Meal Pattern Minute: Brown Rice Noodles

Commonly used grains in a Child and Adult Care Food Program menu include creditable rice, breakfast cereals, tortillas, and pasta. Within each of these grains are various types that can be used in the CACFP. For example, when it comes to pasta there are enriched egg noodles, whole wheat elbow pasta, and enriched lasagna pasta. But what about pasta made from brown rice? Can these be creditable towards the grain component in the CACFP? 

 Listen to this Meal Pattern Minute as Isabel Ramos-Lebron, MS, RDN, LD, explains how brown rice noodles may or may not be creditable as a grain in the CACFP. 

Additional information about brown rice noodles and other creditable grains in the CACFP can be found below. 

• Review the online, interactive USDA Food Buying Guide for brown rice noodles by searching for “brown rice pasta” to help you develop your CACFP creditable recipe. Although brown rice pasta appears in the Food Buying Guide, remember to check your product to ensure it meets CACFP grain requirements. To review the grain requirements, refer to the USDA FNS Crediting Grains in the Child Nutrition Programs Tip Sheet, Part 1: Creditable Grains in Child Nutrition Programs. 
•  Using the Identifying Grain Ingredients resource, you’ll find a list of grains that are creditable in the CACFP. 
• As a quick reference on how much grains to serve to reach a specific ounce equivalent, refer to the Exhibit A: Grains Requirements for Child Nutrition Programs as a quick reference.
• Here are a couple of webinars to help you on your way to understanding the grain ounce equivalent requirement and tools to help you determine how much to serve of a CACFP creditable grain.  
  • How to Maximize Exhibit A Grains Tool
    • Team Nutrition demonstrates the latest enhancements to the Exhibit A Grains Tool. The Exhibit A Grains Tool allows you to search for your grain product as listed on Exhibit A and enter in the serving size from the product label. The tool helps you determine: 1) ounce equivalent (oz eq) grains or grains/bread serving(s) for the grain product, 2) amount to serve to provide your desired grains contribution, and (3) with the new update, the amount to serve for a grain product in order to meet the minimum grains requirement by age/grade groups for specific child nutrition programs. This webinar provides a demonstration and in-depth practice for using the grains tool on the Food Buying Guide for Child Nutrition Programs (FBG) Interactive Web-Based Tool. Participants will also experience the Exhibit A Grains Tool on the Mobile App, which allows program operators to determine the grains contribution and the amount to serve on-the-go.
  • Great Grains! Taking the Guess Work Out of What’s Creditable 
    • Serving whole grain-rich grains once per day, when grains are served, in ounce equivalents is a requirement in the CACFP. Explore various types of whole grains like amaranth, sorghum, and millet to expand your menu planning options. Learn how to determine ounce equivalency, how to identify whole grains, how to modify meals using these great grains, and how to prepare these for CACFP creditable recipes.
•  Add a new recipe to the menu with this Asian Salad developed by USDA FNS Team Nutrition.

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