APPENDIX D
Guidelines for Competitive Foods and Beverages
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation was formed by the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation. A product of the Alliance, the Nutrition Guidelines for Competitive Foods for K-12, developed out of a collaboration between the Alliance and the Campbell Soup Company, Dannon, Kraft Foods, Mars, Inc., and PepsiCo. The guidelines were developed in conjunction with nutrition experts at the American Heart Association to provide science-based and age-appropriate information to help children in schools make healthier food choices. The criteria established by the guidelines are designed to promote nutrient-rich foods, fat-free and low-fat dairy products, and place limits on calories, fat, saturated fat, trans fat, sugar, and sodium.
Guidelines for Competitive Foods Sold in Schools to Students1
These guidelines apply to snacks, side items, treats, and desserts offered for sale as Competitive Foods in schools. All such Competitive Foods shall meet one of the following numbered criteria.
These foods include but are not limited to fruits, vegetables, yogurts (including drinkable yogurt and yogurt smoothies), puddings, soups, cheeses, snack chips (e.g., potato, tortilla, corn, veggie, etc.), pretzels, crackers,
1 |
Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a program of the Clinton Foundation; Website: www.HealthierGeneration.org. |
popcorn, nuts, seeds, french fries, dried meat snacks, granola bars, energy bars, breakfast bars, health bars, cookies, brownies, snack cakes, coffee cakes, pastries, doughnuts, danishes, candy, confectionery, chocolate, ice cream, frozen yogurt, sherbet, ice pops, frozen fruit bars, and other similar foods.
Items that would be considered to be entrées if sold in the reimbursable meal program, but are sold à la carte as Competitive Foods, are not subject to these Guidelines.
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Any fruit with no added sweeteners or vegetables that are non-fried. Since fresh fruits and vegetables vary in size and calories naturally, they have no calorie limit. However, calories for packaged fruits and vegetables are easily ascertained according to package nutrition labeling. As such, calorie limits for these fruits and vegetables are specified as follows:
|
Elementary |
Middle |
High |
fresh |
no limit |
no limit |
no limit |
packaged in own juice |
150 |
180 |
200 |
dried |
150 |
180 |
200 |
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Any reduced-fat or part-skim cheese ≤ 1.5 oz.
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Any one egg with no added fat or equal amount of egg equivalent with no added fat.
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Any other food that meets all of the following criteria:
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≤ 35% of total calories from fat
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Nuts, nut butters, and seeds are exempt from above limitation and are permitted.
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Products described in Addendum 1 are exempt and are permitted until August 31, 2008.
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≤ 10% of calories from saturated fat -OR- ≤ 1g saturated fat
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0 g trans fat
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≤ 35% sugar by weight
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≤ 230 mg sodium
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Lowfat and fat-free dairy products can have ≤ 480mg sodium.
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Vegetables with sauce, and soups can have ≤ 480mg sodium if they contain one or more of the following: ≥ 2g fiber; or ≥ 5g protein; or ≥ 10% DV of Vitamin A, C, E, folate, calcium, magnesium, potassium, or iron; or ≥ 1/2 serving (1/4 cup) of fruit or vegetables.
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Soups described in Addendum 2 are exempt and are permitted until August 31, 2008.
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-
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If products are dairy, they must be non-fat or low fat dairy.
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Meet 1 of the following calorie requirements:
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≤ 100 calories
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Vegetables with sauce and soups meeting 4.e above can have 150 calories if they contain two or more of the following: ≥ 2g fiber; or ≥ 5g protein; or ≥ 10% DV of Vitamin A, C, E, folate, calcium, magnesium, potassium, or iron; or ≥ 1/2 serving (1/4 cup) of fruit or vegetables.
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Other foods can have calorie limits per below if they contain one or more of the following: ≥ 2g fiber; or ≥ 5g protein; or ≥ 10% DV of Vitamin A, C, E, folate, calcium, magnesium, potassium, or iron; or ≥ 1/2 serving (1/4 cup) of fruit or vegetables:
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≤ 150 calories for elementary schools
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≤ 180 calories for middle school
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≤ 200 calories for high school.
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For individual serving packages, these nutritional Guidelines are defined for a whole package as labeled on the package’s Nutrition Facts panel. In the event that the food is bought in bulk but served individually, such as on an à la carte line, then the criteria apply to the serving size actually offered to students.
