national school food and beverage standards: a historical perspective

Copyright © 2008 School Nutrition Association. All Rights Reserved. www.schoolnutrition.org

National School Food and Beverage Standards: A Historical Perspective

Katie Wilson, PhD, SNS

President-elect and Chair, National Nutrition Standards Task Force


The Goal

What’s best for children!


What we’ve heard?

Solicited input through:•Nutrition Standards Summit, CNIC 2009•Nutrition Committee•Industry Patron Members•Mega Issue Discussion at National Leadership Conference•Town Hall Meeting at LAC 2007


SNA members and industry would like…

• Science-based standards• Standards that pre-empt state and local standards• Standards that apply to Child Nutrition Programs:

– NSLP– SBP– After-school Snacks– Summer Food Service Program


They would also like…

• Standards that apply to other foods sold or consumed during the school day, such as:– School Parties– Fundraisers– A la Carte– Vending

• No standards for after school and evening activities, such as concessions at games, PTA/PTO meetings, etc.


Process

1. SNA appointed a task force to draft national standards

2. Gathered comments from all SNA member segments:

a. Posted drafted standards on SNA website

b. Encouraged members to comment on standards

3. Held a “Nutrition Summit” at CNIC 2008


Outcomes

Task Force reviewed:

a. Existing state and local standards

b. Standards developed by other organizations, such as the Institute of Medicine and Alliance for a Healthier Generation

Task Force drafted:

a. Guiding Principles

b. Proposed standards for foods and beverages sold/served within reimbursable meal programs

c. Proposed standards for foods and beverages outside reimbursable meal programs within the school day


Nutrition Summit Process

• Presentations by:– Institute of Medicine– Alliance for a Healthier Generation– SNA


Nutrition Summit

A group of approximately 100 SNA state and national leaders and industry participated in Nutrition Summit, specifically examined four key areas (Contentious Content Standards):

• Need for sugar standards for milk/dairy products• Need for sodium standards• Definition of whole grain (51%)• Pre-emption


Group Process

The three groups examined four key issue areas– Unanimously agree/disagree– Substantial majority (60%) agree/disagree– Split decision (less than 60% consensus)


Contentious Content Standard #1

Yellow Group Blue Group Red Group

Substantial Majority – should be quantified

Unanimous Consent – should be quantified

Substantial Majority – should be quantified

Comments:-Would like a range for sugar levels-What about establishing calorie range instead of sugar levels?

Sugar levels in milk and dairy productsshould be quantified.







Comments:-Suggest quantification over a week for school meals-Suggest quantification for individual food items outside reimbursable meal and snacks-Suggest a range

Sodium levels should be quantified.




Unanimous Consent – should be 51%

Substantial Majority – should be 51%

Substantial Majority – should be 51%

Comments:-Would clear up current discrepancies and confusion-Will require education and training-Should mean that the whole grain ingredients add up to 51% or that whole grain is the primary ingredient

Whole grain definition should mean a minimum of 51% whole grain.




Unanimous Consent – should pre-empt, minus 1

Substantial Majority – should pre-empt

Substantial Majority – should pre-empt

Comments:-Consistency, ease of training, hard to hit a moving target,-Less costly for industry and schools-Maximum efficiency

Federal standards should pre-empt stateand local standards.


Other issues/questions

• Will need changes in commodities to meet the standards• Training and education will be critical• 100% juice (concern with not allowing 100% juice + water

products)• Concerns with fruit only packed in water or natural juices• Concerns with meeting fruit, vegetable and legume

recommendations• What is the position on non-nutritive sweeteners?• Should we be looking at fat in terms of grams instead of %?• Concerns about financial implications• Customer acceptance is key!


Next Steps

1. Task force to carefully review all comments and outcomes from Nutrition Summit and revise drafted national standards- LAC 2008.

2. Meet with IOM, AHG, CSPI, ADA to build support.

3. Present revised draft to SNA Board of Directors for review and approval.

4. Publicize standards and seek support from key stakeholders.

5. Seek support of National Nutrition standards as regulations, rather than law.


Revisions

• We studied the issue.• We listened to all of you.• We worked through revisions to meet the needs

that were expressed by the majority of voices.• We are now ready to take them to the SNA

Executive Board in April 2008.• We will publicize after board approval.• We will take them to our PPL committee, Senator

Harkin and USDA after board approval.


QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION

national school food and beverage standards: a historical perspective

Documents

sugar standards

nutrition standards

drafted standards

beverage standards

cartevendingno standards

stateand local standards

national school food

school partiesfundraisersa