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Getting Ready to Comment on the Anticipated Meal Pattern Proposed Rule

We know that USDA is planning to publish a proposed rule to align child nutrition meal patterns, including the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), to the recently published Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025 - 2030. There will be an opportunity to provide our public voice and real-life experiences in response to this rule. Even without knowing the details of the proposed rule, we know the priorities of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Based on the priorities stated in press conferences, press releases, the DGAs, and the Eat Real Food USDA memo, there are things we know USDA and HHS need to know. We want to know what’s most important/concerning/exciting to you as we anticipate the published proposed rule and get the community ready to give their unique perspective and voice as operators of this program. We’ll be having discussions about what we hear in this survey during our Growing Our Voice Sessions 3 and 4 - help us make it a fruitful conversation; join it (register here) and let’s do this together.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
1.Which best describes your role?
2.Which CACFP setting(s) does your program operate?
3.In what state or U.S. territory is your organization currently headquartered?
4.Of the following topics that might be addressed in the proposed rule changing the meal patterns, which is your highest priority to make sure USDA understands the ground-level operations? Choose the top three.
5.How would you describe the single biggest operational difference between your setting and a traditional school meal operation that USDA should account for?
6.What do you think USDA should consider as they seek to change the meal patterns for CACFP to align with the dietary guidelines?
7.Has the cost of complying with current meal pattern requirements (food+labor) outpaced your CACFP reimbursement?
8.If a protein is required for breakfast, what is the additional monthly cost you could estimate?
9.What concerns you about limiting highly processed foods when purchasing ingredients and/or menu components?
10.If scratch cooking is required, your facility need infrastructure or equipment upgrades (e.g., kitchen space, refrigeration, prep equipment) to comply with the possible proposed changes?
11.What additional funding or resources would make compliance with scratch cooking realistic for your organization?
12.What additional funding or resources would make compliance with adding additional proteins to your menus realistic for your organization?
13.What additional funding or resources would make compliance with limiting highly processed foods to your menus realistic for your organization?
14.How much time would your organization need — from final rule publication to required implementation — to fully comply?
15.What would you need to do during that time? e.g., find compliant vendors, train staff, update menus, budget, communicate with families/clients
16.Please rate your agreement with the following statements.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
N/A
Increased protein requirements are nutritionally appropriate for infants and toddlers.
Increased protein requirements are nutritionally appropriate for school-age children.
Common inexpensive protein sources meet health standards (e.g., saturated fat limits).
My program can afford additional protein-rich foods at current reimbursement rates.
17.How feasible is it for your program to serve zero-added-sugar to children under age 10?
18.What foods would likely be removed from your menu under a strict "no added sugar" standard, and would children still eat the alternative?
19.How should USDA define "highly processed foods" for CACFP purposes?
20.What else would you like to share?
21.At what email address would you like to be contacted?