Impact of West Virginia school nutrition policies on vending machine revenues

BACKGROUND: The West Virginia (WV) Healthy Lifestyles Act (2005) and the WV Standards for School Nutrition (2008) represent two state policies intended to address childhood obesity in the school setting. Each policy contains specific requirements regarding the types of foods/beverages that can be provided outside of the school meal, as well as restrictions on the availability of vended foods/beverages. As part of a larger project evaluating the implementation and impact of these policies, we present the impact of these policies on vending machine revenues in WV public schools.

METHODOLOGY: All public school principals in WV (N=694) were surveyed regarding school nutrition and vending practices; 601 (87%) completed the survey.

RESULTS: 68% of principals reported no change in vending revenues from the 2007-08 to the 2008-09 school year (the first year of the new nutrition standards); 46% of those principals had no vending machines available on campus during either year. Decreased vending revenues were reported by 31%, and the majority (72%) of those attributed the decline to the new standards. The overall impact was modest however; in the year prior to implementation of the new Standards, 71% of schools reported less than $500 in vending revenues; 4% of schools received $10,000 or more.

DISCUSSION: Overall, the standards did not impact vending revenues for a majority of schools and the amount of revenue realized by most schools was actually quite modest. Although many schools have eliminated vending machines altogether, a small number of schools do derive significant revenue from these activities.