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Meal Pattern Minute: Home-Frozen Fruits

January 19, 2023

Fruits play an essential role in the Child and Adults Care Food Program. They are a source of many essential nutrients such as potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin C, and folate. These nutrients help us stay energized and healthy. Fruits can be eaten cut up, pureed, mashed, juiced, cooked, or whole. But what if there was a big sale on fresh blueberries and you purchased too much that could be served in one week? Do you throw it out? Or can you freeze fruits and use them later in the month?  

 

Get the answer by listening to our nutrition education specialist, Isabel Ramos-Lebron, MS, RD, LDN, as she explains how home-frozen fruits credit in the CACFP meal pattern. 

 

For more information about home frozen fruits, review the Crediting Handbook for the CACFP:

  • Home-frozen fruit products are allowed. For example, when blueberries are in season (when they are the most economical to buy and taste the best) you may freeze them for later use in the winter months when berries are not available or are very expensive. 

 

If you need to know how much frozen fruit to serve to meet the CACFP meal pattern requirement for the age group you are serving, go to the Food Buying Guide under Fruits (Section 3) for more guidance.

  • A serving of thawed, frozen fruit consists of fruit plus the juice or liquid that accumulated during thawing unless otherwise noted. 

 

Want to use your frozen fruits right away? Try one of these recipes! 

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