Meal Pattern Minute: Fruit Leather

When food shopping for the Child and Adult Care Food Program, sometimes labels found on food packages can be confusing, such as “made with whole grains”, “made with real milk”, and “made with real fruit and veggie juice”. While some of these packaged foods may be creditable in the CACFP, others are not. So, what if you’re at the store or purchasing food through a food vendor and you see a food item packaged as 100% fruit strip leather? Would this be creditable towards the fruits component in the CACFP? 

 Find out by listening to this Meal Pattern Minute as Isabel Ramos-Lebron, MS, RDN, LD, provides the answer to this question. Afterwards, check out the answer below.  

Are 100% fruit strip leather snacks creditable in the CACFP? The answer is no. One-hundred percent fruit strip leather snacks are categorized under fruit snacks. Fruits snacks are not creditable in the CACFP. Other examples of fruit snacks are, fruits snacks made with 100% fruit juice, and fruit ropes. 

Resources to help you identify creditable fruits components are provided here. 

• In the Crediting Handbook for the Child and Adult Care Food Program, you will find the answer to this Meal Pattern Minute question. This resource lists common food items under each meal component and helps you navigate if the food is creditable or not in the CACFP.  
• Reviewing the USDA Food Buying Guide- Fruits Yield Table can help you find foods that are creditable towards the fruits meal component, including how much to purchase and calculates the yield of each fruit product in order to serve the required portion sizes. 
• The USDA Crediting Fruits in the Child Nutrition Programs Tip Sheet is a quick snapshot for all Child Nutrition Programs on what is creditable in the fruits component including dried fruits, smoothies and fruit juices. 
•  Check out other Meal Pattern Minute videos related to the CACFP fruits component:  
  • Are frozen fruit juice bars creditable in the CACFP? 
  • Can full-strength juice be served more than once per day and be reimbursable? 
  • How do I credit dried fruit in the CACFP? 

 Try one of these fruit inspired recipes to include in your menu! 

• Fruit and Nut Butter Pita Pockets 
• Teddy Bear Smoothie
• Fresh Carrot Salad

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