141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

286770
To what extent do state and district competitive food and beverage standards align with the usda's proposed rule?

Wednesday, November 6, 2013 : 10:30 AM - 10:50 AM

Jamie F. Chriqui, PhD, MHS , Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
Linda Schneider, MS, Research Specialist , 954 W Washington, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
Frank J. Chaloupka, PhD , Institute for Health Research and Policy, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
Background: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently issued a proposed rule to regulate competitive foods and beverages (F&B) in schools. One proposed option requires that competitive foods contain at least 10% of the daily value of calcium, potassium, vitamin D, or fiber and that they meet the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) recommended calorie and nutrient standards. Beverages must meet specific sugar, calorie and portion size standards. This paper will present nationwide baseline data on whether existing state and district policies meet the proposed rule's nutrient, calorie, and serving size standards.

Methods: A content analysis of state laws and district policies effective as of school year 2011-12 was conducted. State laws were compiled using commercial legal research databases. District policies were obtained from a nationally representative sample of over 700 districts. Laws/policies were analyzed to assess whether they met the USDA/IOM standards.

Results: State and district policies were consistently more likely to meet the standards for F&B sold at the elementary vs. the secondary school levels. Less than 1/3 of all state and districts policies governing vending machine sales met the food standards for sugars, fats, transfats, and calories and sugar content for beverages. State laws and district policies for à la carte lines and school stores; other nutrient, calorie, portion requirements; and secondary schools were less likely to meet the standards.

Conclusions: The USDA rule would provide an important nationwide standard for CF&B given that most states and districts policies fall far short of the proposed rule.

Learning Areas:
Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines
Public health or related public policy
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Compare whether state and district policies for competitive foods and beverages are aligned with the USDA's proposed rule for competitive foods and beverages.

Keywords: Nutrition, Public Policy

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I direct the largest ongoing nationwide evaluation of the congressionally-mandated wellness policies and all related state laws, including those related to competitive foods and beverages. I am considered a nationwide expert on these policy issues.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.