Promoting Healthier Foods and Beverages In U.S. Schools

The school environment is one of several settings that can influence children's food choices and eating habits. By ensuring that only nutritious food options are available, schools can model healthy eating behaviors and help improve dietetic intake.

Children in the United States are becoming increasingly overweight and obese, and most do not meet recommendations for a healthy diet. When it comes to children, food choices and eating habits derive from many sources. Given the number of hours children spend at school, the school environment can have a significant influence on children's diets (1).

The competitive food environment in schools is in dire need of improvement, especially in high schools. Competitive foods (high-calorie, low-nutrient foods and beverages that are offered in competition with federally reimbursable meals and snacks) are currently the chief source of the less nutritious foods and beverages* that students consume in school. Studies have found that greater access to less nutritious foods and beverages at school is associated with an increased intake of total calories, soft drinks, total fat, and saturated fat; an increased body mass index; and a decreased intake of fruits, vegetables, milk, and key vitamins and minerals (2, 3). 

Implementing school policies restricting access to these foods is an especially important public health strategy for addressing childhood obesity and improving students' nutritional health. A key policy solution includes establishing strong nutrition standards for competitive foods and beverages that restrict availability of low-nutrient, energy-dense foods. If competitive foods are available during the school day, they should consist primarily of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and nonfat and low-fat milk products, as recommended by the Institute of Medicine. Removing less nutritious foods and beverages from schools should be part of a comprehensive strategy for obesity prevention because it could help reduce children's total caloric intake.

Progress is being made in almost every state in reducing the availability of less nutritious foods and beverages in schools. According to the findings of CDC's 2008 School Health Profiles Survey (Profiles), fewer secondary schools in the United States sold less nutritious foods and beverages in vending machines, school stores, canteens, and snack bars in 2008 than in 2006. In 17 states, the majority of secondary schools no longer sell less nutritious foods and beverages, demonstrating that efforts to improve the school nutrition environment are working.  For example, in Hawaii, Connecticut, California, and Maine, more than two-thirds of secondary schools did not sell baked goods, salty snacks not low in fat, candy, soda or fruit drinks that were not 100 percent juice (4).

The School Health Profiles Survey is conducted every two years and monitors the current status of school health education requirements and content; physical education requirements; school health policies related to HIV/AIDS, tobacco-use prevention, and nutrition; asthma management activities; and family and community involvement in school health programs.  The 2008 data are available at www.cdc.gov/schoolhealthprofiles.

Despite the progress made by many states, there are still too many schools selling less nutritious foods and beverages to children. For instance, in Utah, Kansas, Idaho, and Nebraska, less than one-third of secondary schools did not sell baked goods, salty snacks not low in fat, candy, soda or fruit drinks that were not 100 percent juice (4). Therefore, additional efforts are needed to further improve nutrition environments in our nation's schools.

*Less nutritious foods and beverages include items such as baked goods and salty snacks not low in fat, chocolate and other candy, soda pop, and fruit drinks that are not 100% juice.

What You Can Do

Engage in efforts to improve the school nutrition environment by

• Supporting strong state and district school nutrition standards for foods and beverages offered or sold outside of school meals such as those recommended by the Institute of Medicine.
• Reviewing your district's school wellness policy to ensure it includes nutrition guidelines so that only healthy foods and beverages, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat or nonfat milk products, are available during each school day.
• Examining the actual foods and beverages that are available to students—including competitive foods sold in cafeterias, snack bars, school stores, and vending machines—and determine if they meet strong nutrition standards.
• Educating students about nutrition and offering only healthy food and beverage choices to ensure a consistent message on healthy eating.

More Information

• Availability of Less Nutritious Snack Foods and Beverages in Secondary Schools— Selected States, 2002–2008
• School Health Profiles
• Nutrition Standards for Foods In Schools: Leading the Way Toward Healthier Youth
• CDC's Healthy Youth Nutrition Page
• CDC's Local Wellness Policies Tools & Resources for Schools

References

1. Institute of Medicine. Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools: Leading the Way Toward Healthier Youth. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2007.
   
2. Fox MK, Dodd AH, Wilson A, Gleason PM. Association between school food environment and practices and body mass index of US public school children. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 2009;109(2 suppl):S108–17.
   
3. Briefel RR, Crepinsek MK, Cabili C, Wilson A, Gleason PM. School food environments and practices affect Dietetic behaviors of US public school children. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 2009;109(Suppl 1):S91–S107.
   
4. CDC. Availability of less nutritious snack foods and beverages in secondary schools—selected states, 2002–2008. MMWR 2009;58 (Early Release).