To meet the Rule of Three as a whole grain-rich product, the first ingredient (or second after water) must be whole grain, and the next two grain ingredients (if any) must be whole grains, enriched grains, bran, or germ. Is My Recipe Whole Grain-Rich in the CACFP? CN labels can be intimidating but also highly useful. The yield information may also be used in the CN Labeling Program. Simple Guide to CN Labels for Daycare-Little Sprouts Learning In this situation, the second and third grain ingredients, if any, do not need to be considered. To that end, we have a free printable infographic with useful insight on how to read nutrition labels. Child Nutrition (CN) labels, Product Formulation Statements (PFS), Nutrition Facts Labels, and Product Specifications Sheets all provide documentation on products and how they meet . Crediting Commercial Processed Products These sample snack menus for CACFP child care centers, family day care homes, emergency shelters, and at-risk afterschool care centers reflect the meal . Demonstrating compliance with the whole grain-rich requirement can be accomplished in a number of ways. Child Nutrition Programs. This number ends in 0.36, which is less than 0.5, so 6.36 is rounded down to 6 grams. For example, to credit macaroni and cheese as the meat/meat alternates component and grains component for ages 3-5 at lunch, the CACFP facilitys recipe must indicate that each serving contains 1 ounces of cheese and cup of whole grain-rich or enriched pasta. Popular Food Vendors for CN label products 1. The minimum creditable amount is cup. PDF Appendix C General Background | Food and Nutrition Service Food Items for Further Processing. The Food Buying Guide for child nutrition programs (the Food Buying Guide) (https://foodbuyingguide.fns.usda.gov) is a source of crediting information for CACFP. CACFP facilities must obtain appropriate documentation to indicate that commercial products credit toward the CACFP meal patterns. As an example, centers and day care homes can indicate on the menu which grain items are whole grain-rich. Which foods may have a CN label, or how to use them? can count toward . These interactive webinars for the Child and Adult Care Food Program focus on tactics and techniques trainers can use to empower program operators with the knowledge and skills needed to provide high-quality meals and snacks in the CACFP. You may place the flyers anywhere you would like, and print your logo and agency information on the flyers. Example 1: Documentation from a manufacturer of a purchased bagel states the product contains enriched wheat flour (40 percent of grain weight), whole-wheat flour (30 percent of grain weight), and whole oats (30 percent of grain weight). The required servings for the meat/meat alternates component refer to the edible portion of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish, e.g., lean meat without bone, breading, binders, fillers, or other ingredients. Please see SP-30, CACFP 13-2017, Transition Period for the Updated Child and Adult Care Food Program Meal Patterns and the Updated National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs' Infant and Preschool Meal Patterns (https://www.fns.usda.gov/transition-period-updated-cacfp-infant-preschool-meal-patterns ). This brightly colored two-sided resource is a wonderful tool to share to families. five .875 oz. Child Nutrition Labels Manufacturers may apply for a child nutrition (CN) label for qualifying products to indicate the number of ounce equivalents that meet the whole grain-rich criteria. OSPI Child Nutrition Services October 2020 For items that contain Alternate Protein Product (APP), manufacturers must . Mickey Mouse chicken nugget information. A CN label indicates that the product has been approved to be served in your child care home. - made with legumes, whole grains, and vegetables from the vegetable subgroups including dark green, red, and orange vegetables. Using Child Nutrition (CN) Labels in the Child and Adult Care Food Program Connecticut State Department of Education Revised November 2019 Page 1 of 4 This guidance applies to meals and snacks in child care centers, family day care homes, emergency FNS concluded that using categories to define grain-based desserts, instead of establishing nutrient standards, is the best approach for the CACFP. You are not alone. Food buying Guide for Child Nutrition Program 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. As a reminder, both infant cereals and ready-to-eat cereals must be iron-fortified to be reimbursable in the infant meal pattern. What foods have CN labels? Learn about the Food Buying Guide (FBG) for child nutrition programs Interactive Web Tool and FBG Mobile App via demonstrations! Crediting Handbook for the Child and Adult Care Food Program - CACFP It is the state agency's and sponsor's responsibility, as applicable, to verify the grains served are creditable and the whole grain-rich items being served meet the whole grain-rich criteria presented in this memorandum when conducting on-site reviews. The resources below provide guidance on meeting the crediting requirements for the five CACFP food components: milk; meat/meat alternates; vegetables; fruits; and grains. CN labels are found on the outer packaging of products purchased in bulk. The two allowable types of milk substitutes include 1)lactose-reduced or lactose-free milk with the appropriate fat content for each age group; and 2)nondairy milk substitutes that meet the USDAs nutrition standards for fluid milk substitutes, such as certain brands of soy milk. FNS regional offices, state agencies, school food authorities (SFAs) and others who may be interested are invited to participate. Child Nutrition Recipe Box - USDA Standardized Recipes General Crediting Guidance| Similarly, a food that is fortified has certain vitamins and minerals added to increase the nutritional quality. Worksheets 1-6 evaluate foods for compliance with the CACFP meal patterns for children. The ABC's of Child Nutrition (CN) Labels . An official website of the United States government. During the transition period, if a state agency or sponsoring organization observes a meal pattern violation related to the updated meal patterns, such as not serving a whole grain-rich grain, they must provide technical assistance in lieu of fiscal action. For more information on the preschool meal pattern requirements for NSLP and SBP, see SP 01-2018, Updated Infant and Preschool Meal Patterns in the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program; Questions and Answers. Resource: Reading food labels for CACFP approved childcare menus, 2023 National CACFP Sponsors Association. Usage Instructions: Note that your rights to reprint these materials are limited. Find out about the Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (FBG) digital resources, Child Nutrition (CN) labels, Product Formulation Statements (PFS), USDA standardized recipes, USDA-approved software and more. The grains component includes 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), pasta, 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). Cereal A's Nutrition Facts label shows that the serving size is 55 grams and the amount of sugar per serving is 13 grams. PDF Child Nutrition (CN) Labeling and Product Formulation Statements - that are standardized to provide meal pattern crediting information for all meal pattern components. Fruits| Enriched grains are refined grains that have been processed to remove the nutrient-rich bran and germ, and then have thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, and iron added after processing. 6. The operator must only ensure that a food meets at least one of the following to be considered whole grain-rich: Please be aware that manufacturers may label their products with terms that are similar to, but slightly different from, FDA Standard of Identity terms defined above. Recorded Webinar with English captions Note that your rights to reprint these materials are limited. We hope it helps you breeze through label-reading for faster childcare menu planning and an easier time incorporating CACFP approved foods. Therefore, there are some instances when the CACFP guidance is different from the school meal programs. This memorandum explains the grain requirements for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) established in the final rule, "Child and Adult Care Food Program: Meal Pattern Revisions Related to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010." This revision further clarifies how to determine if a grain product meets the whole grain-rich criteria. Example of a CN Label: CN 000000 five .875 oz. For example, the ingredient list of a non-fortified breakfast cereal may read, Ingredients: rice flour, corn flour, evaporated cane juice, pomegranate juice concentrate, sea salt. This particular cereal would not be considered a creditable grain because it is not made from whole or enriched grains and is not fortified. Table 2 compares the criteria for CN labels and PFS forms. . Some CACFP providers may already be using products with a Child Nutrition Label that lists grains in oz eq. The product is labeled as whole wheat and has a Standard of Identity issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. The CSDE strongly encourages the use of standardized recipes to ensure that menus provide the correct CACFP food components and servings. This webinar was held on Tuesday, Feb. 8th, 2022. 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. This may include reviewing grain products' labels and other product information. It is important to note that cookies do not have an FDA Standard of Identity, so a food manufacturer may come up with fanciful names that could mislead the menu planner into serving a product that may not be allowed. Recorded Webinar with Spanish captions. To the extent possible, state agencies should not impose additional paperwork requirements to demonstrate compliance with the updated grain requirements. CACFP menus must include at least one whole grain-rich (WGR) serving per day, between all meals and snacks served to participants. Angela Kline Serving Meat and Meat Alternates at Breakfast: Crediting Commercial Meat/Meat Alternates in the CACFP, USDA Memo SP 01-2016, SFSP 01-2016 and CACFP 01-2016, USDA Memo SP 21-2019, CACFP 08-2019 and SFSP 07-2019, Moving Forward: Update on Food Crediting in Child Nutrition Programs with Guidance for Dried Meat Products, Overview of Crediting Requirements for the Meat/Meat Alternates Component, Serving Meats and Meat Alternates at Lunch and Supper in the USDA CACFP, USDA Memo SP 26-2019, CACFP 13-2019 and SFSP 12-2019, Resource List for Menu Planning and Food Production in Child Nutrition Programs, USDA Memo SP 25-2019, CACFP 12-2019 and SFSP 11-2019, USDA Memo SP 24-2019, CACFP 11-2019 and SFSP10-2019, Additional Meat/Meat Alternates Options for CNPs: Crediting Tempeh and Surimi, Crediting Tofu and Tofu Products in the CACFP, Calculating Sugar Limits for Yogurt in the CACFP, Overview of Crediting Requirements for the Vegetables Component, USDA Memo SP 22-2019, CACFP 15-2019 and SFSP 15-2019, Overview of Crediting Requirements for the Fruits Component, Child Care Worksheet1: Crediting Commercial Grains in the CACFP, How to Identify Creditable Grains in the CACFP, USDA Memo SP 34-2019, CACFP 15-2019 and SFSP 15-2019, Using the WIC Food Lists to Identify Grains for the CACFP, Child Care Worksheet 4: Crediting Family-size Recipes for Grains in the CACFP, Child Care Worksheet 5: Crediting Quantity Recipes for Grains in the CACFP, Determining Ounce Equivalents of Grains in CACFP Recipes. Any additional grains served that do not meet the whole grain-rich criteria described below may still be creditable if they are made of the required grains. Program operators should direct any questions concerning this guidance to their state agency. 