On Friday, April 22, 2016, the USDA announced that it has finalized meal pattern revisions to the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). This rule updates the meal pattern requirements to better align with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which was required by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Changes are as follows:
The meal pattern also offers “best practice” guidelines, which (while not mandatory) will be addressed in policy guidance rather than through regulatory language. These best-practices include, among others, supporting breastfeeding mothers, including making one of the two snack components a fruit or vegetable, providing at least two servings of whole grain-rich grains per day, serving only lean meats and limiting processed meats, and serving only natural cheeses that are low-fat or reduced-fat.
Some state child care license regulations have nutrition standards that are linked to CACFP requirements. Depending on how the state regulation was written, the regulation may not automatically adopt the new meal patterns. This means that some child care regulations may have state standards lower than the new meal patterns. These states may need to reopen regulations if they want the state licensure regulations to meet the new CACFP meal patterns.
The meal pattern and best practices were developed using research and reports from the National Academy of Medicine (NAM, formerly the Institute of Medicine of National Academies) report, issued in November 2010. The rule is a balance of the findings in this reports as well as stakeholder input and cost and practicality for providers. The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) supports the meal pattern changes, stating that they “make a good program even better.”
In the public comment period, USDA received support for the rules on breastfeeding, vegetable and fruit requirements, the increase of whole grains, and the reduction in sugars. USDA also received comments expressing concern over the cost of the changes and the timeline for implementation. These changes would come at a significant cost—both in terms of food costs borne by providers and the training and support costs to ensure that all providers have the information and supports to properly implement the new requirements.
In preparation for the meal pattern revisions, FRAC, the USDA, and the National CACFP Sponsors Association are great sources for information and support:
Although the rule does not go into effect until October 1, 2017, participating programs will need ample time and resources in order to make changes to their menus and procurement systems. Cooks, center directors, family child care providers, and teachers will all need training and technical assistance.