​USDA’s Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services just released 50 new, mouth-watering recipes for schools chefs on our What’s Cooking? USDA Mixing Bowl website.  Some are existing USDA recipes that we’ve updated, while others are brand new recipes that students will love.  These tasty, kid-approved recipes are tailored for large quantity food service operations in 25, 50, or 100 portions.  And each recipe includes a nutritional breakdown as well as crediting information on how the recipe contributes toward updated meal pattern requirements for the National School Lunch Program and other USDA child nutrition programs.
The 50 recipes include main dishes and side dishes featuring more nutrient-rich ingredients such as whole grains, dark green and red/orange vegetables, and beans/legumes than ever before.  And an additional 150 recipes are being developed and will be posted throughout the next year!  These recipes will provide a ready-to-go resource for school nutrition professionals looking for delicious, nutrient-rich dishes that will make it easy to meet meal pattern requirements and satisfy hungry kids.
Another new resource on our What’s Cooking? website includes 16 step-by-step cooking videos that make it easy for home cooks to serve healthy meals on a budget.  Featuring a variety of nutritious USDA recipes in household-sized portions, these videos feature Chef Amy Riolo demonstrating instructions and variations of delicious dishes like carne adobada, pumpkin soup, and red beans and rice. The recipes are a great complement to the healthy foods kids eat at school and are sure to please parents.
So whether you’re a school nutrition professional, parent, or just someone looking to add more nutrition to your daily diet, USDA’s What’s Cooking? USDA Mixing Bowl website has got the tools for you!

 
Child Care Development Services, Inc. (CCDS) joins the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) for releasing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) rules April 22 on the new meal nutrition standards for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP.
 
The new rules aim to make a good program even better. By offering meals consistent with the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, child care and after school programs will provide millions of low-income children better access to much-needed fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lower-fat dairy foods.  
 
The implementation date is scheduled for October 1, 2017.  Your CACFP representative will provide you with a chart of the changes in the near future.
 
A quick summary of the changes are as follows.
For infants:

1. Solid food are introduced at 6 months of age with the flexibility to introduce solid foods before and after 6 months when requested by a parent or guardian.

For children:

1. Limits service of juice to once per day.
2. Requires breakfast cereals to contain no more than 6 grams of sugar per dry ounce.
3. Allows meat and meat alternates to be served in place of the entire grains requirement at breakfast a maximum of three times per week.
4. Requires that yogurt contain no more than 23 grams of sugar per 6 ounces.
5. Prohibits flavored milk before 6 years of age.
6. Recommends that flavored milk contain no more than 22 grams of sugar per 8 fluid ounces for children 6 years and older.
7. Required water to be offered to children throughout the day and available upon their request.

 
This is an important step in addressing the nutritional shortfalls in our nation’s children’s diets and helping to tackle the nation's obesity problem.  For the full report, click below:
Child and Adult Care Food Program: Meal Pattern Revisions Related to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010