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Latest News for the Child and Adult Care Food Program
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Published: yesterday
" On May 8, 2026, USDA published the Final Rule: Expanding Fluid Milk Options in Child Nutrition Programs, which will allow service of whole and reduced-fat milk to participants ages 2 and up in the School Breakfast Program (SBP), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and Special Milk Program, in addition to NSLP and its sub-programs (including the Afterschool Snack Program (ASCP) and the Seamless Summer Option (SSO). Whole and reduced-fat milk can be sold as a Smart Snack in schools.[david d]
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On May 8, 2026, USDA published the Final Rule: Expanding Fluid Milk Options in Child Nutrition Programs, which will codify in regulation specific milk flexibilities that were first announced in the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2025. The Act allowed for the service of whole and reduced-fat (2%) milk to children ages 2 and up who receive school lunches through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).
Beginning June 8, the Final Rule will expand this option to allow service of whole and reduced-fat milk to participants ages 2 and up in the School Breakfast Program (SBP), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and Special Milk Program, in addition to NSLP and its sub-programs (including the Afterschool Snack Program (ASCP) and the Seamless Summer Option (SSO).
Additionally, whole and reduced-fat milk can be sold as a Smart Snack in schools.
Note that milk served to children ages 2 to 5 must still be unflavored, while milk served to participants ages 6 and up can be flavored (Note that an unflavored option must be made available for meals served in NSLP and SBP).
NSLP and SBP operators may exclude the saturated fat from fluid milk when calculating the weekly average saturated fat requirement at lunch and breakfast. Note that saturated fat in fluid milk substitutions or milk used in recipes cannot be excluded from the weekly saturated fat calculation.
When offering fluid milk substitutions to all students at breakfast and/or lunch, school districts are no longer required to notify TDA when a child requests a fluid milk substitute, though notification requirements remain in effect if the substitutes are not available to all students.
Finally, the Milk Act introduced a requirement that schools accept a parent's attestation of a child’s disability in lieu of a doctor's or registered dietitian's signature when requesting a milk substitute that is not nutritionally equivalent to milk. This requirement was not expanded on in the Final Rule. Therefore, it only applies to milk served at school lunches and cannot be implemented for any other meal service in any other Program.
TDA will be publishing a special release of both the Administrator’s Reference Manual (ARM) and the CACFP Handbook on June 8, 2026, that reflect these new regulatory flexibilities.
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Assistance available in English and Spanish. Please call 877-TEX-MEAL (877-839-6325) for help. Additional translations services available as well.
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In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.
Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.
To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:
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1. Mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
2. Fax: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
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