Getting Junk Food Out of Schools without Breaking the Bank: Case Studies in Implementing Strong Competitive Food Standards

Introduction: Since 2006-07, school districts nationwide are required to adopt nutrition standards for foods and beverages sold outside of the federal meal programs (i.e. competitive foods) as part of the congressionally-mandated school district wellness policy requirement (P.L. 108-265). However, districts and schools face the threat of lost profits by eliminating the sale of less healthful foods and beverages. This study identifies practices that enable districts and schools to maintain or increase profits following implementation of strong nutrition standards for competitive foods.

Methods: The Illinois Public Health Institute (IPHI), University of Illinois at Chicago's Health Policy Center (HPC), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) conducted case studies regarding the financial impact of implementing strong nutrition standards in schools. Using HPC's Bridging the Gap 2009-10 data, 25 districts were identified and screened to determine the financial impact of implementing strong standards for competitive foods. Telephone interviews were conducted with district superintendents, food service directors, school principals, and parents, resulting in 11 case studies.

Results: Three themes emerged in the preliminary findings demonstrating a variety of practices used to manage changes in revenue following implementation of strong nutrition standards: changing food and beverage product placement in the cafeteria, marketing healthier items, and modeling healthy eating behaviors in the school.

Discussion: These case studies provide evidence, lessons learned, and best practices for policy makers at the federal, state, local levels on how competitive food policies can support the obesity-reduction objectives while maintaining district/school revenue needs.