Comparison of Child and Adult Care Program (CACFP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), and National School Lunch/School Breakfast Program (NSLP) Meal Patterns
Contracting entities (CEs) operating NSLP/SBP must use the CACFP meal pattern for young students beginning October 1, 2017.
For this purpose, CEs must use the CACFP meal pattern for students aged 5 and under who are not enrolled in kindergarten. CEs must use the NSLP/SBP meal pattern for students aged 5 and older who are enrolled in kindergarten or higher grade.
While there are differences between the two meal patterns in the amounts served to younger age/grade groups, both meal patterns share the same components. The first two charts that follow summarize the similarities and differences between the CACFP, SBP, and NSLP meal patterns. The final chart provides a quick reference to convert amounts from one measurement method to another.
Please note,
1. The information in these charts does not communicate all applicable regulations for CACFP, SBP, or NSLP, including, but not limited to, meals for children under the age of 1.
2. The attached charts reflect the common measurement methods used by NSLP/SBP operators as presented in USDA guidance and the Administrator's Reference Manual, Section 8, Breakfast and Section 9, Lunch.
3. USDA will be incorporating the information from the School Nutrition Program Food Buying Guide into an updated Child Nutrition Program Food Buying Guide to provide more standardized portion size information. The updated guide will address both the CACFP and NSLP/SBP meal patterns in the same guide.
4. Beginning October 1, 2019, the CACFP meal pattern will use ounce equivalents for grains. Until that time, CEs using a CN Labeled product that indicates the contribution for NSLP/SBP meal pattern may use that CN Label to document the serving portions for CACFP even if the amount is reported in ounce equivalents.
5. USDA will be providing additional guidance on the CACFP meal pattern that is specific to School Nutrition Programs. TDA will also be providing additional guidance to assist CEs in implementing the new meal pattern in the upcoming months.
Summary of Key Changes
Under the CACFP meal pattern for Pre-K students….,
1. Students must be offered the same milk (i.e., no choice of milks) and cannot be served flavored milk.
2. The CACFP meal pattern has daily dietary specification requirements; there are no weekly specifications. Therefore, meals served to Pre-K students are not included in the CE’s weekly NSLP/SBP dietary specification calculations.
3. The CE may serve the same portion size to Pre-K students and older students. However, the daily food item specifications must be met for all Pre-K students.
4. Vegetables and fruits are one combined meal component at breakfast.
5. Juice may be served at only one meal per day. Juice may not be served at snack when milk is served as the only other component.
6. A vegetable may be used to meet the entire fruit requirement. When two vegetables are served at lunch or supper, two different kinds of vegetables must be served.
7. At least one meal per day must include a whole-grain rich serving; however, CEs may serve whole-grain rich at every meal.
8. Grain-based desserts (i.e., graham crackers, sweet crackers, cereal bars, breakfast bars, granola bars sweet rolls, sweet pie crusts doughnuts, toaster pastries, cake, brownies, etc.) are not creditable.
9. Breakfast cereals must be whole grain, enriched, or fortified and contain no more than 6 grams of sugar per dry ounce (21.2 grams sucrose and other sugars per 100 grams of dry cereal).
10. Meat/meat alternates may be substituted for the daily grains requirement a maximum of three times a week.
11. Yogurt must contain no more than 23 grams of total sugars per 6 ounces when served.
12. The offer versus serve method cannot be used.
13. CEs must maintain and retain documentation that demonstrates compliance with the CACFP meal pattern. CEs may use the same retention system that is used for NSLP/SBP or separate system.
Nutrition Standards in and School Breakfast Program (SBP)—Meal Pattern ChartMinimum Amount of Each Food Component Per Week (Minimum Offering Per Day)
Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) Daily / School Age Daily and Weekly
Meal Pattern Components / Age 1-2 / Age 3-5 / Meal Pattern Components / Grades K–5 / Grades 6–8 / Grades 9–12 / Grades K-12
Fluid Milk[1]
(1 percent or less low fat or fat free, unflavored) / (½) cup / (¾) cup / Fluid Milk
(1 percent or less low fat, unflavored; fat free, unflavored or flavored) / 5 (1) cups / 5 (1) cups / 5 (1) cups / 5 (1) cups
Fruits and Vegetables[2] / (¼ ) cup / (½) cup / Fruit and Vegetables / 5 (1) cups / 5 (1) cups / 5 (1) cups / 5 (1) cups
Grains[3]
(whole- grain rich, enriched, or fortified) / Grains
(whole-grain rich) / 7.0-10 .0
(1.0) oz eq / 8.0-10.0
(1.0) oz eq / 9.0-10 .0
(1.0) oz eq / 9.0-10 .0
(1.0) oz eq
Bread Product: (i.e., biscuit, roll, muffin) / (0.5) oz
Nutrient Specifications: Daily Amount Based on Average 5-Day Week
Cooked:
Cereal
Cereal Grain
Pasta / (0.2) oz / Min-Max Calories (kcal) / 350-500 / 400-550 / 450-600 / 450-500
Saturated Fat
(% of total calories) / < 10 / < 10 / < 10 / < 10
Ready-To-Eat Breakfast Cereal, Dry or Cold:[4]
Flakes or Rounds
Puffed Cereal
Granola / (0.5) oz
(0.7) oz
(0.2) oz / Sodium Target 1 (mg) / ≤ 540 / ≤ 600 / ≤ 640 / ≤ 540
Trans Fat / Product nutrition label/manufacturer specification must indicate 0 grams of trans fat per serving.
