DRAFT REVISION
Nutrition Guidelines for School
Vending & A La Carte Foods
A
sub-group of the Rhode Island Healthy Schools Coalition/AFHK formed for the
purpose of developing recommendations that would assist schools in setting
nutrition guidelines for foods offered in school vending machines, as a la
carte items in the cafeteria, and in school stores. Fortunately, due to the heightened awareness
for improving school nutrition, we were able to draw from a variety of
resources and build upon the work of others.
We would like to sincerely thank all the professionals who helped us
develop this final draft Guidelines Document.
Introduction
The
school foodservice program is required to meet federal nutrition standards for
breakfast and lunch meals. Competitive
school foods, or foods that are offered outside of the Federal School Meal
Program, are not required to meet any nutrition standards. Competitive school foods are found in schools
stores, vending machines, as part of school fundraisers, at school sponsored
activities and sporting events and on the a la carte line in the school
cafeteria. Often competitive school food offerings have little nutritional
value, are high in fat and sugar, and take the place of the more nutritionally
balanced meals that are offered to students through the Federal School Meals
Program.
The
purpose of this document is to help parents, school improvement teams,
coordinated school health and wellness sub-committees, and school administrators
set nutrition guidelines for competitive foods by providing a list of
recommendations and the supporting rationale.
Things to
keep in mind when making changes in competitive food offerings
Engage students,
staff, parents and other school community members in the process of making
changes in competitive foods through the coordinated school health and wellness
sub-committee designated to work on creating a healthier school environment.
Phase in the
changes. Reduce the number of less
nutritious offerings over a set period of time until you are no longer serving
the less desirable items.
Make initial changes
before the school year starts. For example, if your school decides to not offer
soda, replace all soda vending with milk, 100% juice and water before the
September start date or during Christmas winter break.
Remember,
these guidelines have been developed to help GUIDE you through the process of
building a healthier school nutrition environment by offering foods that are
more nutrient dense and lower in fat and sugar.
Foods that are nutrient dense will be lean sources of protein and/or
complex carbohydrates and low in total fat, as opposed to foods that are
nutrient void and only calorie dense, from added sugars, fats, and highly
processed flour/carbohydrates.
Furthermore, foods high in nutrient density will contain a significant
amount (10% or more) of at least one of the following: calcium, vitamin C,
vitamin A, iron or fiber. We recommend
that you solicit input from school staff, students, and parents when writing
your own school policies for nutritious school food choices.
For questions, concerns, and/or support:
Contact
Jeanette Nessett @ 401-392-3562 or email: JNessett@NewEnglandDairy.com.
Nutrition
Guidelines for School Vending & A La Carte Foods
Who We Are:
The
Rhode Island Healthy Schools Coalition (RIHSC) is a 70+ member organization,
founded in June of 2002, to work under the national initiative, “Action for
Healthy Kids.” AFHK is dedicated to
improving children’s nutrition and physical activity in schools by
collaborating with diverse stakeholders in advocating, promoting and
implementing national and state initiatives.
All members of the RIHSC are committed to working in partnership to help
The RI Healthy Schools Coalition Five-Year
Goals:
By October
2007, all schools in RI will provide all children, pre k-12 with daily
opportunities to engage in physical activity in addition to quality physical
education that helps develop the knowledge, attitudes, skills, behaviors and
confidence needed to be physically active for life.
By October
2007, all schools in RI will adopt policies ensuring that foods and beverages
available on school campuses and at school events contribute toward eating
patterns that are consistent with Dietary Guidelines for Americans.