Policy Memo 170

DOH-CACFP: Number 170 (08/14)

TO: Selected CACFP Sponsoring Organizations

FROM: Dwight LaDu, State Director, Child and Adult Care Food Program

SUBJECT: Variations in Meal Requirements for Religious Reasons: Jewish Schools, Institutions and Sponsors

This instruction is intended to clarify allowable variations to Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) meals in order to meet religious needs among Jewish schools, centers and day care homes.

Jewish facilities may be granted flexibility with regard to the meal pattern requirement that milk be offered with all meals. Facilities may choose one of the following options for meals containing meat or poultry:

Option 1: Serve an equal amount of 100% juice in place of milk with lunch or supper. When juice is substituted for milk, it may not contribute to the vegetable/fruit requirement. Programs operating five days per week may substitute juice for milk twice per week for lunches and twice for suppers, but no more than once each day. Those operating seven days per week may make three substitutions per week for lunches and three for suppers, but no more than one each day.

Option 2: Serve milk at an appropriate time before or after the meal service in accordance with applicable Jewish Dietary Law.

Option 3: Serve the snack juice component at breakfast, lunch or supper and serve the corresponding meal's milk component as part of the snack. Afterschool programs can now choose this option, which they could not previously.

Individual centers and day care homes can select one of the above options as an alternative to standard regulatory meal requirements. Center Sponsors do not have to choose the same option for all centers.

During the religious observance of Passover, Jewish facilities can serve matzo that is not enriched or whole grain. At all other times of the year, matzo served as the bread/grain component must be whole grain or enriched in accordance with the CACFP meal pattern.