Meal Pattern Minute: Milk at Supper for Adults

When serving meals through the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), understanding the meal pattern requirements are essential to ensure compliance and provide balanced nutrition to participants. The CACFP meal pattern for adults is designed to offer flexibility while maintaining nutritional quality. For breakfast and lunch, the milk component is required to be served, ensuring that adult participants receive essential nutrients such as calcium and vitamin D. However, does this requirement apply at supper? 

Listen in to this Meal Pattern Minute as Isabel Ramos-Lebron, MS, RDN,LD, gives the answer to this important question. 

Get the resources addressing this Meal Pattern Minute below. 

• Nutrition Requirements for Fluid Milk and Fluid Milk Substitutions in the Child and Adult Care Food Program, Questions and Answers Memo Code: CACFP 01-2025
  • Fluid Milk Flexibilities for Adult Participants Institutions and facilities may use the following meal pattern flexibilities as they relate to fluid milk to meet the needs and preferences of their adult day care participants. Flexibilities are optional, not required. For CACFP adult day care participants only:
    • A serving of fluid milk is optional for suppers served to adult participants. USDA encourages institutions and facilities to serve water as a beverage for adult participants when fluid milk is not served at supper.
• USDA Crediting Fluid Milk in the Child Nutrition Program Tip Sheet 
  • In this quick resource guide, on page 3, you will find a special note for CACFP Adult Participants only that “Fluid milk is optional at supper.” 
• USDA Serving Adult Participants in the CACFP 
  • An informational handout specifically designed for the adult participants in your care in regard to the CACFP meal pattern. Save and print this resource to help you remember the meal pattern requirements for this age group. 
• Free Webinar: Serving Adult Participants in the CACFP
  • This webinar shows CACFP operators how to plan and prepare reimbursable meals and snacks for adult participants. Presented by USDA Team Nutrition. Available in both English and Spanish.

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