CACFP Administrative Manual Section 8.1
Section 8.1 CACFP Meal Patterns
Note: For Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) menu and meal pattern documentation requirements, access the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) CACFP Administrative Manual Section 9.
CACFP Meal Patterns: Requirements
This section outlines U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and CDSS meal pattern requirements for CACFP meals and snacks.
CACFP regulations in Title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (7 CFR), § 226.20 include requirements for CACFP meals and snacks for infants (birth through 11 months), children (1 through 18 years), and adults.
Links to the CACFP meal patterns tables in regulations for infants, children, and adults are below. All CACFP requirements for meals and snacks are available at 7 CFR § 226.20.
In addition to federal CACFP meal pattern requirements, licensed child care centers and homes in California may not serve flavored milk to children of any age per California Health and Safety Code (HSC) § 1596.808(3). Note: Although California HSC § 1596.808(1) states only low-fat (1 percent) milk or nonfat milk may be served to children two years and older in licensed child care centers and homes, the CDSS Community Care Licensing Division issued Provider Information Notice (PIN) 26-08-CCP on July 15, 2026, which updates HSC § 1596.808(1) and allows licensed child care centers and homes to serve unflavored whole, reduced-fat (2 percent), low-fat (1 percent), and nonfat milk to children two and older to align with the USDA final rule, Expanding Fluid Milk Options in Child Nutrition Programs.
All CACFP operators must comply with the CACFP meal pattern standards to claim meals and snacks for reimbursement.
CACFP Meal Patterns: Modifications, Variations, and Flexibilities
CACFP operators may claim meals and snacks for reimbursement that vary from the CACFP meal patterns tables for the modifications, variations, and flexibilities contained in this section as allowed per 7 CFR § 226.20.
Modifications for Participants with a Disability
Per 7 CFR § 226.20(g)(1), CACFP operators must make meal modifications including substitutions in meals and snacks, for participants who have a disability that restricts their diet at no cost to the participant.
Per 7 CFR § 226.20(g)(1)(i), to receive reimbursement when a modified meal does not meet the meal pattern requirements for a participant with a disability, the CACFP operator must obtain from the household a written medical statement signed by a State licensed healthcare professional or registered dietitian (RD). The CDSS CACFP Administrative Manual Section 9.2: Meal Pattern Documentation Requirements includes documentation requirements for meal modifications that do not meet the meal pattern requirements.
Meal modifications for a participant with a disability that meet the meal pattern requirements are reimbursable without a medical statement; however, the CACFP operator must document the meal modification. The CDSS CACFP Administrative Manual Section 9.2: Meal Pattern Documentation Requirements includes documentation requirements for creditable fluid milk substitutes and other meal modifications that meet the meal pattern requirements.
Expenses incurred when making meal modifications that exceed Program reimbursement rates must be paid by the CACFP operator; costs may be paid from the CACFP operator’s nonprofit food service account.
A parent, guardian, adult participant, or a person on behalf of an adult participant may supply one or more components of the reimbursable meal as long as the CACFP operator provides at least one required meal component.
Access the CDSS Meal Modifications in the CACFP web page for additional information.
Fluid Milk Substitutes
Per 7 CFR § 226.20(g)(3), a CACFP operator may offer fluid milk substitutes (nondairy beverages) based on a written request from a child's parent or guardian, an adult participant, a person on behalf of an adult participant, a State licensed healthcare professional, or RD for participants with dietary needs that are not disabilities. The written request must identify the reason for the substitute.
A CACFP operator choosing to offer fluid milk substitutes for a non-disability reason is not required to offer the specific fluid milk substitutes requested but may offer the fluid milk substitutes of the operator’s choice, provided the fluid milk substitutes offered meet the nutrient requirements for fluid milk substitutes in 7 CFR § 226.20(g)(3)(ii).
Participants with a disability who cannot consume fluid milk, but can consume a creditable fluid milk substitute, may submit a written request, identifying the reason for the substitute (as outlined above), instead of submitting a medical statement.
