MONROE - The Monroe school district implemented new nutrition standards this month under the USDA's "All Foods Sold in Schools" standards as required by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. The standards amend existing regulations and are intended to eliminate less healthy snacks from schools.
The rules, also known as "Smart Snacks in School," cover any food sold on school campuses during the school day - defined as midnight to 30 minutes after the end of the official school day - except for food sold under the school breakfast and lunch programs.
In the last couple years, the district has been cutting down on unhealthy snacks, according to Ron Olson, the district's business manager.
"We've actually been ahead of the game in preparing for the new rules," he said.
Food Service Director Eric Ekum presented the nutrition standards to the school board last month in preparation for them to take effect on July 1.
Affected areas include a la carte menus, school stores, snack bars, vending machines, fundraisers that sell food to be consumed at schools and classes that produce food to be sold to students. Teachers' lounges and other areas restricted to students are not affected. Sporting events and other extracurricular events with food vendors do not have to comply with the new standards, unless they occur during the school day.
The school district's vending machines were already in compliance with the rules before July.
Olson said there was a fear about how fundraisers would fare under the new standards, but he doesn't expect them to be impacted much. The rules don't affect fundraisers held outside of school hours or that sell food that wouldn't be eaten at school, such as frozen pizza. Fundraisers that sell unhealthy foods like candy bars would be affected if they were held consistently, Olson said, but the district doesn't hold many, and the rules allow for some exemptions for infrequent fundraisers.
Certain student programming will feel the impact of the rules. For example, a class that sold muffins to students will have to comply with the standards, and an idea for a student-run coffee shop will be "seriously impacted," Olson said.
According to the new standards, any food sold in schools must meet at least one of the following criteria:
n be a "whole grain-rich" grain product;
n have a fruit, vegetable, dairy product, or a protein food as the first ingredient;
n be a combination food that contains at least 1/4 cup of fruit and/or vegetable; or
n contain 10 percent of the Daily Value of calcium, potassium, vitamin D or dietary fiber ;
The Daily Value criteria will only qualify foods until July 2016.
The standards call for restrictions on calories, sodium, fat and sugar in all affected foods, but allow for some exceptions. Nuts and seeds are exempt from the total fat and saturated fat limits, for example, and dried fruits and vegetables are exempt from the sugar standard.
A snack item cannot be more than 200 calories, and an entree cannot exceed 350 calories. Sodium limits are 230 milligrams for a snack item and 480 for an entree. Total fat in any food cannot exceed 35 percent of the calories, and saturated fat has to be less than 10 percent of the calories. No food can get more than 35 percent of its weight from total sugars.
Water must now be available for free during the breakfast meal service. The same was already required during lunch.
Beverages allowed under the rules include plain water, unflavored low-fat milk, unflavored or flavored fat-free milk and certain milk alternatives, and 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice, which may be diluted with water, but cannot have added sweeteners. Elementary schools can sell up to 8-ounce portions of milk and juice, while middle and high schools can sell up to 12 ounces. Water portions are not limited.
Other "no calorie" or "lower calorie" beverages may be allowed for high school students.
For more information on the new standards, visit www.fns.dpi.wi.gov/files/fns/pdf/smartsnks_br.pdf.
The rules, also known as "Smart Snacks in School," cover any food sold on school campuses during the school day - defined as midnight to 30 minutes after the end of the official school day - except for food sold under the school breakfast and lunch programs.
In the last couple years, the district has been cutting down on unhealthy snacks, according to Ron Olson, the district's business manager.
"We've actually been ahead of the game in preparing for the new rules," he said.
Food Service Director Eric Ekum presented the nutrition standards to the school board last month in preparation for them to take effect on July 1.
Affected areas include a la carte menus, school stores, snack bars, vending machines, fundraisers that sell food to be consumed at schools and classes that produce food to be sold to students. Teachers' lounges and other areas restricted to students are not affected. Sporting events and other extracurricular events with food vendors do not have to comply with the new standards, unless they occur during the school day.
The school district's vending machines were already in compliance with the rules before July.
Olson said there was a fear about how fundraisers would fare under the new standards, but he doesn't expect them to be impacted much. The rules don't affect fundraisers held outside of school hours or that sell food that wouldn't be eaten at school, such as frozen pizza. Fundraisers that sell unhealthy foods like candy bars would be affected if they were held consistently, Olson said, but the district doesn't hold many, and the rules allow for some exemptions for infrequent fundraisers.
Certain student programming will feel the impact of the rules. For example, a class that sold muffins to students will have to comply with the standards, and an idea for a student-run coffee shop will be "seriously impacted," Olson said.
According to the new standards, any food sold in schools must meet at least one of the following criteria:
n be a "whole grain-rich" grain product;
n have a fruit, vegetable, dairy product, or a protein food as the first ingredient;
n be a combination food that contains at least 1/4 cup of fruit and/or vegetable; or
n contain 10 percent of the Daily Value of calcium, potassium, vitamin D or dietary fiber ;
The Daily Value criteria will only qualify foods until July 2016.
The standards call for restrictions on calories, sodium, fat and sugar in all affected foods, but allow for some exceptions. Nuts and seeds are exempt from the total fat and saturated fat limits, for example, and dried fruits and vegetables are exempt from the sugar standard.
A snack item cannot be more than 200 calories, and an entree cannot exceed 350 calories. Sodium limits are 230 milligrams for a snack item and 480 for an entree. Total fat in any food cannot exceed 35 percent of the calories, and saturated fat has to be less than 10 percent of the calories. No food can get more than 35 percent of its weight from total sugars.
Water must now be available for free during the breakfast meal service. The same was already required during lunch.
Beverages allowed under the rules include plain water, unflavored low-fat milk, unflavored or flavored fat-free milk and certain milk alternatives, and 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice, which may be diluted with water, but cannot have added sweeteners. Elementary schools can sell up to 8-ounce portions of milk and juice, while middle and high schools can sell up to 12 ounces. Water portions are not limited.
Other "no calorie" or "lower calorie" beverages may be allowed for high school students.
For more information on the new standards, visit www.fns.dpi.wi.gov/files/fns/pdf/smartsnks_br.pdf.