Crediting Foods in CACFP Child Care Programs

Documents/Forms

The crediting guidance below applies to the CACFP meal patterns for children in child care centers and family day care homes.


General Crediting Guidance  |   Crediting Commercial Processed Products
Crediting Foods Prepared on Site   |    Meal Pattern Components
CSDE Crediting Worksheets


General Crediting Guidance for CACFP Child Care Programs

Crediting Commercial Processed Products in CACFP Child Care Programs

CACFP facilities must obtain appropriate documentation to indicate that commercial products credit toward the CACFP meal patterns. For example, to credit a commercial breaded chicken patty as the meat/meat alternates component for ages 3-5 at lunch, the manufacturer’s documentation must indicate that one serving of the product contains 1½ ounces of cooked chicken. Allowable documentation includes:

  • the original Child Nutrition (CN) label from the product carton or a photocopy or photograph of the CN label shown attached to the original product carton; or
  • a product formulation statement (PFS) signed by an official of the manufacturer stating the amount of each meal pattern component contained in one serving of the product. 

These are the only acceptable records for documenting a commercial product’s contribution to the CACFP meal patterns. Without this documentation, CACFP facilities cannot credit commercial products toward the CACFP meal patterns.


Crediting Foods Prepared on Site in CACFP Child Care Programs

To credit foods prepared on site toward the CACFP meal patterns, CACFP facilities must maintain standardized recipes that document the crediting information per serving. For example, to credit macaroni and cheese as the meat/meat alternates component and grains component for ages 3-5 at lunch, the CACFP facility’s recipe must indicate that each serving contains 1½ ounces of cheese and ¼ cup of whole grain-rich or enriched pasta. 


Meal Pattern Components
for CACFP Child Care Programs

The resources below provide guidance on meeting the crediting requirements for the five CACFP food components: milk; meat/meat alternates; vegetables; fruits; and grains.

Milk  |   Meat/Meat Alternates  |   Vegetables  |   Fruits  |   Grains


Milk Component for CACFP Child Care Programs

Milk must be pasteurized, meet all state and local requirements, and contain vitamins A and D at levels specified by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The CACFP meal patterns require unflavored whole milk for age 1; and unflavored low-fat milk or unflavored fat-free milk for ages 2 and older. Flavored fat-free milk maybe served to ages 6 and older, however the CACFP Best Practices recommend serving only unflavored milk.

Note: In 2018, the USDA issued the final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Flexibilities for Milk, Whole Grains, and Sodium Requirements (83 FR 63775), which allowed flavored low-fat milk in the CACFP adult meal patterns. On August 21, 2020, the USDA released information about a decision in April 2020 by the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland that cancels this final rule. As a result, if flavored milk is offered it must be fat-free during school year 2020-21. For more information, review question 7 in USDA Memo SP 24-2020, CACFP 13-2020 and SFSP 13-2020: Questions and Answers for the Child Nutrition Programs during School Year 2020-21 – #5.

All milk in CACFP child care centers operated in public schools must also meet the state beverage requirements of Section 10-221q of the Connecticut General Statutes. This includes milk sold as part of, and separately from, reimbursable meals and snacks. For a list of milk that complies with the federal and state requirements, see list 16 on the CSDE's List of Acceptable Foods and Beverages webpage.

Meat/Meat Alternates Component for CACFP Child Care Programs

The required servings for the meat/meat alternates component refer to the edible portion of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish, e.g., cooked lean meat without bone, breading, binders, fillers, or other ingredients. Different types of meat and meat alternates require different amounts to credit as 1 ounce of the meat/meat alternates component. A 1-ounce serving of the meat/meat alternates component equals 1 ounce of lean meat, poultry, or fish (without binders, fillers, extenders, and liquids); 1 ounce of cheese (low-fat recommended); 2 ounces of cottage or ricotta cheese, cheese food/spread, or cheese substitute (low-fat recommended); ¼ cup of cooked beans and peas (legumes); ½ large egg; 2 tablespoons of nut or seed butters; 1 ounce of nuts or seeds; 1 ounce of commercial tofu (containing at least 5 grams of protein in 2.2 ounces); 1 ounce of tempeh; 3 ounces of surimi; ½ cup of yogurt or soy yogurt (containing no more than 3.83 grams of sugar per ounce); and 1 ounce of alternate protein products (APPs).

The minimum creditable amount is ¼ ounce. If a food item provides less than the full-required meal pattern serving, the CACFP menu must include the additional amount from other meat/meat alternates The daily meat/meat alternates component at lunch and supper must be served in a main dish, or in a main dish and only one other food item.

