Overview
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Meals and snacks served to infants from birth through 11 months of age in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) must comply with the CACFP infant meal pattern. The CACFP infant meal pattern requirements are defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) final rule, Child and Adult Care Food Program: Meal Pattern Revisions Related to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, and began on October 1, 2017. Effective October 1, 2021, grains must comply with the ounce equivalents for creditable grains in Grain Ounce Equivalents for the CACFP.
The final rule requires more whole grains and a greater variety of vegetables and fruits, and reduces the amount of added sugars and solid fats in CACFP meals. It also better aligns the CACFP with the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and other Child Nutrition Programs.
Infant Meal Pattern | Meal Pattern Guidance
Infant Meal Pattern
- CACFP Infant Meal Pattern (CSDE)
- CACFP Trainer's Tools: Feeding Infants English and Spanish (USDA): Trainer’s guide, presentation slides and trainer notes, videos, and digital interactive games
- Nutrition Standards for CACFP Meals and Snacks (USDA)
- Updated Child and Adult Care Meal Patterns: Infant Meals (English) (USDA)
- Updated Child and Adult Care Meal Patterns: Infant Meals (Spanish) (USDA)
- USDA Guide: Feeding Infants in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (English)
- USDA Guide: Feeding Infants in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (Spanish)
- USDA Memo CACFP 02-2018: Feeding Infants and Meal Pattern Requirements in the Child and Adult Care Food Program; Questions and Answers
Meal Pattern Guidance
- Crediting Foods (Documents/Forms section)
- Feeding and Nutrition Guidance (Documents/Forms section)
- Infant Forms (Documents/Forms section)