Nutrition Standards in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP)—Meal Pattern Chart
Minimum Amount of Each Food Component Per Week (Minimum Offering Per Day)
Pre-Kindergarten Lunch Meal Pattern / School Age Lunch Meal Pattern
Meal Pattern Components / Age 1-2 / Age 3-5 / Meal Pattern Components / Grades
K–5 / Grades
6–8 / Grades
K-8 / Grades
9–12
Fluid Milk[5]
(1 percent or less low fat or fat free, unflavored) / (½) cup / (¾) cup / Fluid Milk
(1 percent or less low fat, unflavored; fat free, unflavored or flavored) / 5 (1) cups / 5 (1) cups / 5 (1) cups / 5 (1) cups
Fruits[6] / (⅛) cup / (¼) cup / Fruits / 2½ (½) cups / 2½ (½) cups / 2½ (½) cups / 5 (1) cups
Vegetables[7] / (⅛) cup / (¼) cup / Vegetables / 3¾ (¾) cups / 3¾ (¾) cups / 3¾ (¾) cups / 5 (1) cups
Dark Green / ½ cup / ½ cup / ½ cup / ½ cup
Red/Orange / ¾ cup / ¾ cup / ¾ cup / 1¼ cups
Beans/Peas (Legumes) / ½ cup / ½ / ½ / ½
Starchy / ½ cup / ½ cup / ½ cup / ½ cup
Other / ½ cup / ½ cup / ½ cup / ¾ cup
Additional Vegetable / 1 cup / 1 cup / 1 cup / 1½ cups
Grains
(whole grain-rich or enriched)[8] / Grains
(whole grain-rich) / 8.0-9.0 (1.0) oz eq / 8.0-10 .0 (1.0) oz eq / 8.0-9.0 (1.0) oz eq / 10.0-12.0 (2.0) oz eq
Bread / (0.5) oz
Bread product such as biscuit, roll, or muffin / (0.5) oz
Cooked breakfast cereal, cereal grain, and/or pasta / (0.2) oz
Meat/Meat Alternates[9] / Meat/Meat Alternates / 8-10 (1) oz eq / 9-10 (1) oz eq / 9-10 (1) oz eq / 10-12 (2) oz eq
Lean meat, poultry, or fish / (1.0) oz / (1.5) oz / Other Nutrient Specifications: Daily Amount Based on the Average for a 5-Day Week
Tofu, soy product, or alternate protein products / (1.0) oz / (1.5) oz / Min-Max Calories (kcal) / 550-650 / 600-700 / 600-650 / 750-850
Cheese / (1.0) oz / (1.5) oz / Saturated Fat
(% of total calories) / < 10 / < 10 / < 10 / < 10
Large egg / (1.0) oz eq / (1.5) oz eq
Cooked dry beans or peas / (0.50) oz / (0.75) oz / Sodium Target 1 (mg) / ≤ 1230 / ≤ 1360 / ≤ 1230 / ≤ 1420
Peanut butter, soy nut butter, or other nut or seed butter / (0.50) oz / (0.75) oz / Trans Fat / Product nutrition label/manufacturer specification must indicate 0 grams of trans fat per serving.
