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Making It Happen! School Nutrition
Success Stories
Six Approaches to Improving Student Nutrition
1. Establish nutrition standards for competitive foods
Nutrition standards list criteria that determine which foods and
beverages can and cannot be offered on a school campus. One approach to
setting standards is to increase options, such as requiring that schools
offer fruits or vegetables at all locations where snacks are available. A
second approach is to limit options, such as stipulating that schools cannot
sell foods with more than a specified number of grams of fat per serving, or
cannot deep-fry foods.
Nutrition standards are often incorporated into the written policies of a
State agency, school district, or school. They can be mandatory or
voluntary. When appropriate, they can be accompanied by information on brand
name products that meet the nutrition standards.
2. Influence food and beverage contracts
Vending contracts give food and beverage companies selling rights in
return for cash and non-cash benefits to the school or district. Schools and
school districts can influence vending contracts in several ways. They can
cancel contracts, not sign contracts, not renew contracts, or negotiate
contracts that encourage healthy eating. Many existing vending contracts
require schools to allow the marketing of products high in added fats and
sugars. Others provide incentives for schools to encourage their students to
choose those products.
Following are some of the provisions that have been found in school
vending contracts.
- A commission that increases with sales volume; in some contracts,
the commission is higher for certain types of products than for others.
- Bonuses paid when sales pass a specified quota.
- Lump sum payments independent of sales volume (known as “sponsorship
fees” or “incentive monies”).
- Provision of non-cash benefits such as class parties, sponsorship of
field trips, equipment, and scoreboards with company logos or ads for
specific products.
- Specifications on the number of vending machines installed on
campus, where machines are located, when they are open for use, the
types of products offered, the costs of the various items to be sold,
and the images on the front of machines.
- Opportunities for the company to advertise its products on campus
through free samples, promotional products, and additional signage.
- Exclusivity clauses that forbid the school or district from selling
any competing products on campus.
- Confidentiality clauses so that the contents of the contract remain
private.
- Contract length (in some cases, 10 years or longer) and the
conditions for terminating or revising the contract.
3. Make more healthful foods and beverages available
Making more healthful foods and beverages available is all about making
nutritious choices easy for students. Schools can add more nutrient-rich
items to à la carte lines, vending machines, snack bars, and student stores.
Or they can reduce the number of high-fat/high-sugar items, and replace them
with more nutritious choices.
There are many options that schools are offering:
- Low-fat milk
- Bottled water and water from drinking fountains
- 100% fruit juices
- Soy products such as soy milk
- Low-fat yogurt
- Fresh fruits, such as apples, strawberries, and bananas
- Dried fruit such as apricots and apples
- Raw vegetables such as carrots, celery, and cucumbers
- Salads and salad bars, with a variety of vegetables and legumes such
as chick peas
- Animal crackers or graham crackers
- Whole grain breads and deli sandwiches
- Trail mix
- Low-fat popcorn
4. Adopt marketing techniques
Offering healthful foods and beverages in schools does not guarantee that
students will choose them. To help young people improve their eating habits,
schools must promote healthful choices by adopting some of the effective
techniques used by the food industry.
Effective marketing involves more than
just communication. Marketing means focusing on the target audience and
learning how to satisfy its needs and wants. Effective marketing centers on designing the best marketing mix, also
known as the 4 Ps:
- Identifying and offering PRODUCTS that meet student needs.
- PLACEMENT of products in locations so they are easy to choose.
- PROMOTION of products so that students know about them and are
motivated to try them.
- Setting the PRICE of products so that students will want to buy
them.
5. Limit student access to competitive foods
Limiting access means making it more difficult for students to obtain
competitive foods and beverages. The term competitive foods refers to any
food or beverage served outside of Federal meal programs, regardless of
nutritional value. Some school districts limit student access to competitive
foods in all schools, while others do so only in some schools (e.g.,
elementary schools).
Schools can limit student access to competitive foods by several means:
- Reducing the number of places where students can obtain competitive
foods. For example, schools can restrict all competitive sales in the
cafeteria or vending machines. Or they can reduce the total number of
vending machines with competitive items or the number of competitive
items sold à la carte.
- Changing the locations where foods and beverages are sold. For
example, they can move a vending machine from just outside the cafeteria
to a more isolated location.
- Prohibiting the sale of competitive foods during specified times,
such as during lunch periods, from 1 hour before until 1 hour after
lunch, or from the beginning of the school day until the end of the last
lunch period.
6. Use fundraising activities and rewards
Fundraising supports student health when it involves selling nutritious
foods and beverages (e.g., fruits, vegetables, 100% fruit juice, low-fat
milk) or selling non-food items, such as wrapping paper, candles, or student
artwork. Schools can also raise money and promote health at the same time
through, for example, a walk-a-thon or jump rope contest.
Rewards support
student health when they involve using non-food items or activities to
recognize students for their achievements or good behavior, if an extrinsic
reward system is used. These types of rewards include stickers, books, or
extra time for recess.
Making It Happen! is a joint project of:
Team Nutrition of the Food and
Nutrition Service,
United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA);
CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health,
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS);
and the
United States Department of
Education (ED).
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