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Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools: Leading the Way Toward Healthier Youth (2007)

Chapter: Appendix D Guidelines for Competitive Foods and Beverages

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Suggested Citation:"Appendix D Guidelines for Competitive Foods and Beverages." Institute of Medicine. 2007. Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools: Leading the Way Toward Healthier Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11899.
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APPENDIX D
Guidelines for Competitive Foods and Beverages

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation was formed by the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation. A product of the Alliance, the Nutrition Guidelines for Competitive Foods for K-12, developed out of a collaboration between the Alliance and the Campbell Soup Company, Dannon, Kraft Foods, Mars, Inc., and PepsiCo. The guidelines were developed in conjunction with nutrition experts at the American Heart Association to provide science-based and age-appropriate information to help children in schools make healthier food choices. The criteria established by the guidelines are designed to promote nutrient-rich foods, fat-free and low-fat dairy products, and place limits on calories, fat, saturated fat, trans fat, sugar, and sodium.

Guidelines for Competitive Foods Sold in Schools to Students1

These guidelines apply to snacks, side items, treats, and desserts offered for sale as Competitive Foods in schools. All such Competitive Foods shall meet one of the following numbered criteria.


These foods include but are not limited to fruits, vegetables, yogurts (including drinkable yogurt and yogurt smoothies), puddings, soups, cheeses, snack chips (e.g., potato, tortilla, corn, veggie, etc.), pretzels, crackers,

1

Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a program of the Clinton Foundation; Website: www.HealthierGeneration.org.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix D Guidelines for Competitive Foods and Beverages." Institute of Medicine. 2007. Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools: Leading the Way Toward Healthier Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11899.
×

popcorn, nuts, seeds, french fries, dried meat snacks, granola bars, energy bars, breakfast bars, health bars, cookies, brownies, snack cakes, coffee cakes, pastries, doughnuts, danishes, candy, confectionery, chocolate, ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet, ice pops, frozen fruit bars, and other similar foods.


Items that would be considered to be entrées if sold in the reimbursable meal program, but are sold à la carte as Competitive Foods, are not subject to these Guidelines.

  1. Any fruit with no added sweeteners or vegetables that are non-fried. Since fresh fruits and vegetables vary in size and calories naturally, they have no calorie limit. However, calories for packaged fruits and vegetables are easily ascertained according to package nutrition labeling. As such, calorie limits for these fruits and vegetables are specified as follows:

 

Elementary

Middle

High

fresh

no limit

no limit

no limit

packaged in own juice

150

180

200

dried

150

180

200

  1. Any reduced-fat or part-skim cheese ≤ 1.5 oz.

  2. Any one egg with no added fat or equal amount of egg equivalent with no added fat.

  3. Any other food that meets all of the following criteria:

    1. ≤ 35% of total calories from fat

      1. Nuts, nut butters, and seeds are exempt from above limitation and are permitted.

      2. Products described in Addendum 1 are exempt and are permitted until August 31, 2008.

    1. ≤ 10% of calories from saturated fat -OR- ≤ 1g saturated fat

    2. 0 g trans fat

    3. ≤ 35% sugar by weight

    4. ≤ 230 mg sodium

      1. Lowfat and fat-free dairy products can have ≤ 480mg sodium.

      2. Vegetables with sauce, and soups can have ≤ 480mg sodium if they contain one or more of the following: ≥ 2g fiber; or ≥ 5g protein; or ≥ 10% DV of Vitamin A, C, E, folate, calcium, magnesium, potassium, or iron; or ≥ 1/2 serving (1/4 cup) of fruit or vegetables.

      3. Soups described in Addendum 2 are exempt and are permitted until August 31, 2008.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix D Guidelines for Competitive Foods and Beverages." Institute of Medicine. 2007. Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools: Leading the Way Toward Healthier Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11899.
×
  1. If products are dairy, they must be non-fat or low fat dairy.

  2. Meet 1 of the following calorie requirements:

    1. ≤ 100 calories

    2. Vegetables with sauce and soups meeting 4.e above can have 150 calories if they contain two or more of the following: ≥ 2g fiber; or ≥ 5g protein; or ≥ 10% DV of Vitamin A, C, E, folate, calcium, magnesium, potassium, or iron; or ≥ 1/2 serving (1/4 cup) of fruit or vegetables.

