CACFP Administrative Manual Section 16.2

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Terms, Definitions, and Acronyms

Section 16: Administrative Review Process for Compliance with the CACFP Meal Patterns

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) reviewers will verify compliance with the CACFP meal pattern requirements for two timeframes during the administrative review process:

The month of the administrative review (Section 16.1)
The day of the administrative review (Section 16.2)

Outlined below is the preliminary review process; however, an expanded review may occur if the reviewer considers it necessary.

16.2 Analyzing Meals Served on the Day of the Meal Observation

Nutrition Facts Labels or Ingredients Lists

The reviewer will check the Nutrition Facts labels and/or Ingredients lists from packaged foods and for foods used as ingredients in recipes to ensure that the meal pattern requirements for meals served that day were met.

CACFP Operators are required to retain the Nutrition Facts labels and Ingredient lists from packaged foods until the end of each day during the year of their administrative review in case of an unannounced meal observation by CDSS CACFP reviewers. If the Nutrition Facts labels and Ingredient lists are not available during the day of the meal observation because meals were not prepared onsite or for another justifiable reason, the CACFP Operator has five business days to provide the reviewer with a copy of these documents.

The reviewer will look at the Nutrition Facts labels or Ingredients lists to determine the following:

For infants only: Infant formula served (including infant formula brought from home) contained at least 1 milligram of iron per 100 calories and is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (unless supported by a signed medical statement).
For infants only:
- All infant cereal served at meals and snacks were made from dry, iron-fortified infant cereal.
- Ready-to-eat cereals (only allowable for infants at snacks) were either fortified or made from enriched or whole grain meal or flour, and contained no more than 6 grams (g) of sugar per dry ounce (oz).
Fluid milk served to children and adults did not exceed the fat content allowable for the age of the participant and flavored milk was not served to participants five years of age and younger. Note: In California, the Healthy Beverages in Child Care Act does not allow licensed child care centers and day care home providers to serve flavored beverages to children of any age.
Nondairy fluid milk substitutes served to participants (without a medical statement) met the federal fluid milk substitution nutrient requirements (Title 7, Code of Federal Regulations [7 CFR], Section 226.20 [g][3]). Note: Simply providing the nondairy milk substitute’s name and brand is not considered sufficient documentation. Reviewers will request to see the Nutrition Facts label.
Grains were made from enriched or whole grain meal or flour, bran, or germ.
WGR food items met the criteria for WGR listed in the USDA Policy Memorandum CACFP 09–2018, Grain Requirements in the CACFP, Questions and Answers (Q&A). Documentation required to demonstrate the food item met the criteria for WGR will depend upon which method listed in the USDA policy memo was used.
Breakfast cereals contained no more than 6 g of sugar per dry oz, and were either: (1) fortified, (2) the first ingredient was a whole grain, enriched grain, bran, or germ, or (3) the name and brand of breakfast cereal is listed in the California Department of Public Health Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Authorized Food List Shopping Guide, or other states' WIC Shopping Guide, in which case a Nutrition Facts label is not required. Tip: When breakfast cereal is removed from the original package and stored in containers, attach the package label with the Nutrition Facts Label and Ingredients list to the container, or provide other documentation to demonstrate that the food item is creditable.
Tofu was commercially prepared, easily recognizable as a meat substitute (e.g., sausage link, tofu chunks in a stir fry), and contained at least 5 g of protein per 2.2 oz (equivalent to ¼ cup).
Yogurt contains no more than 23 g of sugar per 6 oz.

All other food items must be included in the USDA Food Buying Guide (FBG), or have a Child Nutrition (CN) Label or product formulation statement (PFS) on file which shows that the contribution to the meal pattern was correct. Note: Most processed meat/meat alternates and commercially-prepared combination foods are not included in the USDA FBG and require a CN Label or a PFS to be served as part of reimbursable meals and snacks.

Additional Meal-related Documentation

The reviewer will request the following meal-related documents (which must be kept on file) to substantiate that the CACFP meal requirements were met on the day of the onsite meal observation:

Medical statements or documentation related to requests for medical statements, if applicable.
Written requests from a child’s parent or guardian, or household member of an adult participant, for nondairy milk substitutes when medical statements are not on file.
Documentation for all meal or snack modifications for participants without a disability, if applicable.
Written notification from the CACFP Operator to parents that an iron-fortified infant formula is provided, or a signed written statement from a parent or guardian who denies the formula provided by the CACFP Operator and instead chooses to provide an alternate infant formula, if infants are served.
For infants only: Containers of expressed breast milk are labeled with the infant’s name and date, and not offered more than 72 hours after expressed or thawed.

Note: Reviewers have the authority to request additional documentation on additional days (extending beyond the day of the meal observation) if needed to verify compliance.