CACFP Resources CACFP Administrative Manual Section 9.1

CACFP Administrative Manual Section 9.1

Note: For Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) meal pattern requirements, access the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) CACFP Administrative Manual Section 8.1.

Section 9.1 Menu Documentation Requirements

This section outlines the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and CDSS menu documentation requirements for CACFP meals and snacks.

Centers and day care home (DCH) providers serving meals to infants, children, and/or adults must:

Access the CDSS CACFP Administrative Manual Section 9.2 for meal pattern documentation requirements.

Menu Documentation for Infants

CACFP operators who serve infants aged 0 through 11 months must meet the following USDA and CDSS menu (i.e., infant meal record) documentation requirements:

  • Maintain daily, dated infant meal records for each meal service (breakfast, lunch, supper, and snack[s]).
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  • Document on the infant meal record the type and quantity* of infant milk offered, i.e., breastmilk, iron-fortified infant formula, or a combination of both.
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  • Document on the infant meal record the name and quantity* of all solid food items offered when infants are developmentally ready to accept them, e.g., carrots, 1 Tbsp.

*DCH providers and emergency shelters are not required to document quantities of food items on menus.

Relevant legal citations for these requirements include, but are not limited to, the following:

CACFP operators may use either the optional CDSS template available in the Download Forms section of the Child Nutrition Information and Payment System (CNIPS) Form ID CACFP 45: Individual Infant Meal Record with Meal Pattern, or another document, as the daily infant meal record.

Menu Documentation for Children and Adults

CACFP operators who serve children (as defined in 7 CFR § 226.2-Children) aged 12 months and older and adults (as defined in 7 CFR § 226.2-Adults) must meet the following USDA and CDSS menu documentation requirements:

  • Maintain dated, daily menus for each meal service (breakfast, lunch, supper, and snack[s]).
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  • Document on menus the specific food items (e.g., 1 percent unflavored milk, strawberries, brown rice, broccoli, chicken) or the name of the recipe served to meet the USDA CACFP Nutrition Standards. Menus cannot list only the meal components (e.g., milk, fruit, grain, vegetable, M/MA). Note: If only the name of the recipe (e.g., fruit salad) is listed on the menu instead of the individual creditable food items (e.g., pineapple, strawberries) in the recipe, the operator must have a written recipe. Recipe requirements are included in the CDSS CACFP Administrative Manual Section 9.2: Meal Pattern Documentation Requirements.
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  • Document on menus, for each age group, the fat content of all types of milk served (e.g., whole, 2 percent [reduced-fat], fat-free [nonfat or skim]) and whether each milk type is unflavored or flavored per USDA policy memo CACFP 01-2025, Nutrition Requirements for Fluid Milk and Substitutions in the CACFP, Questions and Answers.
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  • Document on menus at least one food item per day that meets the whole grain-rich (WGR) criteria (if a grain item is served that day) to demonstrate compliance with the WGR requirement as addressed in the ‘Compliance’ section in USDA policy memo CACFP 05-2025, Grain Requirements in the CACFP: Questions and Answers. Options for clearly identifying the WGR item on the menu include, but are not limited to:
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    • Writing WGR after the food item;
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    • Highlighting or bolding the WGR food item on the menu; or,
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    • Using an asterisk after the WGR food item with an accompanying notation on the menu indicating the asterisk represents a WGR food item.
     

    Note: CACFP operators who input more than two meals and one snack, or two snacks and one meal, into an electronic meal reimbursement system that determines which meals and snacks are submitted for reimbursement, are responsible for ensuring that one daily meal or snack claimed for reimbursement includes a WGR food item.