    3. Other foods can have calorie limits per below if they contain one or more of the following: ≥ 2g fiber; or ≥ 5g protein; or ≥ 10% DV of Vitamin A, C, E, folate, calcium, magnesium, potassium, or iron; or ≥ 1/2 serving (1/4 cup) of fruit or vegetables:

      • ≤ 150 calories for elementary schools

      • ≤ 180 calories for middle school

      • ≤ 200 calories for high school.

For individual serving packages, these nutritional Guidelines are defined for a whole package as labeled on the package’s Nutrition Facts panel. In the event that the food is bought in bulk but served individually, such as on an à la carte line, then the criteria apply to the serving size actually offered to students.


Time of Day

These Guidelines shall apply to items sold on school grounds or at school activities during the regular and extended school day when events are primarily under the control of the school or third parties on behalf of the school. The extended school day is defined as the time before or after the official school day that includes activities such as clubs, yearbook, band and choir practice, student government, drama, sports practices, intramural sports, and childcare/latchkey programs. These Guidelines shall also apply to food supplied by schools during official transportation to and from school and school sponsored activities, including but not limited to field trips and interscholastic sporting events where the school is the visiting team except as specified herein.


These Guidelines do not apply to school sponsored or school related bona fide fundraising activities that take place off school grounds and not in transit to and from school. Nor do they apply to booster sales at school related events where parents and other adults are a significant part of an audience or are selling food as boosters either during intermission or immediately before or after such events. These school related events frequently occur during evenings and weekends. Examples of these events

Suggested Citation:"Appendix D Guidelines for Competitive Foods and Beverages." Institute of Medicine. 2007. Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools: Leading the Way Toward Healthier Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11899.
×

include but are not limited to interscholastic sporting events, school plays, and band concerts.


Addendum 1—Total and Saturated Fats

The American Heart Association Dietary and Lifestyle Recommendations released June 2006 emphasized saturated fat—setting lower goals for the amount of saturated fat in the diet. Given that the Recommendations encourage people to consume ≤ 7% of calories from saturated fat while meeting total fat recommendations of ≤ 35% and with the intent of encouraging food manufacturers to develop products to meet this goal, products with ≤ 7% of calories from saturated fat will be allowed to have ≤ 40% of calories from total fat until August 31, 2008. This transition period will provide manufacturers time to reformulate these products such that they provide ≤ 35% of calories from total fat by August 31, 2008.


Addendum 2—Sodium

A variety of commercially available soup products available in bulk through food service channels to schools can meet all the requirements specified in the Guidelines except for an upper limit of 480 mg for sodium. In recognition of this market availability, soups that meet the sodium requirement specified in this Addendum will be considered to meet the Guidelines until August 31, 2008. This transition period will provide manufacturers time for product reformulation, as well as the ability to meet manufacturing and food service distribution requirements.


Soups with ≤ 750 mg sodium are permitted if they contain one or more of the following: ≥ 2g fiber; or ≥ 5g protein; or ≥ 10% DV of Vitamin A, C, E, folate, calcium, magnesium, potassium, or iron; or ≥ 1/2 serving (1/4 cup) of fruit or vegetables.

Guidelines for Beverages Sold in Schools to Students2

Helping schools provide healthy settings for their students is a top priority for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. These School Beverage Guidelines were developed to serve as the beverage criteria for the Healthy Schools Program. They will accelerate the shift to lower-calorie and nutritious beverages that children consume during the regular and extended school day. These Guidelines have been adopted by the American Beverage Association, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola and Cadbury Schweppes as their school beverage policy.

2

Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a program of the Clinton Foundation; Website: (www.HealthierGeneration.org).

Suggested Citation:"Appendix D Guidelines for Competitive Foods and Beverages." Institute of Medicine. 2007. Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools: Leading the Way Toward Healthier Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11899.
×

Elementary School

  • Water

  • Up to 8 ounce servings of milk and 100% juice

    • Fat-free or low fat regular and flavored milk with up to 150 calories/8 ounces*

    • 100% juice with no added sweeteners, up to 120 calories/8 ounces, and with at least 10% of the recommended daily value for three or more vitamins and minerals

Middle School

  • Water

  • Up to 10 ounce servings of milk and 100% juice

    • Fat-free or low fat regular or flavored milk with up to 150 calories/8 ounces*

    • 100% juice with no added sweeteners, up to 120 calories/8 ounces, and with at least 10% of the recommended daily value for three or more vitamins and minerals

  • As a practical matter, if middle school and high school students have shared access to areas on a common campus or in common buildings, then the school community has the option to adopt the high school standard.

