Blog - Child Care Aware of America

Whole-Grain Rich Foods—What’s That?

Written by Krista Scott | November 10, 2016

Confused by the new grain requirements for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)? You’ll be happy to know that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently issued a memorandum that spells out exactly what CACFP means by “whole-grain rich” foods.

The new requirements apply to CACFP centers and CACFP participating child care providers, which must be in compliance by October 1, 2017. Among other things, they must:

  • Provide at least one serving/day of whole grain-rich foods,
  • Not count grain-based desserts (oatmeal cookies, graham crackers, etc.) toward the requirement, and
  • Serve breakfast cereals that have no more than 6 grams sugar/ounce.

The full memo can be found here.