The CDSS CACFP Administrative Manual Section 9.2: Meal Pattern Documentation Requirements includes documentation requirements for creditable fluid milk substitutes.
Access the CDSS Meal Modifications in the CACFP web page for additional information.
Meal Variations (Other than Fluid Milk Substitutes) for Participants with a Dietary Preference (Not a Disability)
Per 7 CFR § 226.20(g)(2), CACFP operators should consider participants' dietary preferences when planning and preparing meals and snacks. Any meal modifications must meet the meal pattern requirements.
Expenses incurred from meal modifications that exceed program reimbursement rates must be paid by the CACFP operator; costs may be paid from the CACFP operator's nonprofit food service account.
A parent, guardian, adult participant, or a person on behalf of an adult participant may supply one component of the reimbursable meal as long as the component meets the meal pattern requirements and the CACFP operator provides the remaining components.
The CDSS CACFP Administrative Manual Section 9.2: Meal Pattern Documentation Requirements includes documentation requirements for meal modifications that meet the meal pattern requirements.
Access the CDSS Meal Modifications in the CACFP web page for additional information.
Substituting Vegetables for Grains in Institutions or Facilities That Serve Primarily American Indian or Alaska Native Participants
CACFP operators in institutions or facilities serving primarily American Indian or Alaska Native infant, child, and adult participants have the option to substitute vegetables to meet the grains requirement. This flexibility is codified at 7 CFR § 226.20(f) and allows any creditable vegetable to be substituted for the grains component at meals and/or snacks as frequently as desired by the CACFP operator.
CACFP operators who choose to substitute vegetables for grains must maintain documentation demonstrating that the institution or facility serves primarily American Indian or Alaska Native participants per USDA policy memo CACFP 03-2025, Substituting Vegetables for Grains in American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Tribal Communities. Access the CDSS CACFP Administrative Manual Section 9.2: Meal Pattern Documentation Requirements for a list of acceptable documentation.
Access the USDA policy memo CACFP 03-2025, Substituting Vegetables for Grains in American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Tribal Communities for additional information.
Meals Prepared by Schools
Per 7 CFR § 226.20(i), CACFP operators (at-risk afterschool care centers and outside-school-hours care centers [school-age centers]) who serve meals to children 5 years old and older which are prepared in schools participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP), may substitute the NSLP and SBP meal pattern requirements.
For example, schools operating an unlicensed CACFP at-risk afterschool care center for transitional kindergarten (TK) through grade 5 can serve meals that meet the NSLP and SBP K-5 meal pattern requirements to children of all ages, including serving flavored or unflavored whole, reduced-fat (2 percent), low-fat (1 percent), and fat-free (skim) milk. For additional guidance on serving milk, access USDA policy memo SP 08-2026, CACFP 04-2026, Expanding Fluid Milk Options in Child Nutrition Programs.
Note: Operators using the flexibility in 7 CFR § 226.20(i) must follow all NSLP and/or SBP meal pattern requirements in 7 CFR § 210 and 7 CFR § 220.
Exemption from Serving Fluid Milk at Meals
Title 7 CFR § 226.20(e) provides the CDSS with the authority to authorize CACFP operators to claim meals that are served:
- Without the fluid milk component or with an alternate form of fluid milk due to temporary emergency conditions.
- With an equivalent amount of canned, whole dry, or fat-free dry milk due to a continuing inability to obtain fluid milk.
The USDA policy memo CACFP 01-2024 Clarification of Allowable Flexibilities for Child Nutrition Programs Experiencing Milk Supply Shortages and USDA policy memo CACFP 01-2025 Nutrition Requirements for Fluid Milk and Fluid Milk Substitutions in the CACFP provide additional guidance on this flexibility.
CACFP operators who have an approved fluid milk exemption must:
- Notify the CDSS within 10 business days after the exemption is no longer required.
- Retain the approval email sent by the CDSS CACFP Nutrition Team and provide the email to CDSS CACFP review staff upon request. CACFP operators must retain records in accordance with all applicable record retention requirements as outlined in CDSS CACFP Administrative Manual, Section 9.2: Meal Pattern Documentation Requirements.
