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Crediting Foods in Preschool Menus

The crediting guidance below applies to the meal patterns for preschoolers (ages 1-4) in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), School Breakfast Program (SBP), Seamless Summer Option (SSO) of the NSLP, and Afterschool Snack Program (ASP) of the NSLP.


General Crediting Guidance  |   Crediting Commercial Processed Products
Crediting Foods Prepared on Site  |   Meal Pattern Components for Preschoolers


General Crediting Guidance for Preschool Menus

Crediting Commercial Processed Products in Preschool Menus

School food authorities (SFAs) must obtain appropriate documentation to indicate that commercial products credit toward the preschool meal patterns. For example, to credit a commercial breaded chicken patty as the meat/meat alternates component for ages 3-4 at lunch, the manufacturer’s documentation must indicate that one serving of the product contains 1½ ounces of cooked chicken.Allowable documentation includes:

  • the original Child Nutrition (CN) label from the product carton or a photocopy or photograph of the CN label shown attached to the original product carton; or
  • a product formulation statement (PFS) signed by an official of the manufacturer stating the amount of each meal pattern component contained in one serving of the product. 

These are the only acceptable records for documenting a commercial product’s meal pattern contribution. Without this documentation, SFAs cannot credit commercial products toward the preschool meal patterns.

Crediting Foods Prepared on Site in Preschool Menus

To credit foods prepared on site toward the preschool meal patterns, SFAs must maintain standardized recipes that document the crediting information per serving. For example, to credit macaroni and cheese as 1½ ounces of the meat/meat alternates component and ½ ounce equivalent of the grains component for ages 3-4 at lunch, the SFA's recipe must indicate that each serving contains 1½ ounces of cheese and ¼ cup of whole-grain or enriched pasta. 

Meal Pattern Components for Preschoolers

Milk  |   Meat/Meat Alternates  |   Vegetables  |   Fruits  |   Grains

 

Milk Component for Preschoolers

Milk must be pasteurized, meet all state and local requirements, and contain vitamins A and D at levels specified by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The preschool meal patterns require unflavored whole milk for age 1; and unflavored low-fat milk or unflavored fat-free milk for ages 2-4. Flavored milk is not allowed for preschoolers. 

All milk served in public schools must also meet the state beverage requirements for milk under Section 10-221q of the Connecticut General Statutes. This includes milk sold as part of reimbursable meals and ASP snacks, and milk sold to preschoolers separately from reimbursable meals. For a list of milk that complies with the federal and state requirements, see list 16 on the CSDE's List of Acceptable Foods and Beverages webpage.

Meat/Meat Alternates Component for Preschoolers

The required servings for the meat/meat alternates component refer to the edible portion of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish, e.g., cooked lean meat without bone, breading, binders, fillers, or other ingredients. Different types of meat and meat alternates require different amounts to credit as 1 ounce of the meat/meat alternates component. A 1-ounce serving of the meat/meat alternates component equals 1 ounce of lean meat, poultry, or fish (without binders, fillers, extenders, and liquids); 1 ounce of cheese (low-fat recommended); 2 ounces of cottage or ricotta cheese, cheese food/spread, or cheese substitute (low-fat recommended); ¼ cup of cooked beans and peas (legumes); ½ large egg; 2 tablespoons of nut or seed butters; 1 ounce of nuts or seeds; 1 ounce of commercial tofu (containing at least 5 grams of protein in 2.2 ounces); 1 ounce of tempeh; 3 ounces of surimi; ½ cup of yogurt or soy yogurt (containing no more than 3.83 grams of sugar per ounce); and 1 ounce of alternate protein products (APPs).

The minimum creditable amount is ¼ ounce. If a food item provides less than the full-required meal pattern serving, the preschool menu must include the additional amount from other meat/meat alternates. The meat/meat alternates component at lunch must be served in a main dish, or in a main dish and only one other food item.

Vegetables Component for Preschoolers

The vegetables component includes fresh, frozen, and canned vegetables; and pasteurized full-strength vegetable juice. Legumes (cooked dry beans and peas) credit as either vegetables or meat/meat alternates, but not both in the same meal or ASP snack. Vegetables may substitute for the fruits components at any lunch, but the two servings must be different vegetables.

All vegetables credit based on volume except raw leafy greens, which credit as half the volume served, e.g., 1 cup of leafy greens credits as ½ cup of the vegetables component. A serving of cooked vegetables must be drained.

