Crediting Smarter Choices:CACFP Creditable Food Guide & Food

Buying Guide

Crediting Smarter Choices

Remember!

A meal is reimbursable if it contains those creditable foods in the amounts outlined in the CACFP meal patterns

Crediting Smarter Choices

Resources:

Crediting Handbook for the CACFP

The CACFP Food Buying Guide (FBG)

State Agency Technical Assistance memos

*CACFP Infant Feeding Guide

Crediting Handbook for the CACFP

Crediting Handbook for the CACFP:

- Lists some food items in FBG and their creditability - “yes”, “no”, or “maybe”

- Explains how to credit combination meals and other popular food items (quiche, grits, gelatin with fruit, coleslaw, beef stew) in compliance with USDA policy decisions

Crediting Handbook for the CACFP

Important Pending SA Memos

• Combination meals:– Individually portioned combination foods (i.e. sandwiches)

will now be allowed to be credited toward as many components as allowable under current regulations. The menu must clearly reflect all ingredients counting toward a component (instead of “turkey sandwich”, specify “turkey (1oz), cheddar cheese (1oz), whole wheat bread (2 slices), lettuce (1/4 cup)”.

– Combination foods where all the ingredients are mixed together during preparation and each participant receives a single portion that contains all of the components (chicken noodle soup with vegetables) must have a recipe or production record on file to demonstrate this item fulfills the meal pattern requirements.

Important Pending SA Memos

• Hummus: – commercially-prepared products labeled as “hummus”

are not creditable unless there is a Child Nutrition (CN) label or a Product Formulation Statement (PFS) signed by an official of the manufacturer (not a salesperson).

– Hummus prepared from scratch, whether by the participating facility, its sponsor, or its FSMC, is creditable if a recipe or production record is maintained on file to demonstrate that the total recipe and each serving provides enough garbanzo beans and tahini (or other creditable substitutes) to meet minimum portion requirements for the meat/meat alternates and/or fruit/vegetable component(s).

The Food Buying Guide

Food Buying Guide: Sections

FBG: Section 1: Meat/Alternates

FBG: Section 2: Vegetables/Fruits

FBG: Section 3: Grains/Breads

FBG: Section 4: Milk

FBG: Quick Calculations

http://fbg.nfsmi.org/

Using the Food Buying Guide for meals

Kids love plates with lots of colors!

I have 32 children ages 1-2 and 34 children ages 3-5. How do I make sure I’m buying enough food for all of them to make that meal?

Use the Child Meal Pattern Chart and Food Buying Guide Calculator!

Putting It All Together!

1 – 2 year olds (32) 3 – 5 year olds (34)

Buying for the meal we just saw:Brown rice = FBG = purchase 2.25 lbsFish fillet = FBG = purchase 7.75 lbs Tomatoes = FBG = purchase 6.00 lbsBroccoli = FBG = purchase 5.50 lbs Milk = FBG = purchase 3.00 gallons

Lunch recipe: Putting it all together

Quinoa and Tuna SaladServes 20

Ingredients• 7.5 cups quinoa• 7.5 cups chicken broth• 7.5 cups water• 1 (10 oz) pkg frozen spinach• 1.5 cups diced onion (about 1 large onion)• 5 tsp minced garlic• 2.5 tsp Italian seasoning• 5 (6 oz) cans of tuna• 2.5 cups shredded mozzarella• Salt to taste

Quinoa:7.5 cups dry = 3 lbs dry3 lbs dry = (3 × 26.4 servings/lb) = 79 (¼ cup) servings

Tuna:5 (6 oz) cans = 5.2 oz per can × 5 cans = 26 oz26 oz ÷ 1.5 oz/serving = 17 (1.5 oz) servings

Spinach:10 oz = 10 oz ÷ 16 oz/lb = 0.625 lb0.625 lb × 5.6 servings/lb = 3.5 (¼ cup) servings

Mozzarella:2.5 cups × 1 lb/2 cups = 1.25 lbs1.25 lbs × 16 oz/lb = 20 oz20 oz ÷ 1.5 oz/serving = 13 (1.5 oz) servings

Lunch recipe: Putting it all together

Tuna and Quinoa Salad (servings for 3-5yo)• Quinoa: 79 (¼ cup) servings• Spinach: 3.5 (¼ cup) servings• Total meat/meat alternate: 30 (1.5 oz)

servings– Tuna: 17 (1.5 oz) servings– Mozzarella: 13 (1.5 oz) servings

Let’s make it a Tuna-Quinoa Spinach Salad!

Lunch recipe: Putting all together

Beloved Babies’ CDC Quinoa-Tuna Spinach SaladServes 30 (ages 5 and under)

Ingredients• 3 cups quinoa

• 3 cups chicken broth

• 3 cups water

• 9 (10 oz) pkg frozen spinach

• 1.5 cups diced onion (~1 large onion)

• 5 tsp minced garlic

• 2.5 tsp Italian seasoning

• 5 (6 oz) cans of tuna

• 2.5 cups shredded mozzarella

• Salt to tasteServing instructions: Each rounded ½ cup serving credits as ¼ cup cooked grain, ¼ cup cooked spinach, and 1.5 oz meat/meat alternate

Quinoa:3 cups dry = 1.2 lbs dry1.2 lbs dry = (1.2 × 26.4 servings/lb) = 31.7 (¼ cup) servings

Spinach:90 oz = 90 oz ÷ 16 oz/lb = 5.6 lb5.6 lb × 5.6 servings/lb = 31.5 (¼ cup) servings

Looking for more recipes?

www.nfsmi.org: The University of Mississippi’s National Food Service Management Institute (click on “Child & Adult Care Food Program”; under “CACFP Resources”: “Recipes”)

http://healthymeals.nal.usda.gov/recipes/recipes-child-care-providers:

Standardized recipes for child care providers that meet USDA meal pattern requirements (Sources: Team Nutrition, NFSMI, etc)