80 FR 23243 - Child and Adult Care Food Program: Meal Pattern Revisions Related to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010; Extension of Comment Period

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food and Nutrition Service

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 80 (April 27, 2015)

This rule proposes changes to the meal pattern requirements for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) to better align the meal patterns with the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, as required by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA). The proposed changes are based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, science-based recommendations made by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies in the report Child and Adult Care Food Program: Aligning Dietary Guidance for All, and input from stakeholders, as well as cost and practical considerations for CACFP institutions and facilities. In addition, this proposal would make additional revisions to the health and wellness components of CACFP to reflect several requirements set forth in the HHFKA, including making changes to the purpose of the Program and making water available to Program participants. Several of these changes would be extended to the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, and Special Milk Program to increase consistency across all Child Nutrition Programs. Implementation of this proposed rule would serve as a step towards more nutritious meals that improve the dietary habits of participants in day care. The comment period is being extended to provide additional time for interested parties to review this propose rule, to May 27, 2015.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 80 (Monday, April 27, 2015)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 23243]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-09720]


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Proposed Rules
                                                Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of 
the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these 
notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in 
the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.

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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 80 / Monday, April 27, 2015 / 
Proposed Rules

[[Page 23243]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service

7 CFR Parts 210, 215, 220, and 226

[FNS-2011-0029]
RIN 0584-AE18


Child and Adult Care Food Program: Meal Pattern Revisions Related 
to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010; Extension of Comment 
Period

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service, USDA.

ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: This rule proposes changes to the meal pattern requirements 
for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) to better align the 
meal patterns with the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, as 
required by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA). The 
proposed changes are based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 
science-based recommendations made by the Institute of Medicine of the 
National Academies in the report Child and Adult Care Food Program: 
Aligning Dietary Guidance for All, and input from stakeholders, as well 
as cost and practical considerations for CACFP institutions and 
facilities. In addition, this proposal would make additional revisions 
to the health and wellness components of CACFP to reflect several 
requirements set forth in the HHFKA, including making changes to the 
purpose of the Program and making water available to Program 
participants. Several of these changes would be extended to the 
National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, and Special 
Milk Program to increase consistency across all Child Nutrition 
Programs. Implementation of this proposed rule would serve as a step 
towards more nutritious meals that improve the dietary habits of 
participants in day care. The comment period is being extended to 
provide additional time for interested parties to review this propose 
rule, to May 27, 2015.

DATES: The comment period for the proposed rule that was published on 
January 15, 2015 (80 FR 2037) has been extended from April 15, 2015 to 
May 27, 2015. To be assured of consideration, comments must be 
postmarked on or before May 27, 2015.

ADDRESSES: The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), USDA, invites 
interested persons to submit comments on this proposed rule. In order 
to ensure proper receipt, comments may be submitted through one of the 
following methods only:
     Preferred method: Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
     Mail: Written comments should be addressed to Tina Namian, 
Branch Chief, Policy and Program Development Division, Child Nutrition 
Programs, Food and Nutrition Service, Department of Agriculture, Post 
Office Box 66874, St. Louis, Missouri 63166.
    Comments sent by other methods not listed above will not be able to 
be accepted and subsequently not posted. Comments submitted in response 
to this rule will be included in the record and will be made available 
to the public. Please be advised that the substance of the comments and 
the identity of the individuals or entities submitting the comments 
will be subject to public disclosure. USDA will make the comments 
publicly available on the Internet via http://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tina Namian, Branch Chief, Policy and 
Program Development Division, Child Nutrition Programs, Food and 
Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 3101 Park Center 
Drive, Room 1206, Alexandria, Virginia 22302-1594, 703-305-2590.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    This proposed rule sets forth proposed revisions to implement 
amendments made to Section 17 of the Richard B. Russell National School 
Lunch Act (NSLA), 42 U.S.C. 1766, by section 221 of Public Law 111-296, 
the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (HHFKA), for day care 
institutions participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program 
(CACFP), schools serving infants and young children, ages four and 
under, who participate in the School Breakfast Program (SBP) or 
National School Lunch Program (NSLP), and schools and institutions 
serving children of all ages who participate in the Special Milk 
Program (SMP).
    The amendments made by the HHFKA require the Department of 
Agriculture (USDA) through its CACFP to promote health and wellness in 
child care settings through guidance and technical assistance that 
focuses on nutrition, physical activity, and limiting electronic media 
use. More specifically, the amendments to the NSLA made by the HHFKA 
require USDA to review the CACFP meal patterns and make them consistent 
with (a) the most recent version of the Dietary Guidelines for 
Americans, (b) the most recent relevant nutrition science, and (c) 
appropriate authoritative scientific agency and organization 
recommendations. These updates should occur no less frequently than 
every 10 years. As the Dietary Guidelines and science evolve, USDA will 
continue to provide guidance, as needed, to support CACFP's nutrition 
and wellness goals. In formulating this proposed rule, the USDA relied 
primarily on recommendations included in the Dietary Guidelines for 
Americans, 2010, and Child and Adult Care Food Program: Aligning 
Dietary Guidance for All, a 2010 report prepared for USDA by the 
Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies, http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2010/Child-and-Adult-Care-Food-Program-Aligning-Dietary-Guidance-for-All.aspx. In reviewing the recommendations, USDA 
recognized that changes to the meal pattern must be sensitive to cost 
and practical application. With this in mind, a number of revisions to 
the meal pattern have been proposed, as well as optional best practices 
that facilities may choose to implement. The comment period is extended 
to provide additional time for interested parties to review and submit 
comments on the proposed meal pattern changes until May 27, 2015.

    Dated: April 20, 2015.
Audrey Rowe,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-09720 Filed 4-24-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-30-P