WHOLE WHEAT SPAGHETTI

Food and Nutrition Service

More training, menu planning, and nutrition education materials for the 

CACFP can be found at https://teamnutrition.usda.gov.

How To Spot Whole Grain-Rich Foods for the 

Child and Adult Care Food Program

Whole grain-rich foods are filled with vitamins and other nutrients that children and adults need for growth, 

development, and good health. 

How To Find Whole Grain-Rich Foods 

There are many ways to tell if a grain is whole grain-rich in the CACFP. The grain only needs to meet one of 

these methods to be whole grain-rich. It does not need to meet all the methods.

The Rule of Three. Foods that meet the 

Rule of Three are whole grain-rich. 

According to the Rule of Three, foods are 

whole grain-rich if the first ingredient (or 

second after water) in the food is whole 

grain, and the second and third grain 

ingredients are whole grain, enriched, bran, 

or germ. See “Identifying Whole Grain-Rich 

Foods for the CACFP Using the Ingredient 

List” at https://teamnutrition.usda.gov for 

more information.

In the image to the right, the first grain ingredient 

is whole grain. There is not a second or third grain 

ingredient, so this cracker is whole grain-rich. 

INGREDIENTS: Whole Grain Wheat Flour, 

Vegetable Oil, Sugar, Salt, Cane Syrup.

1 

Whole Grain-Rich Requirements

“Whole grain-rich” means that at least half the grains in a 

food are whole grain and the remaining grain ingredients 

are enriched, bran, or germ. Some examples of enriched and 

bran and germ ingredients include enriched white flour, oat 

bran, and wheat germ. In the Child and Adult Care Food 

Program (CACFP), at least one offering of grains per day 

must be whole grain-rich. This requirement does not apply 

to infants (ages 0 through 11 months). 

Crackers

INGREDIENTS:

Whole Grain Wheat Flour, 

Vegetable Oil, Sugar, Salt, 

Cane Syrup.

Calories 

Serving size

About 4 servings per container 

Total Fat 4.5g

Saturated Fat 2g

Trans Fat 0g 

Cholesterol 0mg 

Sodium 280mg

Total Carbohydrate 23g

Dietary Fiber 1g 

Total Sugars 1g 

Includes 1g Added Sugars 

Protein 2g 

7%

10%

0%

12%

8%

4%

2%

The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in

a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories

a day is used for general nutrition advice. 

* 

30g (8 crackers)

Amount per serving 

140

% Daily Value* 

Nutrition Facts
How To Find Whole Grain-Rich Foods (continued) 

Documentation. Foods that have a 

standardized recipe or documentation 

such as a Child Nutrition (CN) Label or a 

Product Formulation Statement (PFS) 

showing that whole grains are the 

primary grain ingredient in the food 

are whole grain-rich in the CACFP.

3

2 4 Whole Grain-Rich in Schools. Foods 

that are considered whole grain-rich in the 

School Meals program (the National School 

Lunch Program and School Breakfast 

Program) are whole grain-rich in the 

CACFP. Not all grains served in the School 

Meals programs are whole grain-rich, so be 

sure to look specifically for foods that are 

whole grain-rich.

5

or 

6

FDA Whole Grain Health Claims. Foods are whole grain-rich if their package has one of the two 

whole grain health claim statements from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA):

Information on the Food Package: 

“Diets rich in whole grain foods 

and other plant foods, and low 

in saturated fat and cholesterol, 

may help reduce the risk of 

health disease.” 

“Diets rich in whole grain foods and 

other plant foods and low in total fat, 

saturated fat, and cholesterol may 

reduce the risk of heart disease and 

some cancers.” 

Labels. Certain breads and pastas that have the words “whole wheat” in the name are whole 

grain-rich. Foods labeled exactly as written below are whole grain-rich: 

• Whole wheat bread, rolls, and buns 

• Entire wheat bread, rolls, and buns 

• Graham bread, rolls, and buns 

(not graham crackers) 

• Whole wheat spaghetti, vermicelli, 

macaroni, and macaroni products 

WIC Lists. Aside from cereals, any grain included 

on a State’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program 

for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Approved 

Foods List is considered whole grain-rich in the 

CACFP. This includes tortillas, pastas, rice, and 

breads on a State WIC list. Not all cereals on a WIC 

list are whole grain-rich. When using the WIC list to 

choose a whole grain-rich cereal, be sure to choose 

one that is marked as whole grain on the WIC list. 

WHOLE WHEAT 

Macaroni Macaroni

Whole Wheat

WHOLE WHEAT SPAGHETTI HOLE WHEAT SPAGHETTI L

-2-
What To Watch Out For 

The images below show labels that cannot be used to tell if a food is whole grain-rich. If you see one of these labels

on a food, you will still need to use one of the methods listed on pages 1 and 2 to see if the food is whole grain-rich.

The term “whole wheat” can only be used 

to indicate a grain is whole grain-rich in a 

few limited circumstances. See “Labels” 

on page 2 for more information. 

The Whole Grain stamp cannot be 

used to identify whole grain-rich foods 

in the CACFP. 

Foods labeled with “made with whole 

grains,” “multi-grain,” or “whole grain” 

may not be whole grain-rich. 

?

?

?

12g or more per serving

12 g WHOLE GRAIN Made with

per serving

CHEESE CRACKERS BAKED SNACK CRACKER

12g or more per serving

12 g WHOLE GRAIN Made with

per serving

CHEESE CRACKERS BAKED SNACK CRACKER

BREAD WHOLE GRAIN

10ct

 Whole Wheat 

-3-
NUTRITION FACTS

INGREDIENTS:

, 

wheat bran, oil, 

sugar, salt

Crackers

FNS-858 March 2020

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Try It Out!

Which of the foods below are whole grain-rich in the CACFP? 

Answer:

A and C are whole grain-rich because:

The corn tortillas (A) are listed on a State’s WIC list and • 

. The first ingredient, the whole wheat flour, is whole grain, the second Rule of Three The crackers (C) meet the • 

grain ingredient, the enriched flour, is enriched, and the third grain ingredient, wheat bran, is a type of bran.

The whole wheat bagel (B) may or may not be whole grain-rich. Only breads and some pastas labeled “whole • 

wheat” are whole grain-rich. You would need to use another method to see if these bagels are whole grain-rich. 

A B

C

10ct

TORTILLAS

INGREDIENTS:

Whole w

, 

wheat bran, oil, 

sugar, salt

Listed on your State’s WIC list

-4-