Smart Snacks In Schools
The Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act signed into law in 2010 regulates the National School Lunch & Breakfast Programs. The goal of the law is to increase children's access to healthy food and address the issue of obesity. The Smart Snack provision of law goes into effect July 1, 2014.
Smart Snacks Regulation Summary
The Act applies nutrition standards to all food & beverages sold to students on the school campus anytime during the school day. It includes food sold in school stores, vending machines, and fund raisers including bake sales, ice cream sales etc. A school day is defined as midnight until 30 minutes after end of school day.
Nutrition Standards
Must be "whole grain" rich or have as first ingredient fruit, vegetable, dairy product or protein, contain ¼ c. fruit or vegetable, contain 10% Dietary Value of specific nutrients, and meet calorie, sodium, fat, and sugar limits. Elementary schools are limited to selling 8 oz. caffeine free beverages while high schools may sell up to 12 oz. with no more than 5 calorie per oz. (caffeine allowed).
- Examples of foods that do not meet standards are chips, cookies, cake, candy, bagels, ice cream, Gatorade, Snapple, etc.
- Examples of foods that meet requirements include baked chips, popcorn, zero calorie flavored water, dried fruit, fig cookies etc.
An online calculator is available to determine if a food meets the nutrition standard:
Healthy Snacks Online Calculator
