USDA Implements School Food Rules

Children packing Karen Goldberg Smart Sacks
Photo courtesy Manna Food

Kids who live in poverty often don’t have access to the best foods, and that decreases their chances at having a full belly in which to power their brain during class. Most of these children get their calories from “recreational” foods from the vending machines at school – things like soda, candy, and chips. These foods don’t power the brain; instead they drain energy and focus.

In 2010, the USDA implemented the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. According to the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act gave USDA:

• Authority to issue healthy nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools (“competitive foods”)
• Power to eliminate unhealthy foods in vending machines, snack bars, “a la carte” lines in cafeterias, and other foods sold outside of the federally-reimbursed school meals

Nutrition standards for these optional foods in schools were set, and many schools began to offer water vending machines and healthier options. Though the culture of school food is changing slowly, students have begun to see more healthy options. New “proposed regulations will establish national nutrition standards for all foods sold on the school campus throughout the school day,” according to FRAC. Read the new proposed USDA rules here.

Manna hopes to be a part of this conversation as we move towards providing healthier options for our Goldberg Smart Sacks kids. What do you think about the options for kids in school? Would you want your kids to get their calories from vending machines? Watch FRAC’s great webinar here. Join the conversation on Twitter by tweeting to @fractweets, @USDA, or @MannaFoodCenter.

About Jenna Umbriac

Jenna Umbriac is Manna's dietitian. Since 1983, Manna has been feeding Montgomery County’s food insecure residents. In our 30 years of service Manna has served nearly 3 million people, 668,527 households, and distributed 45 million pounds of food. As the designated food bank for Montgomery County we are the main resource people turn to when they find themselves in need of food assistance. Manna delivers emergency food assistance through its three main programs: Food for Families, Smart Sacks, and Agency Food Distribution.

View all posts by Jenna Umbriac