- Continue to accommodate meal modifications for participants with a disability that affects their diet.
Access the CDSS CACFP Fluid Milk Exemption Requests web page for the procedure to request a fluid milk exemption and additional information.
Special Variations for Jewish Institutions and Facilities
Per 7 CFR § 226.20(h), the USDA Food and Nutrition Administration (FNA) may approve variations in the meal components of the meals on an experimental or continuing basis in any institution or facility where there is evidence that such variations are nutritionally sound and are necessary to meet ethnic, religious, economic, or physical needs.
Currently FNA has approved a special variation addressed in FNA guidance, FNS Instruction 783-13 Rev.3 Variations in Meal Requirements for Religious Reasons; Jewish Schools, Institutions, and Sponsors, to meet the needs of Jewish CACFP institutions and facilities. Detailed guidance is included in this policy memo and the following is summary of the flexibility provided:
- During the religious observance of Passover only, grains are not required to be enriched or whole grain-rich (WGR). Unenriched matzo may be substituted for enriched or WGR grain products. CACFP operators are not required to notify the CDSS in advance to use the grains flexibility during the religious observance of Passover.
- On an ongoing basis (not limited to the religious observance of Passover), if the meal contains meat or poultry and Offer Versus Serve meal service (only allowed during meals for at-risk programs and adult day care centers) is not an option, CACFP operators may use one of the four milk flexibilities listed below.
- Serve an equal amount of a nondairy beverage that is nutritionally equivalent to fluid milk per 7 CFR § 226.20(g)(3)(ii).
- Serve an equal amount of full-strength juice in place of fluid milk with lunch or supper.
- Serve fluid milk at an appropriate time before or after the meal service period, in accordance with applicable Jewish Dietary Law.
- Serve the snack’s juice component at breakfast, lunch, or supper, and serve the corresponding meal’s fluid milk component as part of the snack.
Jewish CACFP institutions are required to notify the CDSS in advance to use the milk flexibility option(s) and maintain documentation of which option was chosen. Note: CACFP sponsoring organizations (institutions) must notify the CDSS on behalf of sponsored Jewish facilities that are using this flexibility.
To notify the CDSS, email the CDSS CACFP Nutrition Team at CACFPMealPatterns@dss.ca.gov with ‘Jewish Institution Meal Pattern Flexibility’ in the Subject line, and include the following information: (1) CNIPS ID(s) of the institution and (2) milk flexibility option being used.
Access the CDSS CACFP Administrative Manual Section 9.2: Meal Pattern Documentation Requirements and the Meal Modifications in the CACFP web page for additional information.
Resources
- 7 CFR 226.20‒Requirements for meals
- California Health and Safety Code § 1596.808
- FNA guidance: FNS Instruction 783-13 Rev.3 Variations in Meal Requirements for Religious Reasons; Jewish Schools, Institutions, and Sponsors
- USDA final rule, Child Nutrition Programs: Meal Patterns Consistent with the 2020-2025 DGAs
- USDA final rule, Expanding Fluid Milk Options in Child Nutrition Programs
- USDA policy memo CACFP 01-2024 Clarification of Allowable Flexibilities for Child Nutrition Programs Experiencing Milk Supply Shortages
- USDA policy memo CACFP 01-2025 Nutrition Requirements for Fluid Milk and Fluid Milk Substitutions in the CACFP
- USDA policy memo CACFP 03-2025, Substituting Vegetables for Grains in American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Tribal Communities
- USDA policy memo SP 08-2026, CACFP 04-2026, Expanding Fluid Milk Options in Child Nutrition Programs
- CDSS CACFP Meal Patterns web page
- CDSS Meal Modifications in the CACFP web page
- CDSS PIN 26-08-CCP, New Guidance for Providing Milk in Child Care Settings
- CDSS CACFP Fluid Milk Exemption Requests web page
Questions: CACFPMealPatterns@dss.ca.gov
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Esta institución es un proveedor que ofrece igualdad de oportunidades.