in a variety of settings to support them in providing healthy, balanced meals and snacks to the children and adults they serve.

CACFP operators can utilize the following materials and resources to help you implement the CACFP meal pattern requirements: Find child care or call: 1-877-ALL-GA-KIDS For all other questions: 1-888-442-7735 On April 25, 2016, USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) published the final rule “Child and Adult Care Food Program: Meal Pattern Revisions Related to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010”. The final rule amended the CACFP regulations at 226.20 to update the meal pattern requirements. CACFP centers and day care homes had to start complying with the updated meal pattern requirements on October 1, 2017. Overall, the updated meal patterns strengthen the nutritional quality of the meals served, allow CACFP institutions to serve more diverse and culturally appropriate foods, and address dietary needs of Program participants.

In this section, various forms of information will provide further guidance for institutions in implementing the CACFP Updated Meal Patterns. Ask CALi is an AI chatbot designed to provide responses to your questions for general informational purposes using data from decal.ga.gov. Please note that information provided by Ask CALi may be inaccurate or incomplete and should not be relied upon as the sole basis for making decisions or taking actions. Users are responsible for verifying all information provided. For optimal responses, try to make your questions clear and specific. Ask CALi cannot answer questions about individual cases, so please do not share any personal information.

If you need official guidance, please contact DECAL directly at 888-442-7735 or 404-656-5957. Since 1968, CACFP has been an indicator of quality care. In April 2016, USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) published the final rule “Child and Adult Care Food Program: Meal Pattern Revisions Related to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010." The final rule... The CACFP nutrition standards for meals and snacks served in the CACFP are based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, science-based recommendations made by the National Academy of Medicine, cost and practical consideration, and... Centers and day care homes offering meals through the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) play a critical role in supporting the wellness, health, and development of children, older adults, and individuals with... In particular, child care providers have a powerful opportunity to instill healthy habits in young children that serve as a foundation for healthy choices in life.

The nutrition standards for meals and snacks served in the CACFP are based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, science-based recommendations made by the National Academy of Medicine, cost and practical considerations, and stakeholder... The standards support the service of a greater variety of vegetables and fruit, whole grains, lean meats/meat alternative, and low-fat and fat-free dairy while minimizing added sugar and saturated fat. In addition, the standards encourage breastfeeding to align the CACFP with the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). USDA provides guidance, resources, best practices, and training for CACFP operators in a variety of settings to support them in providing healthy, balanced meals and snacks to the children and adults they serve. CACFP operators can utilize the following materials and resources to help them implement the CACFP meal pattern requirements: Team Nutrition Meal Pattern Training Tools

Select two of the five components for a reimbursable snack. 1 Must serve two of the five components for a reimbursable snack. Milk and juice may not be served as the only two items in a reimbursable snack.2 At-risk afterschool programs and emergency shelters may need to serve larger portions to children ages 13 through 18... The milk must be fat-free, skim, low-fat, or 1 percent or less.5 May serve unflavored or flavored milk to children ages 6 and older. The milk must be fat-free, skim, low-fat, or 1 percent or less.6 May serve unflavored or flavored milk to adults. The milk must be fat-free, skim, low-fat, or 1 percent or less.

Yogurt may be offered in place of milk, once per day for adults. Yogurt may count as either a fluid milk substitute or as a meat alternate, but not both, in the same meal. Six ounces (by weight) or ¾ cup (by volume) of yogurt is the equivalent of 8 ounces of fluid milk.7 Alternate protein products must meet the requirements in Appendix A to Part 226. Through Sept. 30, 2025, yogurt must contain no more than 23 grams of total sugars per 6 ounces. By Oct.

1, 2025, yogurt must contain no more than 12 grams of added sugars per 6 ounces (2 grams of added sugars per ounce). Information on crediting meats/meat alternates may be found in FNS guidance.8 Juice must be pasteurized. Full-strength juice may only be offered to meet the vegetable or fruit requirement at one meal or snack, per day.9 Must serve at least one whole grain-rich serving, across all eating occasions, per day. Grain-based desserts may not be used to meet the grains requirement. Through Sept. 30, 2025, breakfast cereals must contain no more than 6 grams of total sugars per dry ounce.

By Oct. 1, 2025, breakfast cereal must contain no more than 6 grams of added sugars per dry ounce. Information on crediting grain items may be found in FNS guidance. Correspondence should be sent to Jamie F. Chriqui, PhD, MHS, School of Public Health, University of Illinois Chicago, 1603 W Taylor St, M/C 923, Chicago, IL 60612 (e-mail: jchriqui@uic.edu). Reprints can be ordered at http://www.ajph.org by clicking the “Reprints” link.

J. F. Chriqui conducted the research to inform the editorial and drafted the editorial, the figure, and the supplemental table. The authors jointly conceptualized, critically reviewed, and revised the editorial. Accepted 2023 Sep 22; Issue date 2023 Dec. The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) has been a critical part of the nutrition safety net for more than 50 years1 by providing nutritious meals and snacks for low-income children and adults...

For many participants, the meals and snacks received through CACFP are their only meals of the day. CACFP is regulated by the Food and Nutrition Service of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Since its inception, CACFP has grown exponentially. During its first year of operation (federal fiscal year 1969), the program had 23 000 participants and served 8 million meals. Between federal fiscal years 1969 and 2022, the program had nearly 120 million participants and served more than 65.3 billion meals.2

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