Crediting Smoothies in the CACFP

Smoothies are a popular menu item, can be a healthful food option, and are a great way to introduce new fruits and vegetables to children through nutrition education activities.

This web page provides information on fruit, vegetable, fluid milk, and yogurt smoothies served as part of reimbursable meals and snacks in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Additional guidance is available in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Policy Memo SP 40-2019, CACFP 17-2019, SFSP 17-2019, Smoothies Offered in the Child Nutrition Programs.

Crediting Guidance

Best Practices

Recipes

Resources

Contact

Crediting Guidance

General

Smoothies may be credited only once per day in the CACFP because fruits and vegetables used in smoothies credit as juice, which may only be used to meet the vegetable or fruit requirement at one meal or snack per day. For more information on juice limits, access the USDA Policy Memo CACFP 09-2017, Vegetable and Fruit Requirements in the CACFP–Q&As.
The following minimum quantities must be provided in one serving of a smoothie to credit that component to the meal pattern:

Fruit and vegetable: ⅛ cup
Fluid milk: 2 oz (¼ cup)
Meats/meat alternates (M/MA): 0.25 oz eq (⅛ cup or 1 oz yogurt)

If the quantity of fruit, vegetable, yogurt, and/or fluid milk served in a smoothie does not meet the minimum serving size requirements for a component at a meal or snack, additional quantities of the component must be served with the smoothie to meet the meal pattern requirements. For example, if a smoothie provides ⅛ cup fruit at snack and the minimum serving size is ¼ cup fruit, an additional ⅛ cup fruit must be provided.
At snack, a juice and milk smoothie can credit as either juice or fluid milk, but not both, because only one component at snack can be a beverage. In this situation, a separate, second component must be served.
Commercially-prepared and homemade smoothies can credit toward the fluid milk, M/MA (yogurt only), fruit, and vegetable components.

Commercially-prepared- smoothies must be accompanied with manufacturer documentation (i.e., Child Nutrition Label, product formulation statement) showing the meal pattern contribution for each component.
Homemade smoothies are a combination food (contains more than one meal component that cannot be separated) and must be accompanied with a recipe.

If a smoothie contains herbal supplements or protein powder, none of the ingredients in the smoothie can credit toward a reimbursable snack.

Meats/Meat Alternates Component

Dairy yogurt and soy yogurt (including Greek yogurt) are the only meats/meat alternates (M/MA) that are creditable in smoothies.
Yogurt can only credit toward the M/MA component, not toward the fluid milk component. The one exception is that adults participating in the CACFP may be offered 6 ounces (oz) (¾ cup) of yogurt in place of 8 oz (1 cup) of fluid milk at one meal or snack per day. In this situation, yogurt could credit toward the fluid milk component if yogurt is not credited toward the M/MA component in the same meal or snack.
Yogurt cannot contain more than 23 grams (g) of total sugars per 6 oz serving through September 30, 2025. Effective October 1, 2025, the sugar standard for yogurt is no more than 12 g of added sugars per 6 oz. Access resources on calculating sugar limits on the USDA CACFP Meal Pattern Training Worksheets web page.
Nuts, seeds, nut and/or seed butters, and tofu may be added to smoothies, but they cannot credit toward the M/MA component because they are not recognizable as M/MAs when blended in a smoothie.

Fluid Milk Component

The only allowable milk types are:

Unflavored whole milk for children aged 12 through 23 months.
Unflavored or flavored 1 percent or fat-free milk for adults and children aged six years and older in unlicensed centers and homes.
Unflavored 1 percent or fat-free milk for children aged two through five years and for children aged six years and older in licensed centers and homes because the California Healthy Beverages in Child Care Act does not allow flavored milk to be served to children of any age in licensed centers and homes. Centers and homes that must comply with this Act may also not add flavorings (e.g., chocolate syrup) to smoothies.

Fruit and Vegetable Components

Fresh, frozen, and canned fruits and vegetables that are blended and served as a smoothie credit as fruit and vegetable juice. As a reminder, juice may be served to meet the vegetable or fruit requirement at only one meal or snack per day; therefore, smoothies may only be served to meet the vegetable or fruit requirement once per day in the CACFP.
Whole and sliced fresh, canned, and frozen fruits and vegetables in smoothies are credited based on the volume after they have been blended or pureed. To determine how fruits or vegetables in a smoothie credit toward the meal component, first measure the amount of fruits or vegetables after pureeing them. For example, if a smoothie recipe includes 6 cups whole strawberries, first puree the 6 cups strawberries and measure the resulting amount of puree to determine the creditable volume (e.g., 3 cups) in the recipe. Document the creditable amount on the smoothie recipe so this calculation only needs to be done one time. Once you know how the smoothie credits, you may blend the whole/sliced fruit and/or vegetable with the milk and/or yogurt when preparing the smoothie.
Smoothies containing a mix of fruits and vegetables, or fruit and vegetable juice blends, will contribute to the food component present in the largest amount.
Smoothies are not reimbursable when served to infants because juice is not creditable for infants in the CACFP.

Grains Component

Grains (such as oats) may be added to smoothies, but they cannot credit toward the grain component because they are not recognizable as grains when blended in a smoothie.

Back to Top

Best Practices

Most fruits and vegetables that children and adults consume should come from whole fruits and vegetables, including fresh, canned, frozen, and dried forms, rather than from juice served in a smoothie.
Raw fruits and vegetables can become contaminated with harmful bacteria. To prevent foodborne illnesses, thoroughly rinse raw fruits and vegetables under running water, especially those that require peeling or cutting, like oranges, because bacteria can be found on the outer rind or peel. As an added precaution, use a small brush to remove surface dirt and cut away damaged or bruised areas, because bacteria can thrive in these places.
Prepare smoothies shortly before meal service since refrigerating smoothies for more than three hours may cause a texture change.

Back to Top