Yogurt, plain, or flavored unsweetened or sweetened / (4.0) oz / (6.0) oz
Peanuts, soy nuts, tree nuts, or seeds / (0.50) oz / (0.75) oz
Measurement Conversion Chart for National School Lunch (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SMP), and Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) Meal Patterns
(Converting Common Serving Portion Sizes into Applicable Measurement Methods)[10]
Component / Other / Volume / Weight / Scoop Size
(Scoop serving per quart)
Level Measure
(cup, Tbsp) / Fluid Ounce
(fl oz) / Ounce
(oz) / Ounce Equivalent (oz eq)
Fluid Milk / -- / ½ cup / 4 / -- / -- / --
-- / ¾ cup / 6 / -- / -- / --
Fruits/Vegetables / -- / ¼ cup / -- / -- / -- / 16
-- / ½ cup / -- / -- / -- / 8
Grains / Bread Product: (biscuit, roll, muffin) / ½ serving / -- / -- / 0.5 oz / 0.5 oz eq / --
Cooked: Cereal, Cereal Grain, Pasta / -- / ¼ cup / -- / 0.5 oz / 0.5 oz eq / 16
Ready-To-Eat Breakfast Cereal
(Dry /Cold) / Flakes/Rounds / -- / ½ cup / -- / 0.5 oz / 0.5 oz eq / 8
Puffed / -- / ¾ cup / -- / 1.0 oz / 1.0 oz eq / 4
Granola / -- / ⅛ cup / -- / 0.5 oz / 0.5 oz eq / 30
Meat/Meat Alternates / Lean meat, poultry, or fish / -- / -- / -- / 1.0 oz / 1.0 oz eq / --
-- / -- / -- / 1.5 oz / 1.5 oz eq / --
Tofu, soy product, or alternate protein products / -- / ⅛ cup / -- / 1.1 oz / 0.25 oz eq / 30
-- / ⅓ cup / -- / 1.5 oz / 0.33 oz eq / 12
Cheese / -- / ¼ cup / -- / 1.0 oz / 1.0 oz eq / 16
-- / ⅓ cup / -- / 1.5 oz / 1.5 oz eq / 12
Large egg / ½ serving / ⅛ cup / -- / -- / 1.0 oz eq / 30
¾ serving / ⅓ cup / -- / -- / 1.5 oz eq / 12
Cooked dry beans or peas / -- / ¼ cup / -- / 0.5 oz / 1.0 oz eq / 16
-- / ⅜ cup / -- / 1.5 oz / 1.5 oz eq / 10
Peanut butter, soy nut butter, or other nut or seed butter / -- / 2 Tbsp / -- / 1.1 oz / 1.0 oz eq / 30
-- / 3 Tbsp / -- / 1.7 oz / 1.5 oz eq / 20
Yogurt, plain, or flavored unsweetened or sweetened / -- / ¼ cup / -- / 2.0 oz / 0.5 oz eq / 16
-- / ½ cup / -- / 4.0 oz / 1.0 oz eq / 8
-- / ¾ cup / -- / 6.0 oz / 1.5 oz eq / 4
Peanuts, soy nuts, tree nuts, or seeds / -- / -- / -- / 0.5 oz / 1.0 oz eq / --
-- / -- / -- / 0.75 oz / 1.5 oz eq / --
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[1] Under CACFP, students are not given a choice of milk.
[2] Juice must be full strength (100 percent juice) and may be used to meet the vegetable or fruit requirement at one meal per day, including snack.
[3] At least one serving per day, across all meals served must be whole grain-rich unless a meat/meat alternate is being served in place of grain that day. Grain-based desserts (i.e., graham crackers, sweet crackers, cereal bars, breakfast bars, granola bars sweet rolls, sweet pie crusts doughnuts, toaster pastries, cake, brownies, etc.) are not creditable. Meat and meat alternates may be substituted for the daily grains requirement a maximum of three times a week.
[4] Until October 1, 2019, the minimum serving size for any type of ready-to-eat breakfast cereals is ¼ cup for children ages 1-2 and ⅓ cup for children ages 3-5. Breakfast cereals must be whole grain, enriched, or fortified and contain no more than 6 grams of sugar per dry ounce (21.2 grams sucrose and other sugars per 100 grams of dry cereal).
[5] Under CACFP, students are not given a choice of milk.
[6] Juice must be full strength (100 percent juice) and may be used to meet the vegetable or fruit requirement at one meal per day, including snack. A vegetable may be used to meet the entire fruit requirement. When two vegetables are served at lunch or supper, two different kinds of vegetables must be served.
[7] Mixtures of different types of fruit, different types of vegetables, or a combined fruits and vegetables are not creditable. A vegetable may be used to meet the entire fruit requirement for lunch and supper.
[8] Grain-based desserts (i.e., graham crackers, donuts, pop tarts, cinnamon rolls, granola bars etc.) are not creditable.
[9] Yogurt must contain no more than 23 grams of total sugars per 6 ounces. Any combination of peanuts, soy nuts, tree nuts, or seeds may be credited to meet 50% of the minimum amount to be served. Meat and meat alternates may be substituted for the daily grains requirement a maximum of three times a week.
[10] The Child Nutrition Food Buying Guide available at http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/food-buying-guide-for-child-nutrition-programs provides additional information on converting amounts.