State Policies for Competitive Foods and Beverages in Schools: Analysis of Quality and Strength

The extensive availability of foods sold outside the school meals program, otherwise known as competitive foods, is a contentious and complex issue. Minimal federal regulations for competitive foods in schools exist. However, the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010 requires USDA, for the first time, to develop national requirements for competitive foods in schools. This presentation will communicate the results of the CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health analysis of state-level laws and policies for competitive foods in schools relative to the Institute of Medicine's Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools. States with laws and regulations for competitive foods that exceed the minimum federal requirements for competitive foods (N=33) were analyzed. The 13 IOM standards were divided into 31 variables for which each state codified law was coded, based on a codebook developed for this study. Each state law received an overall score and was ranked as exemplary, strong, medium or weak. Over half of states have a law or regulation for competitive foods in schools. Twelve percent of states had strong policies and 65% ranked as medium. No states met the exemplary level. This analysis shows that state policies vary in quality and strength. Existing state laws indicate 25 states that are well-poised to implement the new federal regulations and those states that may need intensive technical assistance. This session will help the audience identify strengths and weaknesses of existing state laws and list strategies and resources to improve the quality of competitive foods in schools.