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Questions and Answers on the Updated Meal Pattern Requirements for the Child and Adult Care Food Program

EO Guidance Document #
FNS-GD-2017-0008
FNS Document #
CACFP 08-2017
Resource type
Policy Memos
FAQs/Q&As
Guidance Documents
Resource Materials
PDF Icon Policy Memo (328.45 KB)
DATE:March 10, 2017
POLICY MEMO:CACFP 08-2017
SUBJECT:Questions and Answers on the Updated Meal Pattern Requirements for the Child and Adult Care Food Program
TO:Regional Directors
Special Nutrition Programs
All Regions
State Directors
Child Nutrition Programs
All States

This memorandum provides questions and answers on the meal pattern requirements for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) collected and answered a variety of questions since the updated meal patterns were published in April 2016.

Each of the memoranda on the updated CACFP meal patterns contain an additional set of questions and answers pertaining to the primary topic of the memorandum. For example, all questions and answers pertaining to the infant meal patterns are available in CACFP 06-2017, Feeding Infants and Meal Pattern Requirements in the Child and Adult Care Food Program; Questions and Answers, revised September 2023 (https://www.fns.usda.gov/cacfp/feeding-infants-and-meal-pattern-requirements-qas). For more information on a specific topic, please see a comprehensive list of the memorandums on the updated CACFP meal patterns at http://www.fns.usda.gov/cacfp/policy.

State agencies are reminded to distribute this information to program operators immediately. Program operators should direct any questions regarding this memorandum to the appropriate state agency. State agency contact information is available at https://www.fns.usda.gov/cacfp/cacfp-contacts. State agencies should direct questions to the appropriate FNS regional office.

Angela Kline
Director
Policy and Program Development Division

Page updated: November 08, 2023

The contents of this guidance document do not have the force and effect of law and are not meant to bind the public in any way. This document is intended only to provide clarity to the public regarding existing requirements under the law or agency policies.