Nutrition Information

This is the first major revision of the CACFP meal patterns since the program's inception in 1968 and will require meals and snacks provided through the CACFP to better reflect the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the nutritional issues facing young children and adults today.  These changes are a meaningful first step in improving CACFP participants' access to nutritious foods.

INFANTS:

• Vegetable or fruit, or both, required to be served at snack for infants 6 through 11 months old.
• Juice or cheese food or cheese spread are no longer allowed to be served.
• Allows ready-to-eat cereals at snack.

CHILDREN:

• The combined fruit and vegetable component is now a separate vegetable component and a separate fruit component.
• At least one serving of grains per day must be whole grain-rich.
• Grain-based desserts no longer count towards the grain component (i.e. cookies, cakes, bars, etc.) Sweet crackers such as animal or graham crackers allowed.
• Meat and meat alternates may be served in place of the entire grain's component at breakfast a maximum of three times per week.
• Yogurt must contain no more than 23 grams of sugar per 6 ounces.
• Fluid milk served to children 1 year old must be unflavored whole milk;
• Fluid milk served to children 2 through 5 years old may be unflavored whole, reduced-fat, low-fat, or fat-free milk; and
• Fluid milk served to children 6 years and older and adult participants may be unflavored or flavored, whole, reduced-fat, low-fat, or fat-free milk.
• Non-dairy milk substitutes that are nutritionally equivalent to milk may be served in place of milk to children or adults with medical or special dietary needs.
• Breakfast cereals must contain no more than 6 grams of sugar per dry ounce.
• Frying is not allowed as a way of preparing foods on-site.
• Ounce equivalents (oz eq) are used to determine the amount of creditable grains (starting October 1, 2019).
• Tofu counts as a meat alternate.
• 100% Juice is limited to once per day.

PLEASE REFER TO ATTACHMENTS BELOW FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND GUIDELINES