Grains
The crediting guidance and resources below include the changes to the NSLP, SBP, and ASP meal patterns required by the USDA final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. For more information, visit the "Upcoming Meal Pattern Changes" section of the CSDE's Meal Patterns for Grades K-12 in School Nutrition Programs webpage.
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), 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, and grain-based desserts (such as cookies, brownies, cakes, and granola bars).
Serving Requirements |
General Guidance |
Breakfast Cereals |
Enriched Grains
Grain-based Desserts |
Popcorn |
Whole Grain-rich Requirement
Serving Requirements
The USDA’s document, Exhibit A: Grain Requirements for Child Nutrition Programs ("Exhibit A") indicates the required grain ounce equivalents (oz eq) for the NSLP, SBP, and ASP meal patterns for grades K-12 and preschool. 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.
- Exhibit A Grains Tool (USDA's Food Buying Guide)
- How to Maximize the Exhibit A Grains Tool (USDA webinar)
NSLP, SBP, and ASP for grades K-12
- Chart: Grain Ounce Equivalents Chart for the School Nutrition Programs (CSDE)
Contains the Exhibit A oz eq requirements - Calculation Methods for Grain Ounce Equivalents in the School Nutrition Programs (CSDE)
- How to Use the Grain Ounce Equivalents Chart for the School Nutrition Programs (CSDE)
- Training: Module 15: Grain Ounce Equivalents (CSDE's What’s in a Meal training program)
- When Commercial Grain Products Require a Product Formulation Statement to Credit in the School Nutrition Programs (CSDE)
NSLP, SBP, and ASP for preschool
- Chart: Grain Ounce Equivalents Chart for the School Nutrition Programs (CSDE)
Contains the Exhibit A oz eq requirements - CACFP Grains Ounce Equivalents Resources (USDA webpage)
- Calculation Methods for Grain Ounce Equivalents in the School Nutrition Programs (CSDE)
- CACFP Crediting Worksheets
- Child Care Worksheet 1: Crediting Commercial Grain in the CACFP (CSDE)
- Child Care Worksheet 2: Crediting Ready-to-eat Breakfast Cereals in the CACFP (CSDE)
- Child Care Worksheet 3: Crediting Cooked Breakfast Cereals in the CACFP (CSDE)
- Child Care Worksheet 4: Crediting Family-size Recipes for Grains in the CACFP (CSDE)
- Child Care Worksheet 5: Crediting Quantity Recipes for Grains in the CACFP (CSDE)
- Crediting Single-Serving Packages of Grains in the CACFP (USDA webpage)
- Determining Ounce Equivalents of Grains in CACFP Recipes (USDA)
- How to Use the Grain Ounce Equivalents Chart for the School Nutrition Programs (CSDE)
- Using Ounce Equivalents for Grains in the CACFP (USDA)
- When Commercial Grain Products Require a Product Formulation Statement to Credit in the School Nutrition Programs (CSDE)
General Crediting Guidance
Grain products and recipes must be made with creditable grains (whole grains, enriched grains, bran, and germ).
- Comparison of Meal Pattern Requirements for the Grains Component in School Nutrition Programs (CSDE)
- Crediting Enriched Grains in the School Nutrition Programs (CSDE)
- Crediting Whole Grains in the School Nutrition Programs (CSDE)
- Crediting Grains in the Child Nutrition Programs Tip Sheets (USDA): Part 1: Creditable Grains in Child Nutrition Programs; Part 2: Identifying Grain Products that are Whole Grain-Rich; and Part 3: Program Requirements
- Food Buying Guide: Section 4 Grains (USDA)
- Preschool
- How to Identify Creditable Grains for the Preschool Meal Patterns of the School Nutrition Programs (CSDE)
- USDA Memo CACFP 09-2018: Grain Requirements in the CACFP: Q&As\
- Using the WIC Food Lists to Identify Grains for the CACFP (USDA webpage)
- Training
- Module 13: Grains Component (CSDE's What’s in a Meal training program)
- Module 14: Whole Grain-rich (WGR) Requirement (CSDE's What’s in a Meal training program)
- Module 15: Grain Ounce Equivalents (CSDE's What’s in a Meal training program)
- Module 7: Grains Component (CSDE's Preschool Meal Pattern Training for the School Nutrition Programs)
- USDA Memo SP 26-2012: Formulated Grain Fruit Products
- USDA Memo SP 26-2019, CACFP 13-2019, and SFSP 12-2019: Crediting Pasta Products Made of Vegetable Flour in the Child Nutrition Programs
- USDA Memo SP 34-2019, CACFP 15-2019, and SFSP 15-2019: Crediting Coconut, Hominy, Corn Masa, and Masa Harina in the Child Nutrition Programs
- When Commercial Grain Products Require a Product Formulation Statement to Credit in the School Nutrition Programs (CSDE)
Breakfast Cereals
Effective July 1, 2025, breakfast cereals cannot exceed 6 grams of added sugars per dry ounce.
