Skip to main content
California Department of Education Logo

Crediting of Corn Meal and Corn Flour

Nutrition Services Division Management Bulletin

Purpose: Policy, Beneficial Information

To: All Child Nutrition Program Sponsors

Number: USDA-CNP-01-2008

Attention: Food Service Directors, Food Service Managers

Date: February 2008

Subject: Crediting of Corn Meal (Cornmeal) and Corn Flour for Grains/Breads Component in Food-Based Menu Planning
Reference: United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Policy Memo TA 01-2008; December 11, 2007

This Management Bulletin (MB) transmits current information from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the purpose of crediting corn meal and corn flour as a grain/bread component for Food-Based Menu Planning in all Child Nutrition Programs.

On February 17, 2006, the United States Food and Drug Administration published draft guidance entitled Whole Grain Label Statements; this guidance clarified the standards of identity for corn meal and corn flour, indicating that these products should no longer be considered whole grains for the Child Nutrition Programs.

Beginning July 1, 2008, in order to be credited towards meeting meal pattern requirements, corn must be labeled as:

  1. “Whole corn” (or other “whole” corn designations, such as whole grain corn, whole ground corn, whole cornmeal, whole corn flour, etc.), or
  2. “Enriched” corn (or other “enriched” corn designations, such as enriched yellow cornmeal, enriched corn flour, enriched corn grits, etc.).
Contact Information

If you have any questions regarding this MB, please contact your Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), School Nutrition Program (SNP), or Summer Meals Unit (SMU) specialist.

CACFP: Office Technician (OT), by phone at 916-327-2991 or by e-mail at CACFP@cde.ca.gov. [Note: the preceding information is no longer valid.] The CACFP moved to the California Department of Social Services (CDSS). Please visit https://www.cdss.ca.gov/cacfp or call 1-833-559-2420 for more information.

SNP: Please contact your county’s School Nutrition Programs (SNP) Specialist at 800-952-5609. You can also contact SNPInfo@cde.ca.gov to be directed to your SNP Specialist.

SMU: OT by phone at 916-324-6153 [Note: the preceding information is no longer valid.] By email at SFSP@cde.ca.gov.

Questions:   Nutrition Services Division | 800-952-5609
Last Reviewed: Thursday, October 12, 2023
Trending in Nutrition
Recently Posted in Nutrition
  • Provision 2—Application Information (added 24-Apr-2024)
    The purpose of this announcement is to provide school food authorities with information on how to apply to participate in Provision 2 for the 2024-25 school year.
  • Webinar – Transformative Strategies for SN (added 24-Apr-2024)
    This announcement provides registration information for the webinar titled Feeding the Future: Transformative Strategies for School Nutrition (SN) provided by the California Local School Wellness Policy Collaborative.
  • March 26, 2024 Tuesday at 2 Town Hall Resources (added 19-Apr-2024)
    The California Department of Education (CDE) Nutrition Services Division hosted the monthly Tuesday @ 2 School Nutrition Town Hall webinar March 26, 2024.
  • Non-Congregate Meal Service in Rural Areas Q&A #2 (added 18-Apr-2024)
    The USDA announced the release of an updated policy memorandum, SFSP 08- 2024, SP 15-2024: Non-Congregate Meal Service in Rural Areas Questions and Answers #2.
  • President Biden Approves Disaster Relief (added 16-Apr-2024)
    President Biden approves California disaster for Butte, Glenn, Los Angeles, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Sutter, and Ventura counties.