  • Document on menus substitutions that are made to the menu for the day to demonstrate the meals meet the meal pattern requirements per 7 CFR § 226.20. For example, if broccoli is listed on the menu but carrots were substituted, broccoli must be crossed off the menu and carrots written in place of the broccoli to note the substitution. The menu must match the actual meal served.
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  • Document on menus the USDA Nondiscrimination Statement (NDS) if the menu is available to the public and includes language informing the public about the CACFP other than just the menu. If the NDS is required and the menu is too small to permit the full statement to be included, the menu may simply include “This institution is an equal opportunity provider.”; otherwise, the full NDS must be included.
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  • For all child care centers (including outside-school-hours [school-age] centers) and adult day care centers only: Document on menus the serving size of each food item for each age group by weight (e.g., 2 ounces), by volume (e.g., ½ cup), by number (e.g., 2 slices), or by oz eq (e.g., 1 oz eq) by using one of the four menu options listed below. Refer to the USDA CACFP Nutrition Standards to determine the minimum serving size for each meal component and age group and the CDSS Documenting a Menu with Serving Sizes web page for additional information on documenting a menu with serving sizes, including when legends may be used.
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    1. CDSS Daily Menu with Serving Sizes for Multiple Age Groups template (Form ID CACFP 89) or CDSS Weekly Menu with Serving Sizes for One Age Group template (Form ID CACFP 90), accessible in the Download Forms section of the CNIPS. These templates include instructions, a sample completed menu with serving sizes, and a template for agencies to electronically complete.
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    2. CACFP operator-developed menu with serving sizes for each age group. CACFP operators who choose to develop their own menu template to fulfill the menu with serving sizes requirement must document the menu for each meal and snack served and the serving size of each food item for each age group served. Access the CDSS Documenting a Menu with Serving Sizes web page for guidance on how to develop and document menus with serving sizes.
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    3. CDSS Agency Menu Production Record (MPR)—Child Care Centers (Form ID CACFP 28) or CDSS Agency MPR—Adult Day Care Centers (Form ID CACFP 78) accessible in the Download Forms section of the CNIPS. CACFP operators who choose to use an MPR to meet the requirement for a menu with serving sizes are only required to complete the two columns titled ‘Serving Size' (include serving size for each age group served) and ‘Name and Form of Food Used’. All other columns on the MPR are optional for CACFP operators. The CDSS developed instructions (Form ID CACFP 28A for child care centers, and Form ID 78A for adult care centers), accessible in the Download Forms section of the CNIPS, to assist CACFP operators with completing the MPR.
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    4. Transport Record—CACFP operators who receive vended meals may use the CDSS Daily Transport Record (Form ID CACFP 66), accessible in the Download Forms section of the CNIPS, or their own transport record template, to fulfill the requirement of a menu with serving sizes. Form ID CACFP 66A, available in the Download Forms section of the CNIPS includes instructions to complete the CDSS transport record template.

      CACFP operators who use the CDSS Daily Transport Record must complete all fields, including the serving size (e.g., ½ cup, #16 scoop, 1 slice) for pre-packed and bulk foods. CACFP operators who use their own transport record template must include all details listed on the CDSS Daily Transport Record.
     
  • For licensed child care centers and adult day care centers only: Comply with the following CDSS Community Care Licensing Regulations as applicable:
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    • Licensed child care centers: Per Title 22, California Code of Regulations (22 CCR) § 101227(a)(6), written, dated menus must be posted at least one week in advance in an area accessible for review by the child’s authorized representative.
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    • Licensed adult day care centers: Per 22 CCR § 82076(a)(4), dated menus must be written at least one week in advance and made available for review by the clients or their authorized representatives upon request.

Relevant legal citations for these requirements include, but are not limited to, the following:

Record Retention

Per 7 CFR § 226.10(d), all records to support CACFP claims shall be retained for a period of three years after the date of submission of the final claim for the fiscal year to which they pertain, except that if audit findings have not been resolved, the records shall be retained beyond the end of the three-year period as long as may be required for the resolution of the issues raised by the audit. All accounts and records pertaining to the CACFP shall be made available upon request to the CDSS, USDA, and the U.S. Government Accountability Office for audit or review.

For comprehensive information on record retention requirements, access the CDSS CACFP Administrative Manual, Section 14: Recordkeeping.

Resources

Questions: CACFPMealPatterns@dss.ca.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Esta institución es un proveedor que ofrece igualdad de oportunidades.

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CDSS Child and Adult Care Food Program
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Sacramento, CA 95814
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