(AP) — The government for the first time is proposing broad new standards to make sure all foods sold in schools are healthful. The rule announced Thursday will apply to "a la carte" lines in school cafeterias, vending machines, snack bars and any other food sold regularly on campus. It won't apply to fundraisers, after-school concession stands, class parties or foods brought from home.
| In this May 3, 2006 file photo, a student purchases a brown sugar Pop-Tart from a vending machine in the hallway outside the school cafeteria, in Wichita, Kan. High-calorie sports drinks and candy bars will be removed from school vending machines and cafeteria lines as soon as next year, replaced with diet drinks, granola bars and other healthier items the Agriculture Department said Thursday, June 27, 2013. (AP Photo/The Wichita Eagle, Mike Hutmacher, File) |
A separate set of rules already applies to meals in the main lunch line.
Under the new rules, most food sold in school will now be subject to fat, calorie, sugar and sodium limits. Snack foods will have to be less than 200 calories and have some nutritional value instead of being mostly empty calories.
Some examples of snacks likely to miss or make the requirements:
Before the New Standards After the New Standards
Snack
| Chocolate sandwich cookies | Light Popcorn | |
| Total Calories | 286 | 161 |
| Empty Calories | 182 | 17 |
| Chocolate bar | Granola bar | |
| Total calories | 235 | 95 |
| Empty calories | 112 | 32 |
| Regular cola | Flavored water | |
| Total calories | 136 | 0 |
| Empty calories | 126 | 0 |
| What's out | What's in |
| Candy | Baked potato chips |
| Snack cakes | Trail Mix |
| Most cookies | Dried Fruits |
| Most pretzels | Fruit cups |
| Most ice cream and ice cream treats | Yogurt |
| Deep-fried, high-fat foods | Baked lower-fat french fries |
| Greasy pizza | Healthier pizzas with whole grain crust |
| Many juice drinks | 100 percent juice drinks |
| High-calorie sodas | Diet soda (high schools) |
| High-calorie sports drinks | Diet sports drinks (high schools) |