Vegetables Component for CACFP Child Care Programs

The vegetables component includes fresh, frozen, and canned vegetables; and pasteurized full-strength vegetable juice. Legumes (cooked dry beans and peas) credit as either vegetables or meat/meat alternates, but not both in the same meal or snack. Vegetables may substitute for the fruits components at any lunch or supper, but the two servings must be different vegetables.

All vegetables credit based on volume except raw leafy greens, which credit as half the volume served, e.g., 1 cup of leafy greens credits as ½ cup of the vegetables component. A serving of cooked vegetables must be drained.

The minimum creditable amount is ⅛ cup. If a food item provides less than the full-required meal pattern serving, the CACFP menu must include the additional amount from other vegetables.

Juice credits as the vegetables or fruits component at only one meal or snack per day. The juice limit includes all fruit and vegetable juice, frozen pops made from 100 percent juice, pureed fruits and vegetables in smoothies, and juice from canned fruit in 100 percent juice. The USDA recommends serving whole fruits (fresh, frozen, canned, and dried) more often than juice.

The USDA’s CACFP Best Practices recommends making at least one of the two required snack components a vegetable or fruit; and providing at least one serving per week of dark green vegetables, red and orange vegetables, beans and peas (legumes), starchy vegetables, and other vegetables. For more information, see Vegetable Subgroups in the CACFP.

Fruits Component for CACFP Child Care Programs

The fruits component includes fresh, frozen, dried, and canned fruit (packed in water, full-strength juice, or light syrup); and pasteurized full-strength fruit juice). A serving of canned fruit may include the juice in which it is packed. Fruits credit based on volume except dried fruit credits as twice the volume served, e.g., ¼ cup of dried fruit counts as ½ cup of the fruits component. Vegetables may substitute for the fruits components at any lunch or supper, but the two servings must be different vegetables.

The minimum creditable amount is ⅛ cup. If a food item provides less than the full-required meal pattern serving, the CACFP menu must include the additional amount from other fruits.

Juice credits as the vegetables or fruits component at only one meal or snack per day. The juice limit includes all fruit and vegetable juice, frozen pops made from 100 percent juice, pureed fruits and vegetables in smoothies, and juice from canned fruit in 100 percent juice. The USDA’s CACFP Best Practices recommends serving whole fruits (fresh, canned, dried, and frozen) more often than juice; and making at least one of the two required snack components a vegetable or fruit.

Grains Component for CACFP Child Care Programs

Grains must be whole grain, enriched, or contain a blend of whole and enriched grains. Bran and germ credit the same as enriched and whole grains in the CACFP meal patterns. Cooked and ready-to-eat (RTE) breakfast cereals must be whole grain, enriched, or fortified; and cannot contain more than 6 grams of sugar per dry ounce.

The minimum creditable amount is ¼ serving through September 30, 2021. Effective October 1, 2021, the required amounts change to ounce equivalents, and the minimum creditable amount is ¼ ounce equivalent. If a food item provides less than the full-required meal pattern serving, the CACFP menu must include the additional amount from other meat/meat alternates The daily meat/meat alternates component at lunch and supper must be served in a main dish, or in a main dish and only one other food item.

Except for sweet crackers such as graham crackers and animal crackers, grain-based desserts cannot credit in CACFP meals and snacks. Examples include cookies, sweet pie crusts, doughnuts, cereal bars, granola bars, sweet rolls, pastries, toaster pastries, cake, and brownies.

CACFP menus must include at least one WGR serving per day, between all meals and snacks served to participants. WGR foods contain at least 50 percent whole grains and the remaining grain ingredients are creditable (whole grains, enriched grains, bran, or germ). A grain food meets the WGR criteria if a whole grain is the first ingredient (or second after water), and the next two grain ingredients (if any) are creditable grains. A combination food meets the WGR criteria if the first grain ingredient (or second after water) is a whole grain, and the next two grain ingredients (if any) are creditable grains.


CSDE Crediting Worksheets for CACFP Child Care Programs

Worksheets 1-5 and 9 evaluate foods for compliance with the CACFP meal patterns for children. Worksheets 6-8 evaluate foods for compliance with the CSDE’s recommended nutrition standards for child care (Connecticut Child Care Nutrition Standards (CCCNS)), but not for compliance with the CACFP meal patterns for children. 

The CSDE recommends that CACFP sponsors maintain completed crediting worksheets as electronic files in a folder on the computer, instead of printing copies. The CSDE’s CACFP staff will accept electronic copies as appropriate crediting documentation during the Administrative Review of the CACFP.