Eat Smart Guidelines for Child Care - Sweet Items/High-Fat Snack Items

  1. If a cereal contains more than 6 grams of sugar at the Advanced level, or 9 grams of sugar at the Intermediate level, can it still be served and count as a sweet item?
  2. Can sugar be added to hot cereal, such as oatmeal or cream of wheat, if the amount of sugar added fits within the sugar limit for cereals in the Eat Smart Guidelines, without counting as a sweet item?
  3. If a canned fruit contains added sugars, such as sweetened applesauce or mandarin oranges in light syrup, can it still be served and count as a sweet item?
  4. If syrup or jelly is served, is it required that they are "lite" or "no added sugar" products?
  5. Do French toast sticks count as a sweet breakfast item?
  6. If a center switches from pancakes with syrup to pancakes with thawed frozen fruit, is it no longer considered a sweet breakfast item? There is no sugar added, just the fruit.
  7. If a regular muffin were switched to a whole grain muffin, would it still be considered a sweet item?
  8. Jell-o with fruit would still be considered a sweet item, right?
  9. Can Jell-o be served at lunch?
  10. Are graham crackers, vanilla wafers, or animal crackers considered a "sweet snack"?
  11. Are honey teddy grahams considered a sweet item?
  12. In regards to the sweet item/croissant/grain-based snack chip guideline at snack, does the guideline address each of these items separately, or is it addressed as a whole?
  13. What are some examples of grain-based chips? Would this include wheat thins and Cheez-its?
  14. If a grain-based snack chip is a whole grain, will it still count as a sweet item/grain-based snack chip?

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