Making School Vending Machines Healthy

Grassroots efforts in Tennessee successfully worked to implement state legislation mandating significant policy changes in Tennessee schools to facilitate healthy food intake. School vending legislation, designed to address the high rates of pediatric obesity across the state, were originally passed in 2003 and fully implemented in the 2007 academic year. The legislation set nutrition standards for food items sold in grades PreK-8 through vending machines, á la carte, in-school fundraisers, snackbars, or school stores. Foods must comply with healthy portion sizes and national nutrient standards. The legislation represents the determined, coordinated efforts of child health advocates across Tennessee from a variety of disciplines (public health, dentistry, dietetics, health education, higher education, medicine, nursing, pediatrics, physical education, and social work), who partnered with community and government leaders to champion legislative reform. This presentation focuses on key strategies for passing state legislation for health policy in schools, avenues for coalition-building to influence policy, and critical elements of legislation to ensure maximal impact.