A Roadmap for Reducing Added Sugars
October 9, 2026
A report from the Global Food Institute at The George Washington University, titled Changing the Default: A Policy Roadmap for Reducing Added Sugars in U.S. Children’s Diets, outlines a comprehensive strategy for helping children consume less added sugar and improve long-term health outcomes. The report argues that reducing children's sugar intake will require more than nutrition education. Instead, policymakers must reshape the environments where children eat, learn, and play.
The findings are particularly relevant to CACFP providers, sponsors, and advocates because the report identifies the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) as one of the most powerful tools available for improving children's diets during early childhood.
Why It Matters
The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that children under age 11 avoid added sugars entirely, while the American Heart Association recommends no more than 25 grams, or about six teaspoons, of added sugar per day for children ages 2 through 18. Yet the average child consumes 60 to 70 grams daily, well above recommended levels.
Because CACFP reaches approximately 4.4 million children through child care centers, family child care homes, and afterschool programs, the program has a unique opportunity to influence children's eating habits during the years when food preferences are being established. The report highlights CACFP as a critical setting for reducing sugar exposure and promoting healthier lifelong dietary patterns.
A Growing Focus on Early Childhood Nutrition
The report emphasizes that early childhood is one of the most important periods for nutrition intervention. Research cited in the paper links exposure to added sugars before age 2 with increased risk of chronic diseases later in life, including diabetes and hypertension. At the same time, children ages 2 to 5 currently consume an average of 11 to 13 teaspoons of added sugar each day.
While CACFP already includes product-specific limits on added sugars in yogurt and breakfast cereals, the authors note that the program does not currently have comprehensive added sugar limits across all meal components. As a result, foods such as sweetened grain products and fruits packed in added sugars may still fit within current meal pattern requirements.
Key CACFP Recommendations from the Report
One of the report's six primary policy recommendations is to strengthen added sugar standards in early childhood settings by updating CACFP meal pattern requirements. Specifically, the authors recommend that USDA establish clear limits on added sugars across all food categories served through CACFP.
Potential updates could include:
- Limiting added sugars in grain products such as muffins, crackers, and breads.
- Strengthening existing sugar limits for yogurt and breakfast cereals, including cooked cereals like oatmeal.
- Restricting fruit products to those without added sugars.
- Continuing the prohibition on flavored milk for children under age 6.
- Requiring foods served to infants to contain no added sugars.
While the report recommends establishing added sugar limits across all food categories, NCA believes this would drive more eligible sites off the program. Child care providers are caregivers first and foremost and the administrative burden of this approach is not practical.
The report notes that because Head Start programs are required to follow CACFP meal patterns, stronger CACFP standards would automatically benefit roughly 800,000 low-income children served through Head Start.
Beyond CACFP: Expanding Healthy Standards
The authors also encourage states to use child care licensing regulations to extend nutrition standards beyond CACFP-participating programs. While many states already align licensing standards with CACFP requirements, the report suggests States could go further by limiting sugary beverages, restricting grain-based desserts, requiring fruits and vegetables without added sugars, and providing nutrition training for child care staff.
Supporting Providers Through the Transition
The report acknowledges that stronger nutrition standards cannot succeed without adequate support for providers. Child care operators, family child care homes, and centers often manage limited staffing, time, and resources. As a result, the authors stress that any future CACFP updates should be accompanied by:
- Training and technical assistance.
- Easy-to-use nutrition guidance.
- Model menus and recipes.
- Funding support.
- Administrative simplicity.
- Access to lower-sugar food products.
This recognition is important for the CACFP community. Successful implementation will depend not only on stronger standards, but also on ensuring providers have the resources necessary to meet them.
What CACFP Operators Can Do Now
Although many of the report's recommendations would require federal or state policy changes, CACFP operators do not need to wait to begin reducing added sugars in their programs. Providers can:
- Choose fruits packed in water or 100% juice rather than syrup.
- Choose cereals and oatmeal that are unsweetened or meet the CACFP added sugar limits.
- Select plain yogurt or yogurts that meet the CACFP added sugar limits.
- Continue offering water and unflavored milk as primary beverages.
- Review product labels regularly to identify hidden added sugars.
These strategies align with the report's broader message that creating healthier defaults can significantly reduce children's added sugar intake over time.
The Bottom Line
The report positions CACFP as a central driver of healthier eating habits during early childhood. By strengthening CACFP meal pattern requirements, expanding nutrition standards across child care settings, and investing in provider support, the authors argue that policymakers can make meaningful progress toward reducing children's added sugar consumption and improving lifelong health outcomes. For CACFP operators, the research reinforces the program's critical role in shaping healthy food preferences during children's earliest years.