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| Version | User | Scope of changes |
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| Jun 12 2008, 1:49 AM EDT (current) | BICSF | 11 words added, 3 words deleted |
| Jun 10 2008, 1:04 AM EDT | BICSF | 28 words added, 5 words deleted |
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Update1. theThe USDA needs to update the School Nutrition Standards for school food sold outside of school lunch!lunch (competitive foods)! See the pdf attachment below for alarming statistics about our children's health, the kinds of competitive foods sold in schools and the reasons why things have to change.
2. Dispelling School Food Funding Myths (Scroll down for printable copy)
National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity, Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Myth: Schools will lose revenue if they sell healthier food.
Reality: Across the country, schools are switching to selling healthier foods and are not losing revenue. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “students will buy and consume healthful foods and beverages – and schools can make money from selling healthful options.” Their survey of 17 schools and school districts found that, after improving school foods, 12 schools and districts increased revenue and four reported no change. The food service department of the one school district that initially lost revenue later saw its revenues increase and surpass previous levels.
Also, in two pilot studies that evaluated the financial impact of switching to healthier school foods options, total revenues increased at the majority of schools because meal revenue increases exceeded any losses from the sale of foods and beverages outside of the meals.
Myth: Vending contracts are lucrative for schools.
Reality: While school vending contracts provide a discretionary source of funding for school administrators, they generate a modest amount of revenue per student per year for schools. One national study found that school vending contracts raise an average of just $18 per student per year for schools and/or school districts. That translates to less than one-quarter of one percent of the average cost of a student’s education.4, Another national study found that soft drink sales in schools raise a median of $0.70 per student per year in middle schools and $6.38 per student per year in high schools.
Also, the money comes out of the pockets of children, and schools typically get to keep only 33% (or less) of the funds.4 In Austin Independent School District, students spent $504,000 per year on products from school vending machines, but their schools received only $90,000 of the proceeds.
Myth: Revenue raised through school vending machines is “new” money.
Reality: School vending revenue appears to be largely a shift in funds from school food service to the vending account. The Texas Department of Agriculture estimates that Texas schools raise $54 million per year from vending sales, while the state’s school food service operations likely lose at least $60 million per year to the sale of foods sold outside of the meal programs. In effect, money from students (and their parents) is making up for the loss to schools of available federal reimbursements for school meals.
Myth: Selling junk food in schools makes financial sense for the community.
Reality: The money schools earn through vending machines is pocket change compared with the $117 billion the United States is spending each year to treat diseases attributable to poor diet and obesity.
References
Food and Nutrition Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; and U.S. Department of Education. FNS-374, Making it Happen! School Nutrition Success Stories. Alexandria, VA, January 2005.
Wes Clark, personal communication, September 27, 2006.
Center for Weight and Health, University of California, Berkeley. Dollars and Sense: the Financial Impact of Selling Healthier School Foods. Berkeley, CA: UC.
CSPI. Raw Deal: School Beverage Contracts Less Lucrative Than They Seem. Washington, D.C.: CSPI, 2006.
National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education (DoEd). Current Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2003-2004. Washington, D.C.: DoEd, 2006.
Johnston L, Delva J, and O’Malley P. “Soft Drink Availability, Contracts, and Revenues in American Secondary Schools.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2007, vol. 33, pp. S209-S225.
Carey Dabney, personal communication, December 2, 2005.
Texas Department of Agriculture. School District Vending Contract Survey. Accessed on March 5, 2004 at <www.agr.state.tx.us/foodnutrition/survey/>.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity. Rockville, MD: HHS, 2001.
