Crediting Foods in CACFP Adult Day Care Centers

How To

Crediting Guidance for CACFP Meal Components

The resources below provide guidance on meeting the crediting requirements for the five meal components of the CACFP adult meal patterns. Visit the "Documents/Forms" section for guidance on the requirements for crediting commercial processed products, crediting foods made from scratch, and crediting documentation.


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


Milk Component

The milk component requires fluid milk. 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). 

  • Fat content: The CACFP adult meal patterns allow low-fat (1%) milk and fat-free milk, either unflavored or flavored. The USDA’s CACFP best practices recommend serving only unflavored milk. 
  • Serving size: The minimum creditable amount is 1 cup, with an exception for milk in smoothies.
  • Milk in smoothies: The minimum creditable amount of milk in a smoothie is ¼ cup. Adult day care centers must have a recipe or PFS to document the type and amount of milk in the smoothie serving. Refer to the CSDE's Crediting Smoothies in the CACFP  
  • Milk substitutes for participants without a disability: Adult day care centers may choose to offer one or more allowable fluid milk substitutes. The two allowable types of milk substitutes include 1) lactose-reduced or lactose-free milk; and 2) nondairy milk substitutes that meet the USDA’s nutrition standards for fluid milk substitutes, such as certain brands of soy milk. Nondairy milk substitutes require a written request from the participant or their guardian/caregiver indicating the medical or other special dietary need that restricts the participant's diet and requires the milk substitute. Refer to the CSDE's Allowable Fluid Milk Substitutes for Non-disability Reasons for Adult Participants in the CACFP.
  • Yogurt substitution for milk: Yogurt may substitute for the milk component at one meal per day. Six ounces (weight) or ¾ cup (volume) of yogurt credits as 8 fluid ounces of milk. Yogurt cannot credit as the milk component and meat/meat alternates component during the same meal. However, yogurt may be served in place of fluid milk at one meal, and as the meat/meat alternates component in another meal on the same day. The yogurt limit applies to the served meals, not what the participant selects or consumes. Yogurt must meet the sugar limit (refer to Crediting Yogurt in the CACFP).
     

General Crediting Guidance for Milk

Milk in Smoothies

Milk Substitutes


Meats/Meat Alternates (MMA) Component

The MMA component includes fresh and frozen meats (e.g., lean beef, pork, poultry, fish, and shellfish), processed meats (e.g., chicken nuggets, deli meats, and fish sticks), canned meats (e.g., chicken, tuna, and salmon), and meat alternates (e.g., eggs, cheese, yogurt, nuts and seeds and their butters, legumes (cooked dry beans and peas), tofu, and tempeh). Beans, peas, and lentils credit as either MMA or vegetables but one serving cannot credit as both components in the same meal or snack. The USDA’s CACFP best practices recommend limiting processed meats to no more than one serving per week; and serving only lean meats, nuts, and legumes. 

  • Serving size: MMA are measured in ounce equivalents (oz eq). The minimum creditable amount is ¼ oz eq. 
  • Required quantities for 1 oz eq: The required quantities depend on the type of meat or meat alternate and refer to the edible portion of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish (i.e., without bone, breading, binders, fillers, extenders, liquids, or other ingredients). A 1-ounce serving of the MMA component equals 1 oz eq of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish; 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, peas, and lentils; 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).
  • Crediting MMA at breakfast: The MMA component is optional at breakfast. MMA may be offered as a substitute for grains up to three times per week.
  • Main dish requirement for lunch: The MMA component at lunch must be served in a main dish, or in a main dish and only one other food item.
  • Commerical processed products: Commercial processed products require a CN label or PFS to document their meal pattern contribution. Products without this documentation cannot credit in CACFP meals and snacks.

General Crediting Guidance for MMA

Alternate Protein Products (APPs)

Breakfast: Serving Meats and Meat Alternates at Breakfast (USDA webpage)

Beans, Peas, and Lentils

Commercial Products

Dried Meats

Nuts and Seeds: Crediting Nuts and Seeds in the CACFP (CSDE)

Tempeh and Surimi

Tofu and Tofu Products

Yogurt and Soy Yogurt


Vegetables Component

The vegetables component includes fresh vegetables, frozen vegetables, canned vegetables, rehydrated dried vegetables (PFS required), and pasteurized 100 percent full-strength vegetable juice. Legumes (cooked dry beans and peas) credit as either vegetables or MMA but one serving cannot credit as both components in the same meal or snack. 

