Crediting Foods in CACFP Child Care Programs

Grains

The grains component includes whole grain-rich (WGR) and enriched breads and bread products (such as biscuits, bagels, rolls, tortillas, and muffins), snack products (such as crackers, animal crackers, graham crackers, hard pretzels, tortilla chips, and popcorn), cereal grains (such as buckwheat, brown rice, bulgur, and quinoa), ready-to-eat (RTE) breakfast cereals, cooked breakfast cereals (such as 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), pasta. Grain-based deserts do not credit in the CACFP meal patterns. 


Serving Requirements  |   Creditable Grains  |   Breakfast Cereals  |   Enriched Grains
Grain-based Desserts  |   Ounce Equivalents  |   Popcorn  |   Whole Grain-rich Requirement


Serving Requirements

Grains are measured in ounce equivalents (oz eq). The CSDE's Grain Ounce Equivalents for the CACFP contains the oz eq that apply to the  CACFP meal patterns, as indicated in the USDA’s document, Exhibit A: Grain Requirements for Child Nutrition Programs ("Exhibit A"). The minimum creditable amount is ¼ oz eq. The serving must meet the required weight (groups A-G) or volume (groups H-I) in the USDA’s Exhibit A chart or provide the minimum creditable grains.

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.

 

Breakfast Cereals

Effective July 1, 2025, the product-based limits for breakfast cereals change from total sugars to added sugars. Breakfast cereals cannot exceed 6 grams of added sugars per dry ounce.

Grain-based Desserts

Grain-based deserts do not credit in the CACFP meal patterns. Examples of grain-based desserts 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 allowed in the CACFP meal patterns but should be limited to no more than twice per week between all meals and snacks. 

Popcorn

Whole Grain-rich Requirement

CACFP menus must include at least one WGR serving per day, between all meals and snacks served. The USDA’s CACFP best practices recommend 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.