Weekly Celebrations
Today is National Mac and Cheese Day! Try out a #CACFPCreditable recipe from USDA Team Nutrition. This recipe uses low-fat cheddar cheese, so it credits for both the grains and meats/meat alternates component. When shopping for macaroni and cheese, watch out for non-creditable cheese products. Use our Meal Pattern Minute to help identify them. July 16 is also National Cherry Day, so we have a fun activity page for kids to try.
· Recipe: Macaroni and Cheese for 6, 25 and 50 Servings
Cash in Lieu Value Released
USDA has released the cash in lieu value of USDA Foods (commodities) for July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027. The value is set at 32.00 cents per lunch and supper, which is an increase of 1.5 cents from 2025-2026.
We still await the 2026-2027 reimbursement rates and will notify our community as soon as they are released.
Free Course: Learn About Cultural Foods
Explore ways to bring diverse flavors to your CACFP Menus with our free on-demand course, Around the World: Cultural Food Resources. You'll learn the value of offering culturally inclusive meals, as well as practical strategies for adapting menus to accommodate diverse tastes and traditions. There is also an add-on resource available for purchase in the course that focuses on celebrating cultural foods.
NCA Members: Save Your Spot "At the Table"
Join NCA President Alexia Thex on Wednesday, July 22, for our next members-only “At the Table” conversation. Ask questions, discuss challenges, and share emerging opportunities across the CACFP in this interactive virtual session. This is your chance to help shape the future of NCA! Not a member yet? Join today.
Industry Partner Spotlight
My Food Program offers the most customizable software to help manage the CACFP and SFSP and minimize errors. With a simple, user-friendly interface, we provide attendance and meal count entry, menu planning and validation, meal production calculations and reports, completion of all error checks, and claims creation. We integrate with child care management software, are available for all site types and easily transition by importing participants, classrooms/households, and menus. We have live customer service in English and Spanish via phone, email or chat, as well as simple, flat-rate pricing.
