It’s National CACFP Week

Organizations and homes participating in CACFP must credit grains based on ounce equivalents effective October 2021. An ounce equivalent is the amount of food that is considered equal to one ounce from the grain or protein food groups. To learn more about or to review information about ounce equivalents, check out the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) CACFP Grains Ounce Equivalents Resources webpage, which contains recorded webinars, training worksheets, presentation slides, web tools, and more. Use the Grain Crediting Chart for the CACFP which expresses portions of grain food items in ounce equivalents (oz. eq.). This chart summarizes the ounce equivalents for nine groups (A-I) of grain foods. Use this chart to identify the amount of creditable commercial grain products and creditable grain recipes per age group that indicate the weight of the prepared (cooked) serving.   

Transitional Standards for Milk, Sodium and Whole Grains Webinar Recording 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) held a webinar for School Food Authorities (SFA) on the Final Rule: Transitional Standards for Milk, Whole Grains, and Sodium. This final rule becomes effective July 1, 2022. The transitional standards established for milk, whole grains, and sodium are practical standards that continue to promote nutrition and focus on strengthening school meals while reflecting the current realities and challenges schools and industry are facing. We encourage schools who missed the webinar to view a recording of the Final Rule: Transitional Standards for Milk, Whole Grains, and Sodium webinar.  

Tuesdays @ 2 Webinars  

Join school nutrition staff for a training webinar Tuesdays at 2 p.m. Read session descriptions and register for school year 2021-22 Tuesdays @ 2 webinars. There are no Tuesdays @ 2 webinars scheduled on March 29 or April 12, 2022. 

Turnip the Beet 2021 Award Winners 

Minnesota Award Winners