Availability and consumption of competitive foods in the nation's schools: Findings from the third School Nutrition Dietary Assessment study (SNDA-III)

The IOM Committee on Prevention of Childhood Obesity concluded that obesity prevention requires an “environmental-behavioral synergy.” To achieve this synergy in schools, food and physical activity environments and policies must echo and support core behaviors targeted in health promotion/nutrition education curricula and activities. The US Department of Agriculture has been working since the early 1990s to increase the healthfulness of the meals offered through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP). Recently, there has been considerable interest in competitive foods—foods sold outside of the school meal programs on an a la carte basis or through vending machines, snack bars, school stores, and other venues. The availability of competitive foods is widespread, particularly in middle and high schools, and many competitive foods are high in fat and/or sugar and low in nutrients.

This presentation will review findings from the recently completed third School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Study (SNDA-III). SNDA-III collected information about the availability of competitive foods in a national sample of schools that participate in the NSLP and SBP and assessed dietary intakes of students attending those schools. This presentation will describe the availability of competitive foods in the nation's schools, students' consumption of competitive foods, and the contributions of competitive foods to children's diets.