The minimum creditable amount is ⅛ cup. If a food item provides less than the full-required meal pattern serving, the preschool menu must include the additional amount from other vegetables.

Juice credits as the vegetables or fruits component at only one preschool meal or ASP snack per day. The juice limit includes all fruit and vegetable juice, frozen pops made from 100 percent juice, pureed fruits and vegetables in smoothies, and juice from canned fruit in 100 percent juice. The USDA recommends serving whole fruits (fresh, frozen, canned, and dried) more often than juice.

The USDA’s CACFP Best Practices recommends making at least one of the two required snack components a vegetable or fruit; and providing at least one serving per week of dark green vegetables, red and orange vegetables, beans and peas (legumes), starchy vegetables, and other vegetables. For more information, see Vegetable Subgroups in the CACFP.

Creditable vegetables include fresh, frozen, and canned. A serving of canned vegetables must be drained. Legumes (cooked dry beans and peas) credit as either vegetables or meat/meat alternates, but not both in the same meal. All vegetables credit based on volume except raw leafy greens, which credit as half the volume served, e.g., 1 cup of leafy greens credits as ½ cup of the vegetables component. To credit toward the vegetables component, a menu item must provide a minimum of ⅛ cup of vegetables. The rest of the minimum daily serving must be met with additional vegetables. The USDA’s CACFP Best Practices recommends at least one serving per week of dark green vegetables, red and orange vegetables, beans and peas (legumes), starchy vegetables, and other vegetables. Juice credits as the vegetables or fruits component at only one preschool meal or ASP snack per day. The juice limit includes all fruit and vegetable juice, frozen pops made from 100 percent juice, pureed fruits and vegetables in smoothies, and juice from canned fruit in 100 percent juice.

Fruits Component for Preschoolers

The fruits component includes fresh, frozen, dried, and canned fruit (packed in water, full-strength juice, or light syrup); and pasteurized full-strength fruit juice. A serving of canned fruit may include the juice in which it is packed. Fruits credit based on volume except dried fruit credits as twice the volume served, e.g., ¼ cup of dried fruit counts as ½ cup of the fruits component. Vegetables may substitute for the fruits components at any lunch, but the two servings must be different vegetables. 

The minimum creditable amount is ⅛ cup. If a food item provides less than the full-required meal pattern serving, the preschool menu must include the additional amount from other fruits.

Juice credits as the vegetables or fruits component at only one preschool meal or ASP snack per day. The juice limit includes all fruit and vegetable juice, frozen pops made from 100 percent juice, pureed fruits and vegetables in smoothies, and juice from canned fruit in 100 percent juice. The USDA’s CACFP Best Practices recommends serving whole fruits (fresh, canned, dried, and frozen) more often than juice; and making at least one of the two required snack components a vegetable or fruit.

Grains Component for Preschoolers

Grains must be whole grain, enriched, or contain a blend of whole and enriched grains. Bran and germ credit the same as enriched and whole grains in the preschool meal patterns. Cooked and ready-to-eat (RTE) breakfast cereals must be whole grain, enriched, or fortified; and cannot contain more than 6 grams of sugar per dry ounce.

Except for sweet crackers such as graham crackers and animal crackers, grain-based desserts cannot credit in preschool meals and ASP snacks. Examples include cookies, sweet pie crusts, doughnuts, cereal bars, granola bars, sweet rolls, pastries, toaster pastries, cake, and brownies.

The minimum creditable amount is ¼ serving through September 30, 2021. Effective October 1, 2021, the required amounts change to ounce equivalents, and the minimum creditable amount is ¼ ounce equivalent. If a food item provides less than the full-required meal pattern serving, the CACFP menu must include the additional amount from other meat/meat alternates The daily meat/meat alternates component at lunch must be served in a main dish, or in a main dish and only one other food item.

Preschool menus must include at least one WGR serving per day, between all meals and ASP snacks served to preschoolers. WGR foods for the preschool meal patterns contain at least 50 percent whole grains and the remaining grain ingredients are creditable (whole grains, enriched grains, bran, or germ). A grain food meets the WGR criteria if a whole grain is the first ingredient (or second after water), and the next two grain ingredients (if any) are creditable grains. A combination food meets the WGR criteria if the first grain ingredient (or second after water) is a whole grain, and the next two grain ingredients (if any) are creditable grains.