Olympia Schools Shift School Snacks after USDA Standards Updated

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By Katie Hurley

capital medical centerSchool bake sales, once the bread and butter of school club fundraising, may soon be a thing of the past.  On July 1, 2014 the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) implemented Smart Snacks in Schools standards that apply to all foods served in public schools during the school day, whether sold by vending machines or fundraising groups like clubs, sports teams or parent/teacher groups.

snacks mixed nutsHighlights of the Smart Snacks standards, mandated by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, include:

  • More of the foods we should encourage, including more whole grains, low-fat dairy products, fruits, vegetables and leaner protein
  • Less of the foods we should avoid, like foods that are high in fat, sugar and sodium
  • Targeted standards that allow variations such as portion size and caffeine content, based on age group
  • Flexibility for important traditions. Parents may still send their children to school with homemade lunches, or treats for activities such as birthday parties, holidays, and other celebrations, and schools can continue traditions such as fundraisers and bake sales on a very limited basis if their district administration permits.
  • Reasonable limitations on when and where the standards apply. Standards affect only foods that are sold on the school campus during the school day. Foods sold at after-school sports events or other activities, and food sold for consumption off-premises (such as cookie dough fundraisers) will not be subject to these requirements.
  • Flexibility for State and local communities. The standards allow for significant local and regional autonomy by establishing only minimum requirements for schools. States and schools that have stronger standards will be able to maintain their own policies.

The new guidelines apply to all food sold to students during the school day. Interpretation of the guidelines is complicated, with many foods falling into multiple categories depending on the preparation. For example, soybeans could qualify as a protein, a vegetable or a snack, depending on how they are prepared. In each category there are different limits on calories, fat content and sodium content. A side salad containing only vegetables can be served in any quantity, but once salad dressing is added, the whole dish will be subject to the calories, sodium, fat, saturated fat, trans fat and sugar limits for a side dish.

snacks gorp fruit nutThe new rules will be especially impactful for parent groups that run student stores. At the middle schools in the Olympia School District, the student stores are operated by parent groups as fundraisers. The income generated in the stores provides funding for everything from teacher grants to sports uniforms.

Jefferson Middle School’s student store is the main fundraiser for the Jefferson Student Service Organization (JSSO) and the new rules mean changes in the student store inventory. Some of the higher fat, higher sodium items like chips and pepperoni sticks will be replaced by lower sodium baked chips and low fat string cheese, and Candy Fridays will be replaced by Smoothie Fridays.

Marshall Middle School’s tradition of Smoothie Fridays, where students can buy $1 fruit and yogurt smoothies made by parent volunteers, meets the new requirements.

In response to the new rules, some manufacturers like Kellogg’s, Campbell’s and Otis Spunkmeyer have reformulated products or created new product lines that comply, though most of these new products are only available in commercial packaging through foodservice distributors at this time.  The published list of approved processed foods mainly covers foodservice packaging at this time, but the list is growing monthly and is starting to include products more readily available to consumers.

For more information on how your favorite foods stack up, check out the USDA approved product calculator from Alliance for a Healthier Generation.

 

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