Free printable CACFP menu template.

Plan a week of meals by the USDA meal pattern. Print one sheet for each age group you serve.

It prints at the top of the form.

CACFP weekly menu

Program
Week of
Site or room
Planned by

Age group:Ages 1 to 2Ages 3 to 5Ages 6 to 12Ages 13 to 18Adults

Menu by meal and component
Meal and componentAmount to serveMondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFriday
Breakfast: milk
Breakfast: vegetables, fruits or both
Breakfast: grains (or meats or meat alternates)
Morning snack: first component
Morning snack: second component
Lunch: milk
Lunch: meats or meat alternates
Lunch: vegetables
Lunch: fruits (or a second vegetable)
Lunch: grains
Afternoon snack: first component
Afternoon snack: second component

Breakfast needs all three components. Lunch and supper need all five. A snack needs two of the five.

Serve at least one whole grain-rich food each day. Meats or meat alternates may replace breakfast grains up to three times a week.

Supper follows the lunch pattern. Babies under 12 months follow USDA’s separate infant meal pattern.

Kind of milk served
Changes to this menu, and why

Amounts for each age group are in USDA’s meal pattern tables at fna.usda.gov/cacfp/nutrition-standards.

Free printable form from bloomily.app/tools/forms

How to use this form

  1. Print one sheet for each age group you serve.
  2. Write a food for each component of each meal.
  3. Copy the amount to serve from USDA’s table for that age group.
  4. Post the menu where families can see it.
  5. Write any change on the menu on the day it happens.
  6. Keep each week’s menu with your food program records.

Where the rules come from

USDA sets the CACFP meal pattern: the components of each meal and the amounts for each age group. Your state agency or sponsor may ask for its own menu form, so check with them.

See USDA’s CACFP meal pattern tables

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Questions, answered

What does a CACFP menu need for each meal?

Breakfast needs milk, a vegetable or fruit, and a grain. Lunch and supper need milk, a meat or meat alternate, a vegetable, a fruit and a grain.

How many components does a CACFP snack need?

Two of the five. Milk and juice cannot be the only two.

Does this template work for babies?

No. Babies under 12 months follow USDA’s infant meal pattern, which is different.

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