  • Serving size: Vegetables are measured by volume (cups). Raw leafy greens such as lettuce and spinach credit as half the volume served, e.g., 1 cup of leafy greens credits as ½ cup of the vegetables component. The minimum creditable amount is ⅛ cup.
  • Canned vegetables: The serving of canned vegetables must be drained.
  • Dried vegetables: Dried vegetables (such as potato flakes and dried soup mix) credit based on their rehydrated volume and require a PFS. Dried vegetables used for seasonings do not credit. 
  • Juice limit: Pasteurized full-strength juice credits as either the vegetables component or fruits component at only one meal or snack per day. Juice includes 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.
  • Best practices: The USDA’s CACFP Best Practices recommends serving whole fruits (fresh, frozen, canned, and dried) more often than juice; 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 (refer to the CSDE's Vegetable Subgroups in the CACFP).  

General Crediting Guidance for Vegetables

Beans, Peas, and Lentils

Juice: Crediting Juice in the CACFP (CSDE)

Soups: Crediting Soups in the CACFP (CSDE)

Vegetable Subgroups: Vegetable Subgroups in the CACFP (CSDE)

Vegetables in Smoothies

Fruits Components

The fruits component includes fresh fruit, frozen fruit, canned fruit (packed in water, full-strength juice, or light syrup), dried fruit, and pasteurized 100 percent full-strength fruit juice. The creditable serving of canned fruit in 100 percent juice may include the juice but cannot include water or syrup.

  • Serving size: Fruits are measured by volume (cups). Dried fruits credit as twice the volume served, e.g., ¼ cup of raisins credits as ½ cup of the fruits component. The minimum creditable amount is ⅛ cup. 
  • Juice limit: Pasteurized full-strength juice credits as either the vegetables component or fruits component at only one meal or snack per day. Juice includes 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 recommend 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.
  • Vegetable substitutions at lunch: Vegetables may substitute for the fruits components at any lunch, but the two servings must be different vegetables. 

    General Crediting Guidance for Fruits

    Coconut: USDA Memo SP 22-2019, CACFP 15-2019, and SFSP 15-2019: Crediting Coconut, Hominy, Corn Masa, and Corn Flour in the Child Nutrition Programs

    Fruit in Smoothies

    Juice: Crediting Juice in the CACFP (CSDE)


    Grains Component

    The grains component includes whole grain-rich (WGR) and enriched breads and bread products (e.g., biscuits, bagels, rolls, tortillas, and muffins), snack products (e.g., crackers, animal crackers, graham crackers, hard pretzels, tortilla chips, and popcorn), cereal grains (e.g. buckwheat, brown rice, bulgur, and quinoa), pasta, ready-to-eat (RTE) breakfast cereals, cooked breakfast cereals like oatmeal), and bread products used as an ingredient in another menu item such as combination foods (e.g., breading on fish or poultry and pizza crust in pizza). 

    • Creditable grains: Grain products and recipes must be made with creditable grains (whole grains, enriched grains, bran, and germ). 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.
    • Serving size: Grains are measured in ounce equivalents (oz eq). The serving must meet the required weight (groups A-G) or volume (groups H-I) in the USDA’s Exhibit A chart (refer to the CSDE's Grain Ounce Equivalents for the CACFP) or provide the minimum creditable grains (refer to the CSDE's Calculation Methods for Grain Ounce Equivalents in the CACFP). The minimum creditable amount is ¼ ounce equivalent.
    • WGR requirement: CACFP menus must include at least one WGR serving per day, between all meals and snacks served to children. The USDA’s CACFP Best Practices recommends at least two WGR servings per day. WGR foods for the CACFP contain at least 50 percent whole grains and the remaining grain ingredients are enriched, 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.
    • Grain-based desserts: Grain-based desserts do not credit in the CACFP adult meal patterns. Examples include cookies, piecrusts in sweet pies, doughnuts, cereal bars, granola bars, sweet rolls, pastries, toaster pastries, cake, and brownies. Sweet crackers such as graham crackers and animal crackers are not grain-based desserts. However, sweet crackers should be limited to no more than twice per week between all meals and snacks.

    General Crediting Guidance for Grains

    Breakfast Cereals

    Crediting Grain Recipes

    Grain-based Desserts

    Ounce Equivalents

    Popcorn: USDA Memo SP 23-2019, CACFP 10-2019, and SFSP 09-2019: Crediting Popcorn in the Child Nutrition Programs

    Whole Grain-rich Requirement

    Whole Grains