Meal Pattern Minute: Quick Breads

In the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) when serving grains, you’ll need to know if they are creditable when served as part of a reimbursable meal or snack. There are various factors to consider when crediting grains in the CACFP such as meeting the CACFP added sugars limit for breakfast cereals, is it comprised of creditable grains, and/or if it is a grain-based dessert. Grain-based desserts are not creditable in the CACFP except for sweet crackers and muffins. But what about quick bread? If using creditable grains in the CACFP to make a quick bread, is it considered a grain-based dessert, or can they be part of a reimbursable meal or snack as part of the grains component? 

Get your answer in under a minute as Isabel Ramos-Lebron, MS, RDN, LD, discusses what quick breads are and if they are creditable in the CACFP. 

Looking for more information on quick breads? Check out the resources below. 

• The Grain Requirements in the Child and Adult Care Food Program; Question and Answers (Memo code: CACFP 05-2025)provides the answer on whether quick breads are considered grain-based desserts. Review attachment 3 – Questions and Answers to find this specific answer. 
  • Are quick breads considered grain-based desserts? No. Quick breads are breads that are leavened (risen) with ingredients like baking powder and baking soda, instead of yeast. Some examples of quick breads are banana bread, pumpkin bread, and zucchini bread. Quick breads are credited in the same group as muffins under Group D in Exhibit A and continue to be a creditable grain product in CACFP.
• Here is the link to reference Exhibit A: Grain Requirements for Child Nutrition Programs.
• Review the USDA FNS Crediting Handbook for the CACFP Crediting Handbook for the Child and Adult Care Food Program and find a few quick breads listed as creditable in the CACFP. This is not an exhaustive list but will give you ideas of quick breads you could credit towards the CACFP. 
• Use the Grain-Based Desserts in the CACFP resource as a quick guide to help you determine if a grain is considered a grain-based dessert or not. 

Add a quick bread to your menu, try one of the recipes below. 

• Orange Cranberry Quick Bread 
• Banana Bread 

Want to share this video on Facebook? Click here, and then you'll find three icons along the right side of the screen. Click on the arrow, and you'll be able to choose whether you want to share it to your feed or to a group. You can also include a short note about why this Meal Pattern Minute is so important! Click on the "Post" button when you're finished, and that's it!