Nutrition recommendations for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a federally sponsored program designed to provide healthy meals and snacks to children and adults receiving day care at participating family day care homes, traditional child care centers, a-risk afterschool care facilities, outside school hours care facilities, adult care facilities, and emergency shelters. Sites receive federal reimbursement for the meals and snacks served if CACFP meals standards are met. CACFP serves a key role in the U.S. food and nutrition safety net. In fiscal year 2010, the program served more than 3 million children, mostly from low-income households. Many of these children rely on CACFP for the majority of their food intake, so the quality of the foods provided has the potential to substantially improve the overall adequacy and healthfulness of their diets. The USDA asked the Institute of Medicine to review and recommend improvements, as necessary, to the CACFP meal requirements to bring them into alignment with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs). One of the major reasons for revising the CACFP meal requirements was to address the high prevalence of childhood obesity and other health concerns that result from limited access to nutritious foods. CACFP recommendations respond to the issue of obesity by addressing over-consumption of energy in a number of ways. This speaker will highlight the major revisions recommended by the IOM report, Child Care Food Program: Aligning Dietary Guidance for All, for meal requirements and their rationale.