Can We Keep Our Current Menus?
Most directors ask this when considering professional CACFP menu service: "We already have menus we like. Do we have to throw them out?"
The short answer: Not necessarily. It depends on how compliant they are.
The Reality Check
Many centers do have menus—but they come with hidden risks:
Meal Pattern Gaps: The menu looks fine at a glance but doesn't match USDA CACFP standards for adult day care (different from child care). A monitor will catch this.
Documentation Issues: Portion counts might not be scaled correctly, or production records don't align with the menu.
Ingredient Tracking: Multi-ingredient products might lack proper labels or Product Formulation Statements.
Whole-Grain Gaps: Whole-grain requirements are specific and easy to miss without deliberate tracking.
Your Options
Option 1: Review & Remediate
Have a dietitian audit your current menus against CACFP standards. If they're mostly compliant, fix the gaps. This is what a Compliance Review service does.
Option 2: Transition Existing Menus
Keep the ones that pass audit, phase out the ones that don't, and use the Compliance Review results to guide the transition. Many directors take this approach—it preserves familiarity while removing risk.
Option 3: Start Fresh
Some directors prefer clean menus designed to be audit-ready from day one. No legacy confusion, no remediation—just fresh CACFP-compliant rotations ready to go.
What Most Directors Choose
Most centers we work with have menus they like. We review them, identify which can stay, which need tweaks, and which should be replaced. Typically, 40–60% of existing menus can stay—saving you time and honoring your center's preferences.
Next Steps
A free Compliance Review is the fastest way to know where your current menus stand. You'll get a written assessment of what's audit-ready and what needs work. Then you can decide: keep, tweak, or refresh.