Strong standards for school snacks increase lunches and revenue

Schools that implement strong nutrition standards for snacks sold at school increase student meal participation and school revenue, according to a study by the Yale Rudd Center and the Harvard School of Public Health. The study, published in the American Journal of Public Health, provides support for efforts to implement strong national nutrition standards for all food sold at school while promoting student participation in the National School Lunch Program. Federal meal programs, including the National School Lunch Program, provide an opportunity to improve young people's diets. Previous research shows that the sale of snacks in schools outside the school meal programs, known as competitive foods, have been linked with unhealthy diet and increased risk of obesity. In response, Congress passed The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, which gives the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) authority to set nutrition standards for competitive foods sold throughout the school day for the first time ever. The USDA is still currently developing these standards. Researchers analyzed six years of school lunch data from more than 900 public schools in Connecticut.