Decision support tool for implementing school food policy

In 2007, California implemented two laws, State Bills 12 and 965, to restrict the sale of low-nutrition snack foods, a la carte entrées, and sugared drinks in public schools including vending machines, student stores, and cafeterias. The criteria for permissible snacks are based on calories from fat, calories from saturated fat, percent sugar by weight, and total calories. Some items are exempted from the fat content criterion such as nuts, legumes, and prepackaged cheeses. The criteria for entrées include fat content and total calories. Each entrée must also qualify under the federal meal program. The decision criteria for beverages are simpler, but still would require schools to follow a series of decision steps. To automate the complexities of the food and beverage decision-making process by school staff and food service personnel, we developed a ruled-based, decision support tool using standard office software. The tool permits the analysis of entire food and beverage lists instead of just single items. One challenge was to combine the complex decision logic with added logic to override preliminary and spurious results while all information is being entered about an item. The tool has been piloted in a school district in California. It has also been adapted to the selection of food items that meet healthy snack criteria for vending machines in other environments. We will demonstrate the decision support tool and its logic, and discuss other potential uses by schools, nutritionists, and others involved in implementing school food policies.