Meal Pattern Minute: Ounce Equivalents for Ready-to-Eat Breakfast Cereals
February 27, 2026
When planning grains for breakfast in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), operators often reach for breakfast cereal because it’s quick, familiar and easy to serve. But understanding how different cereals credit can be puzzling, especially when ounce equivalents come into play! Before you pour the next bowl, it’s important to know that not all breakfast cereals measure the same.
Tune in to Isabel RamosLebron, MS, RDN, LD, as she explains how ounce equivalents work for readytoeat cereals in the CACFP.
Transcript: The answer is yes! Ounce equivalents for ready-to-eat breakfast cereals vary by type in the CACFP. Puffed cereals require 1 ¼ cups to equal 1 ounce equivalent of grains, while flaked or round cereals, including shredded wheat, need 1 cup. Granola requires only 1/4 cup to meet 1 ounce equivalent of grains. Refer to USDA’s Using Ounce Equivalents for Grains in the CACFP for more guidance and remember that all cereals must comply with the added sugar limit regulation.
For more guidance on crediting breakfast cereals, refer to the resource below.
- Using Ounce Equivalents for Grains in the CACFP (USDA)
- A USDA guide with charts and examples to help you correctly credit grains using ounce equivalents.
- Identifying Added Sugar Limits in Cereal
- An NCA resource to help you quickly determine if your breakfast cereal is within the added sugar limits.
- Free Webinar: Choosing Breakfast Cereals That Are Lower in Added Sugar
- This webinar highlights the added sugars limit for breakfast cereals and how to identify cereals that meet this limit.
Breakfast cereal is not just for breakfast. Add “Dried Fruit and Cereal Snack Mix” to your menu, a crunchy mix of cereals and dried fruit that’s fun to eat and is whole grain-rich.
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