2016 CT.gov | Connecticut's Official State Website, regular The minimum creditable amount is cup. Legumes (cooked dry beans and peas) credit as either vegetables or meat/meat alternates, but not both in the same meal. Any one of the following six options may be used to determine if a grain product meets the whole grain-rich criteria. Limit your added sugars to less than 10% of your daily calories. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Child Nutrition (CN) Labeling Program provides food manufacturers the option to include a standardized food crediting statement on their product label. The site is secure. Five grams is less than the sugar limit of 6 grams calculated for this serving size, so this cereal is under the sugar limit and is creditable in the CACFP. Example 3: A cheese pizza's ingredient list reads: mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese, white whole wheat flour, brown rice flour, enriched flour, non-fat milk, water, tomato paste, yeast. This product meets the whole grain-rich criteria using the Rule of Three because the first and second grain ingredients are whole grains and the third grain ingredient is enriched. Grain-based desserts cannot credit. Breakfast cereals served to infants, children, and adults must contain no more than 6 grams of sugar per dry ounce (21.2 grams of sugar per 100 grams of dry cereal) (7 CFR 226.20(a)(4)(ii)). The wheat starch is a grain derivative and therefore does not count as a grain ingredient in CACFP. Resource: Reading food labels for CACFP approved childcare menus of whole grain is slightly more than the current serving size requirement for CACFP, therefore the oz. OR All About Child Nutrition Labels - National CACFP Sponsors Association First, find the serving size in grams at the top of the Nutrition Facts label. Flavored fat-free milk maybe served to ages 6 and older, however the CACFP Best Practicesrecommends serving only unflavored milk. Breakfast cereals must meet the sugar limit and be made from enriched or whole grain meal or flour, or be fortified, to be creditable in the CACFP. This webinar provides an overview of the various menu planning resources and helps program operators locate and utilize these tools and resources through hands on activities. Use of the NSLP whole grain-rich criteria may ease menu planning and purchasing for schools that operate CACFP at-risk afterschool programs or CACFP child care programs, as they can use the same whole grain-rich criteria for both programs. breaded fish nuggets with APP provides 2.0 oz. 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. The meat/meat alternatescomponent includes fresh and frozen meats (such as lean beef, pork, poultry, fish, and shellfish), processed meats (such as chicken nuggets, deli meats, and fish sticks), canned meats (such as chicken, tuna, and salmon), and meat alternates (such as eggs, cheese, yogurt, nuts and seeds and their butters, beans and peas (legumes), tofu, and tempeh). The worksheet uses the standard rules for rounding, which are to round up to the next whole number if the number after the decimal point is 0.5 or greater and to round down if the number is less than 0.5. However, this item is creditable as a grain that is not being served as a whole grain-rich item because the first grain is a whole grain (See Attachment 1). Breakfast cereals include ready-to-eat cereals and instant and hot cereals. Pasteurized full-strength juice credits as either the vegetables component or fruits component at only one meal or snack per day. - to prepare healthy and delicious meals that meet meal pattern requirements. CACFP child care centers operating in public schools must also meet the state beverage requirements for milk and nondairy milk substitutes underSection 10-221qof the Connecticut General Statutes. The Dietary Guidelines specifically identify grain-based desserts as sources of added sugars and saturated fats. The USDA, Child Nutrition (CN) Labeling Program provides food manufacturers the option to include a standardized food crediting statement on their product label. It seems that JavaScript is not working in your browser. equivalent meat/meat alternate and 1 serving of bread alternate for the Child CN Nutrition Meal Pattern Requirements. Specifically, a CN label provides the: CN logo Contribution toward meal pattern requirements PDF Child Nutrition (CN) Labels, Product Formulation Statements (PFS Faq | Ccnp | Idrpp | Usu The final rule requires that grains be credited using ounce equivalents (oz eq) instead of servings, as credited under the previous meal pattern requirements. Grain Requirements in the CACFP: Q&As | Food and Nutrition Service However, a CN label does not necessarily indicate that a food is healthy. Crediting Foods in CACFP Child Care Programs--Documents - CT.gov Occasionally, CN label products are available at whole sale club stores such as Costco and Sam's club. FNS gathered extensive feedback from stakeholders on how to define grain-based desserts.