Time of Day
These Guidelines shall apply to items sold on school grounds or at school activities during the regular and extended school day when events are primarily under the control of the school or third parties on behalf of the school. The extended school day is defined as the time before or after the official school day that includes activities such as clubs, yearbook, band and choir practice, student government, drama, sports practices, intramural sports, and childcare/latchkey programs. These Guidelines shall also apply to food supplied by schools during official transportation to and from school and school sponsored activities, including but not limited to field trips and interscholastic sporting events where the school is the visiting team except as specified herein.
These Guidelines do not apply to school sponsored or school related bona fide fundraising activities that take place off school grounds and not in transit to and from school. Nor do they apply to booster sales at school related events where parents and other adults are a significant part of an audience or are selling food as boosters either during intermission or immediately before or after such events. These school related events frequently occur during evenings and weekends. Examples of these events
include but are not limited to interscholastic sporting events, school plays, and band concerts.
Addendum 1—Total and Saturated Fats
The American Heart Association Dietary and Lifestyle Recommendations released June 2006 emphasized saturated fat—setting lower goals for the amount of saturated fat in the diet. Given that the Recommendations encourage people to consume ≤ 7% of calories from saturated fat while meeting total fat recommendations of ≤ 35% and with the intent of encouraging food manufacturers to develop products to meet this goal, products with ≤ 7% of calories from saturated fat will be allowed to have ≤ 40% of calories from total fat until August 31, 2008. This transition period will provide manufacturers time to reformulate these products such that they provide ≤ 35% of calories from total fat by August 31, 2008.
Addendum 2—Sodium
A variety of commercially available soup products available in bulk through food service channels to schools can meet all the requirements specified in the Guidelines except for an upper limit of 480 mg for sodium. In recognition of this market availability, soups that meet the sodium requirement specified in this Addendum will be considered to meet the Guidelines until August 31, 2008. This transition period will provide manufacturers time for product reformulation, as well as the ability to meet manufacturing and food service distribution requirements.
Soups with ≤ 750 mg sodium are permitted if they contain one or more of the following: ≥ 2g fiber; or ≥ 5g protein; or ≥ 10% DV of Vitamin A, C, E, folate, calcium, magnesium, potassium, or iron; or ≥ 1/2 serving (1/4 cup) of fruit or vegetables.
Guidelines for Beverages Sold in Schools to Students2
Helping schools provide healthy settings for their students is a top priority for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. These School Beverage Guidelines were developed to serve as the beverage criteria for the Healthy Schools Program. They will accelerate the shift to lower-calorie and nutritious beverages that children consume during the regular and extended school day. These Guidelines have been adopted by the American Beverage Association, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola and Cadbury Schweppes as their school beverage policy.
2 |
Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a program of the Clinton Foundation; Website: (www.HealthierGeneration.org). |
Elementary School
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Water
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Up to 8 ounce servings of milk and 100% juice
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Fat-free or low fat regular and flavored milk with up to 150 calories/8 ounces*
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100% juice with no added sweeteners, up to 120 calories/8 ounces, and with at least 10% of the recommended daily value for three or more vitamins and minerals
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Middle School
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Water
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Up to 10 ounce servings of milk and 100% juice
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Fat-free or low fat regular or flavored milk with up to 150 calories/8 ounces*
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100% juice with no added sweeteners, up to 120 calories/8 ounces, and with at least 10% of the recommended daily value for three or more vitamins and minerals
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As a practical matter, if middle school and high school students have shared access to areas on a common campus or in common buildings, then the school community has the option to adopt the high school standard.
High School
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Water
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No or low calorie beverages with up to 10 calories/8 ounces
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Up to 12 ounce servings of milk, 100% juice, and certain other drinks
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Fat-free or low fat regular and flavored milk with up to 150 calories/8 ounces*
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100% juice with no added sweeteners, up to 120 calories/8 ounces, and with at least 10% of the recommended daily value for three or more vitamins and minerals
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Other drinks with no more than 66 calories/8 ounces
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At least 50% of non-milk beverages must be water and no- or low-calorie options
The Guidelines apply to all beverages (outside of the school meal) sold to students on school grounds during the regular and extended school day. The extended school day includes before and after school activities like clubs, yearbook, band, student government, drama and childcare/latchkey programs.
These School Beverage Guidelines do not apply to school-related events (such as interscholastic sporting events, school plays, and band concerts)
where parents and other adults constitute a significant portion of the audience or are selling beverages as boosters.