Competitive Foods’ Nutritional Quality and Compliance with Smart Snacks Standards: An Analysis of a National Sample of U.S. Middle and High Schools

Juliana F. W. Cohen; Ashley Kesack; Tara P. Daly; Sara A. Elnakib; Erin Hager; Samuel Hahn; Daniel Hamlin; Alla Hill; Annie Lehmann; Peter Lurie; Meghan Maroney; Jaydn Means; Megan P. Mueller; Deborah A. Olarte; Michele Polacsek; Marlene B. Schwartz; Kendrin R. Sonneville; Lori A. Spruance; Andrea R. Woodward; Leah E. Chapman

doi:10.3390/nu16020275

Nutrients (Jan 2024)

Competitive Foods’ Nutritional Quality and Compliance with Smart Snacks Standards: An Analysis of a National Sample of U.S. Middle and High Schools

Juliana F. W. Cohen,
Ashley Kesack,
Tara P. Daly,
Sara A. Elnakib,
Erin Hager,
Samuel Hahn,
Daniel Hamlin,
Alla Hill,
Annie Lehmann,
Peter Lurie,
Meghan Maroney,
Jaydn Means,
Megan P. Mueller,
Deborah A. Olarte,
Michele Polacsek,
Marlene B. Schwartz,
Kendrin R. Sonneville,
Lori A. Spruance,
Andrea R. Woodward,
Leah E. Chapman

Affiliations

Juliana F. W. Cohen: Center for Health Inclusion, Research and Practice (CHIRP), Department of Nutrition and Public Health, Merrimack College, 315 Turnpike Street, North Andover, MA 01845, USA
Ashley Kesack: Center for Health Inclusion, Research and Practice (CHIRP), Department of Nutrition and Public Health, Merrimack College, 315 Turnpike Street, North Andover, MA 01845, USA
Tara P. Daly: Center for Health Inclusion, Research and Practice (CHIRP), Department of Nutrition and Public Health, Merrimack College, 315 Turnpike Street, North Andover, MA 01845, USA
Sara A. Elnakib: Department of Family and Community Health Sciences, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
Erin Hager: Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
Samuel Hahn: Center for Science in the Public Interest, Washington, DC 20005, USA
Daniel Hamlin: Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, University of Oklahoma, Tulsa, OK 74135, USA
Alla Hill: Center for Science in the Public Interest, Washington, DC 20005, USA
Annie Lehmann: School of Allied Health, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, AK 99508, USA
Peter Lurie: Center for Science in the Public Interest, Washington, DC 20005, USA
Meghan Maroney: Center for Science in the Public Interest, Washington, DC 20005, USA
Jaydn Means: Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, University of Oklahoma, Tulsa, OK 74135, USA
Megan P. Mueller: Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Colorado State University, 1571 Campus Dr, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
Deborah A. Olarte: Center for Health Inclusion, Research and Practice (CHIRP), Department of Nutrition and Public Health, Merrimack College, 315 Turnpike Street, North Andover, MA 01845, USA
Michele Polacsek: Center for Excellence in Public Health, University of New England, 716 Stevens Ave, Portland, ME 04103, USA
Marlene B. Schwartz: Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health, Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Connecticut, 1 Constitution Plaza, Suite 600, Hartford, CT 06103, USA
Kendrin R. Sonneville: Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Lori A. Spruance: Department of Public Health, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
Andrea R. Woodward: Sociology Department, Berea College, Berea, KY 40404, USA
Leah E. Chapman: Center for Health Inclusion, Research and Practice (CHIRP), Department of Nutrition and Public Health, Merrimack College, 315 Turnpike Street, North Andover, MA 01845, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16020275
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 16, no. 2
p. 275

Abstract

Read online

Snacks and beverages are often sold in addition to meals in U.S. schools (“competitive foods”), but their current nutritional quality and compliance with national Smart Snacks standards are unknown. This study assessed competitive foods in a national sample of 90 middle and high schools. Differences in compliance by school characteristics were measured using mixed methods analysis of variance. Overall, 80% of the schools in the sample sold competitive foods; but they were less commonly available in schools with universal free school meal (UFSM) policies. A total of 840 unique products were documented and, on average, 75% were compliant with Smart Snacks standards. A total of 56% aligned with recommended added sugar limits (p = 0.003]). Therefore, district wellness policies should consider requiring food service departments to oversee competitive foods. Federal and state policies should limit added sugars, artificial sweeteners, and synthetic dyes. This appears to be highly feasible, given the substantial number of products that meet these criteria. UFSM policies should also be considered to support healthier school meal environments more broadly.

Published in Nutrients

ISSN: 2072-6643 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Technology: Home economics: Nutrition. Foods and food supply
Website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients

About the journal

Abstract

Keywords