- Crediting Breakfast Cereals in the School Nutrition Programs (CSDE)
- Calculating the Added Sugars Limit for Breakfast Cereals in the CACFP (USDA webpage)
- Child Care Worksheet 2: Crediting Ready-to-eat (RTE) Breakfast Cereals in the CACFP (CSDE)
- Child Care Worksheet 3: Crediting Cooked Breakfast Cereals in the CACFP (CSDE)
- Nutrition Standards for Added Sugars: Breakfast Cereals Fact Sheet (Institute of Child Nutrition)
Enriched Grains
The NSLP, SBP, and ASP meal patterns for grades K-12 require that enriched grains cannot exceed 20 percent of all grains offered during the week. Enriched grains must meet the limit for noncreditable grains. Noncreditable grains cannot exceed 3.99 grams per portion for groups A-G or 6.99 grams per portion for groups H-I. The NSLP, SBP, and ASP preschool meal patterns do not require a limit for enriched grains or a limit for noncreditable grains.
Grain-based Desserts
Examples of grain-based desserts include cookies, piecrusts in sweet pies, doughnuts, cereal bars, granola bars, sweet rolls, pastries, toaster pastries, cake, and brownies.
NSLP and SBP meal patterns for grades K-12
The NSLP and SBP meal patterns for grades K-12 allow grain-based desserts but have certain restrictions. Grain-based desserts at lunch cannot exceed 2 oz eq per week. The breakfast meal pattern does not require a weekly limit for grain-based desserts but restricts the types that are allowed.
ASP meal pattern for grades K-12 and preschool meal patterns
Grain-based desserts do not credit in the ASP meal pattern for grades K-12 or the NSLP, SBP, and ASP preschool meal patterns. Sweet crackers such as graham crackers and animal crackers are allowed, but should be limited to no more than twice per week between all meals and snacks in the preschool meal patterns, and no more than twice per week in the ASP.
Popcorn
- USDA Memo SP 23-2019, CACFP 10-2019, and SFSP 9-2019: Crediting Popcorn in the Child Nutrition Programs
Whole Grain-rich Requirement
NSLP, SBP, and ASP for grades K-12
At least 80 percent of the weekly grains offered at breakfast, lunch, and snack must be WGR based on the total oz eq of offered grains. A WGR food must meet two criteria: 1) the food is 100 percent whole grain or contains a blend of whole and enriched grains that is at least 50 percent whole grain; and 2) noncreditable grains cannot exceed 3.99 grams per portion for groups A-G or 6.99 grams per portion for groups H-I.
- Calculating Weekly WGR Percentage
- CSDE Guide: Guide to Meeting the Whole Grain-rich Requirement for the Meal Patterns for Grades K-12 in the School Nutrition Programs
- Crediting Whole Grains in the School Nutrition Programs (CSDE)
- The Whole Grain Resource for the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs (USDA)
- Training: Module 14: Whole Grain-rich (WGR) Requirement (CSDE's What’s in a Meal training program)
NSLP, SBP, and ASP for preschool
Preschool menus must include at least one WGR serving per day, between all meals and snacks served to preschoolers. 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.
- Adding Whole Grains to Your CACFP Menu (USDA webpage)
- Guide to Meeting the Whole Grain-rich Requirement for the CACFP (CSDE)
- How to Spot Whole Grain-Rich Foods for the CACFP (USDA webpage)
- Identifying Whole Grain-rich Foods for the CACFP (USDA webpage)
- Is My Recipe Whole Grain-Rich in the CACFP? (USDA webpage)