Proposal Aims for Healthier School Snacks

Nutritional changes have been being made in the school-lunch line for the past few years. A new proposal is looking to make even more changes to enhance the nutrition and lower obesity in today's children. The new proposal looks to limit the amount of unhealthy “competitive foods,” also known as snack foods. Following changes made by the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, the new proposals look to remove items including high-fat chips, cookies, and regular sodas. These items would later be replaced with healthier options including granola bars, flavored-carbonated waters, and fruit or vegetable juices. The a la carte line and vending machine services have been a loop-hole in regular school lunch programming. This new proposal seeks to limit these options in order to promote an all-around healthier lifestyle. While the low-cost or free government provided lunches have been following strict nutritional criteria, the snack vending services and options have not been mandated to follow the same regulations. However, not all junk food will be going away. The proposal does allow for the continuation of student-run bake sales, after school concession stands, and event concessions stands. Items sold during these types of activities are exempt from the new nutritional standards of the everyday snack availability. Additionally, students bringing lunch to school will also be exempt from the new mandates. The proposal, in conjunction with the Hunger-Free Kids Act, aims to educate and promote a healthier lifestyle for children. Lowering statistics of childhood obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure are just a few of the goals of the program. Teaching children healthy-eating habits and encouraging a healthy lifestyle is the main focus of the program, allowing the children to grow up into healthy adults with fewer health problems. Sources: Bloomberg - http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-01/granola-bars-replace-candy-as-u-s-limits-school-snacks.html Washington Post - Politics - http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/new-federal-rules-aim-to-make-all-foods-in-schools-healthful-get-rid-of-junk-food/2013/02/02/dae953a4-6d10-11e2-8f4f-2abd96162ba8_story.html USA Today - Health & Wellness - http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/02/01/junk-food-schools/1881581/