Meal Pattern Minute: Minimum Serving of Dried Fruits

In the Child and Adult Care Food Program, you know that a provider may serve fresh, canned, frozen, juiced, and dried fruit which can then be credited towards the fruit component of the meal pattern. When serving dried fruits, these credit as twice the volume served. Can you serve 1/16th cup, also measured as 1 tablespoon, and credit it towards the meal pattern. Because dry fruit doubles, it would actually be 1/8th cup, right? 

In only takes a minute to find out! Listen in as Isabel Ramos-Lebron, MS, RDN, LD, talks about the minimum serving size when it comes to dry fruits. 

Need a refresher on serving dried fruits? Go to our Meal Pattern Minute: Crediting Dried Fruit, where we talk about how to credit dried fruits in the CACFP. 

Then, check out this reference, Crediting Fruits in the Child Nutrition Programs Tip Sheet, to help you further determine how much dried fruits to serve.

• Whole dried fruit and whole dried fruit pieces credit at twice the volume served in School Meal Programs and CACFP.  
• Example: 1/8 cup of dried cranberries credits as 1/4 cup fruit. 1/8 cup of any fruit is the minimum serving size that may be creditable. For example, although dried fruit credits as twice the volume served, 1/16 cup (1 Tbsp) of dried fruit cannot be offered to count as 1/8 cup, because 1/16 cup is less than the minimum serving size that may be creditable. 

Consider trying one of these recipes with dried fruit! 

• Fresh Carrot Salad
• Oat Muffin Squares
• Broccoli Salad

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