This memorandum provides questions and answers on the meal pattern requirements for the Child and Adult Care Food Program. FNS collected and answered a variety of questions since the updated meal patterns were published in April 2016.
This memorandum outlines best practices and resources to help centers and day care homes implement best practices for updating the meal requirements for the CACFP.
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide guidance on meal service requirements in the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and the National School Lunch Program’s (NSLP) Seamless Summer Option (SSO).
FNS recently released the new Administrative Review Guidance Manual, which includes four options that state agencies may use to assess compliance with Dietary Specifications – calories, saturated fat, and sodium – requirements.
USDA Food and Nutrition Service policy memo SP 26-2013, "Extending Flexibility in the Meat/Meat Alternate and Grains Maximums for School Year 2013-14" extends the flexibility regarding Meat/Meat Alternate (M/MA) maximums for SY 2013-13, allowing state agencies to assess compliance based on the minimum daily and weekly serving requirements only.
CACFP benefits have been extended to include meal services to children who reside with their families in emergency shelters, under the National School Lunch Act. Because the circumstances of an emergency shelter are so different from any other type of CACFP institution, we thought it would be helpful to share these questions and our responses.
This Instruction sets forth the criteria to be used to determine acceptable grains/breads, the criteria to be used to determine equivalent minimum serving sizes, and examples of foods that qualify as grains/breads for meals served under the food-based menu planning alternatives in all child nutrition programs