New Mexico Administrative Code
Title 8 - SOCIAL SERVICES
Chapter 9 - EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND CARE
Part 4 - CHILD CARE LICENSING; CHILD CARE CENTERS, OUT OF SCHOOL TIME PROGRAMS, FAMILY CHILD CARE HOMES, AND OTHER EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS
Section 8.9.4.25 - FOOD SERVICE REQUIREMENTS FOR CENTERS
Universal Citation: 8 NM Admin Code 8.9.4.25
Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 18, September 24, 2024
A. MEAL PATTERN REQUIREMENTS: All foods prepared by the center will conform to the guidelines from United States department of agriculture's (USDA's) child and adult care food program (CACFP) for foods, meal patterns and serving sizes.
B. MEALS AND SNACKS:
(1) A center will provide a child a meal or
snack at least every three hours except when the child is sleeping at
night.
(2) A center will serve, if
necessary, a child a therapeutic or special diet with written prescription/diet
orders from a physician or a recognized medical authority. Diet orders must be
complete and descriptive, and not subject to interpretation by the center
staff.
(3) A center shall make
water freely available to children.
(4) A center that provides daily meals and
snacks shall plan these to meet the minimum standards in the CACFP and to be
consistent with the USDA's current dietary guidelines for Americans, to include
the following. Parents of children who have special dietary needs may provide
written permission to the child care program to exempt their child from the
following requirements if necessary due to such special dietary needs.
(a) Only one hundred percent fruit or
vegetable juice shall be served. The use of fruit drinks containing less than
one hundred percent juice or artificially flavored drinks for meals or snacks
is prohibited. One hundred percent or vegetable juice may be diluted with
water.
(b) Only whole, pasteurized
fluid milk shall be served to children between 12 and 24 months of age; reduced
fat, low fat, or skim milk may be served to children who are two years and
older.
(c) A wide variety of fruits
and vegetables shall be served, with a preference for fresh or frozen fruits
and vegetables over canned.
(5) A center shall vary snacks each day and
shall include a selection of two different food group components from the four
food group components.
C. MENUS:
(1) Menus shall include a variety of foods.
The same menu will not be served twice in one week.
(2) Posted menus shall be followed.
Substitutions shall be of equivalent nutritional value and shall be recorded on
the posted menu.
(3) Dated weekly
menus shall be posted at least one week in advance, in a conspicuous place, for
review by parents, educators and children.
D. KITCHENS: Centers shall comply with current New Mexico environment department requirements regarding food service.
(1) A center will not allow children in the
kitchen except under careful supervision.
(2) A food preparer will thoroughly wash all
raw fruits and vegetables before cooking or serving.
(3) A center will serve food promptly and
refrigerate immediately after use.
(4) A center will protect food and drink from
insects, rodents, and other vermin by properly storing items in an airtight
container or by tightly wrapping them. A center will label and date all
leftover food.
(5) If food is
brought from the child's home, a center will label it with the child's name and
refrigerate if necessary. A center will label and refrigerate bottles of infant
formula or breast milk. The center must ensure children are fed the food or
bottle provided by their parent/guardian and as instructed by them.
(6) A center's refrigerators and separate
freezers will have working internal thermometers and keep food requiring
refrigeration, including formula, at 41 degrees Fahrenheit or below, and frozen
food at zero degrees Fahrenheit or below.
(7) A center will discard any leftover milk
or formula, rinse bottles after use and sanitize bottles before
reuse.
(8) A center will sanitize
eating utensils, dishes and cups before re-use by washing them in a dishwasher
or by completing the following steps:
a) wash
with soapy water;
b) rinse with
clean warm water; and
c) sanitize.
Disposable plates and cups and plastic utensils of food-grade, medium weight
may be used for single service, but Styrofoam cups may not be used.
(9) A center will use cleaning
materials for the kitchen and food preparation areas only in the kitchen and
will store the materials separately from food.
(10) A center shall thoroughly sanitize food
preparation surfaces before and after each use.
E. MEAL TIMES:
(1) A center will equip dining areas with
tables, chairs, eating utensils and dishes appropriate to the age of the
children served and sanitize the areas before and after use.
(2) Staff/child ratios and group size must be
maintained at meal times.
(3)
Adults must sit with the children at meal and snack times to assist children
with eating, drinking, and self-feeding and to encourage family-style dining
and socialization.
(4) Time allowed
for meals shall enable the children to eat at reasonable rate.
(5) A center will provide sanitary cups or
glasses or a drinking fountain for drinking water. Infants and toddlers shall
be offered water from a cup. Toddlers shall be encouraged to hold and drink
from a cup, use a spoon, and to use their fingers for self-feeding. A center
will not allow children to share drinking or eating utensils.
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. New Mexico may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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