High School

  • Water

  • No or low calorie beverages with up to 10 calories/8 ounces

  • Up to 12 ounce servings of milk, 100% juice, and certain other drinks

    • Fat-free or low fat regular and flavored milk with up to 150 calories/8 ounces*

    • 100% juice with no added sweeteners, up to 120 calories/8 ounces, and with at least 10% of the recommended daily value for three or more vitamins and minerals

    • Other drinks with no more than 66 calories/8 ounces

  • At least 50% of non-milk beverages must be water and no- or low-calorie options

The Guidelines apply to all beverages (outside of the school meal) sold to students on school grounds during the regular and extended school day. The extended school day includes before and after school activities like clubs, yearbook, band, student government, drama and childcare/latchkey programs.

These School Beverage Guidelines do not apply to school-related events (such as interscholastic sporting events, school plays, and band concerts)

Suggested Citation:"Appendix D Guidelines for Competitive Foods and Beverages." Institute of Medicine. 2007. Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools: Leading the Way Toward Healthier Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11899.
×

where parents and other adults constitute a significant portion of the audience or are selling beverages as boosters.

*

Milk includes nutritionally equivalent milk alternatives per USDA. In recognition of the currently limited availability of flavored milk with less than 150 calories/8 oz and the importance of milk’s natural nutrients in children’s diets, flavored milk with up to 180 calories/8 oz will be allowed under these guidelines until August 31, 2008 so long as schools attempt to buy the lowest calorie flavored milk available to them. Because of unique CA state milk regulations, the calorie limit for fat-free and low fat flavored milk in CA schools is 180 calories/8 oz with a transition period until August 31, 2008 that allows 210 calories/8 oz.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix D Guidelines for Competitive Foods and Beverages." Institute of Medicine. 2007. Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools: Leading the Way Toward Healthier Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11899.
×
Page 257
Suggested Citation:"Appendix D Guidelines for Competitive Foods and Beverages." Institute of Medicine. 2007. Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools: Leading the Way Toward Healthier Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11899.
×
Page 258
Suggested Citation:"Appendix D Guidelines for Competitive Foods and Beverages." Institute of Medicine. 2007. Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools: Leading the Way Toward Healthier Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11899.
×
Page 259
Suggested Citation:"Appendix D Guidelines for Competitive Foods and Beverages." Institute of Medicine. 2007. Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools: Leading the Way Toward Healthier Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11899.
×
Page 260
Suggested Citation:"Appendix D Guidelines for Competitive Foods and Beverages." Institute of Medicine. 2007. Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools: Leading the Way Toward Healthier Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11899.
×
Page 261
Suggested Citation:"Appendix D Guidelines for Competitive Foods and Beverages." Institute of Medicine. 2007. Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools: Leading the Way Toward Healthier Youth. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11899.
×
Page 262
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Food choices and eating habits are learned from many sources. The school environment plays a significant role in teaching and modeling health behaviors. For some children, foods consumed at school can provide a major portion of their daily nutrient intake. Foods and beverages consumed at school can come from two major sources: (1) Federally funded programs that include the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), the School Breakfast Program (SBP), and after-school snacks and (2) competitive sources that include vending machines, "a la carte" sales in the school cafeteria, or school stores and snack bars.

Foods and beverages sold at school outside of the federally reimbursable school nutrition programs are referred to as “competitive foods” because they compete with the traditional school lunch as a nutrition source. There are important concerns about the contribution of nutrients and total calories from competitive foods to the daily diets of school-age children and adolescents.

Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools offers both reviews and recommendations about appropriate nutrition standards and guidance for the sale, content, and consumption of foods and beverages at school, with attention given to foods and beverages offered in competition with federally reimbursable meals and snacks. It is sure to be an invaluable resource to parents, federal and state government agencies, educators and schools, health care professionals, food manufacturers, industry trade groups, media, and those involved in consumer advocacy.

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