USDA recently published practical, science-based nutrition
standards for snack foods and beverages sold to
children at school during
the school day.
The standards, required by
the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act
of 2010,
will allow schools to offer
healthier snack foods to children, while limiting junk food. Smart Snacks
in School also support
efforts by school food service staff,
school administrators, teachers,
parents and the school
community, all working hard to instill healthy
habits in students.
Nutrition Standards for Foods
●
Any food sold in schools must:
Any food sold in schools must:
• Be a
“whole grain-rich” grain product; or
•
Have as the first ingredient a fruit, a vegetable,
a
dairy product, or a protein
food; or
•
Be a combination food that contains at least ¼ cup of fruit and/or vegetable; or
•
Contain 10% of the
Daily Value (DV) of one
of
the nutrients of public health concern in
the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for
Americans
(calcium,
potassium, vitamin D, or dietary fiber).*
●
Foods must also
meet several nutrient
requirements:
• Calorie limits:
° Snack items: ≤
200 calories
° Entrée items: ≤
350 calories
• Sodium limits:
° Snack items: ≤ 230 mg**
° Entrée items: ≤ 480 mg
•
Fat
limits:
° Total fat: ≤35% of
calories
° Saturated fat: < 10% of
calories
° Trans fat: zero grams
•
Sugar limit:
° ≤ 35%
of weight from total sugars in
foods
Nutrition Standards for Beverages
●
All schools
may sell:
•
Plain water (with or
without carbonation)
•
Unflavored low
fat milk,unflavored
or flavored fat free milk
and milk alternatives permitted by NSLP/SBP
•
100%
fruit or vegetable juice
and
•
100%
fruit or vegetable juice
diluted with water (with
or without carbonation), and no added
sweeteners.
●
Elementary schools
may sell up to 8-ounce portions, while middle schools and high
schools may sell up to 12-ounce
portions of milk and juice. There is no portion size
limit for plain water.
●
Beyond this, the standards
allow additional “no calorie” and “lower calorie” beverage
options for high school students.
• No more than 20-ounce portions of
•
Calorie-free, flavored water (with or
without carbonation); and
•
Other flavored
and/or carbonated
beverages that are labeled to contain
< 5
calories per
8 fluid
ounces or
≤
10 calories per 20 fluid ounces.
•
No more than 12-ounce portions of
•
Beverages with ≤ 40 calories per
8 fluid ounces, or ≤
60 calories per
12 fluid ounces.
Other Requirements
• The sale
of food items that
meet nutrition
requirements at fundraisers are not
limited in
any way under the
standards.
•
The standards do not
apply during
non-school hours,
on weekends and at off-campus
fundraising events.
•
The standards provide a special exemption
for infrequent fundraisers that do not meet
the nutrition
standards.
• Accompaniments such as cream cheese, salad dressing and butter must be included in the nutrient profile.
This helps
control the amount of calories, fat, sugar and
sodium added
to foods by accompaniments, which can be
significant.
USDA
is an equal opportunity provider and
employer.
