Wellness Policy, Appendix CThis is a featured page

Click here to read the complete policy on the ICCSD webite. Below is Appendix C, the recommendations for school food.

Appendix C ICCSD Wellness Policy

School Nutrition Services

GOALS General Guidelines

  • Food items served and sold in schools shall to the extent possible be prepared from fresh, locally grown or produced, and organic ingredients. Food service staff will design and actively pursue programs which make this possible, and if necessary recruit the support of local individuals and organizations.
  • Food items served and sold in schools shall reflect the cultural diversity of the student body and consideration of special dietary needs, and food preferences and practices.
  • Nutritious and appealing foods, such as fruits, vegetables, low fat dairy foods and low fat grain products, shall be available wherever and whenever food is sold or offered at school.
  • Schools should encourage the purchase of nutritious items by pricing healthy items at an affordable price.
School Breakfast Program The school district will provide breakfast to students:
  • in buildings where the need is recognized; (In the buildings where breakfast is served, school staff will identify students who might benefit from breakfast.)
  • at a time when students are available to eat, coordinated with bus and class schedules.
Breakfast menus will:
  • meet or exceed federal guidelines for nutrition;
  • include the following:
    • whole grains
    • low-fat or no-fat milk
    • fruit
School Lunch Program The school district will provide lunch menus that:
  • meet or exceed federal guidelines for nutrition;
  • consist of foods that are low-fat, low-sodium, low-sugar content;
  • consist of foods that are made with fresh ingredients whenever possible;
  • consist of foods that are appealing to the eye and palate;
  • consist of at least half of the served grains are whole grain;
  • consist of at least two vegetables and two fruit options each day, with five different fruits and five different vegetables offered over the course of a week;
  • include a vegetarian entrée option a minimum of one time per week.
School district food service staff will: · make every attempt to assure that enough food is available so all students will get what they ordered; · provide a nutrient analysis of the monthly menus to be available on the district website; · develop a plan to promote low-fat and low-sugar foods to students; · provide a clean, safe and pleasant dining experience for students. Building principals will:
  • schedule lunch periods to provide students with a minimum of 15 minutes to eat after going through the line to get their food;
  • schedule lunch periods between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., with exception on early-release days;
  • consider scheduling lunch after recess to stimulate appetite and encourage students to finish their lunch rather than hurrying to get outside to play;
  • in conjunction with building staff, provide students access to hand washing or hand sanitizing before eating meals or snacks;
  • in conjunction with building staff, take steps to accommodate any tooth-brushing needs of students.
Ala carte food items will:
  • be available only to secondary students;
  • have no more than 35 percent of its calories from fat (excluding nuts, seeds, peanut butter and other nut butters) and 10 percent of its calories from saturated and trans fat combined;
  • have no more than 35 percent of its weight from added sugars;
  • contain no more than 230 mg of sodium per serving for chips, cereals, crackers, french fries, baked goods and other snack items; will contain no more than 480 mg of sodium per serving for pastas, meats and soups; and will contain no more than 600 mg of sodium for pizza, sandwiches and main dishes;
  • include a choice of at least two fruits and/or low-fat, non-fried vegetables;
· be placed in the ala carte line with: o main entrees and the most nutritious foods in the front of the line and/or are most accessible to students; o low-nutrient foods placed at the end of the line and/or are least accessible to students. Ala carte beverages will be:
  • water or seltzer water without added caloric sweeteners; fruit and vegetable juices and fruit-based drinks that contain at least 50 percent fruit juice and that do not contain additional caloric sweeteners; unflavored or flavored low-fat or fat-free milk and nutritionally equivalent nondairy beverages (as defined by the USDA).
Vending Machines The school district’s vending machines in the secondary buildings will:
  • offer only single food items with no more than 35 percent of its calories from fat (excluding nuts, seeds, peanut butter and other nut butters) and 10 percent of its calories from saturated and trans fat combined;
  • offer only single food items that have no more than 35 percent of its weight from added sugars;
  • offer only single food items that contain no more than 230 mg of sodium per serving for chips, cereals, crackers, french fries, baked goods and other snack items; will contain no more than 480 mg of sodium per serving for pastas, meats and soups; and will contain no more than 600 mg of sodium for pizza, sandwiches and main dishes;
  • offer only beverages that are water or seltzer water without added caloric sweeteners; no or low calorie beverages with up to 10 calories/ 8 ounces; fruit and vegetable juices and fruit-based drinks that contain at least 50 percent fruit juice and that do not contain additional caloric sweeteners; light juices and sports drinks with no more than 66 calories/ 8 ounces; unflavored or flavored low-fat or fat-free milk and nutritionally equivalent nondairy beverages (as defined by the USDA);
  • offer only beverages up to 12 ounces per serving, with the exception of water;
  • have at least 50% of beverages that are water and no- or low-calorie options;
  • promote dairy items when possible;
  • be turned off while meals are being served and during the school day at the discretion of building administration.
The school district will:
  • contact their bottler/ vending contractors to amend the existing contracts or agreements to immediately change the beverages and foods available in the schools to include only the options outlined above.
In the elementary schools,
  • vending machines will not be available to any elementary students, but may be available in staff lounges only;
  • staff vending machines will follow the same guidelines as vending in secondary schools;
  • staff will be role models for students in their choices of vending beverages and foods.
Lunches brought from Home In regards to lunches brought from home, the school district will:
  • encourage students and parents to bring healthy foods and beverages;
  • provide a list of healthy, easy-to-pack, and low-cost lunch items to parents in building newsletters;
  • discourage students from trading foods with each other.
Snacks In regards to snacks being served in the classroom, the school district will:
  • allow and encourage snacks to be served in the classroom, especially at the primary level;
  • provide suggestions of healthy snacks to parents and teachers, with emphasis on fruits and vegetables as the primary snacks, and discourage snacks with high sugar and/ or fat content.
Bake Sales/ Fund Raising The school district will:
  • encourage that healthy foods be sold at bake sales and other fund-raising activities, similar to guidelines of ala carte items;
  • not allow bake sales to occur during the school lunch period;
  • disseminate a list of healthy bake sale items to parents and teachers.
Celebrations The school district will:
  • limit celebrations that involve food during the school day to no more than one party per class per month;
  • include no more than one food or beverage that does not meet nutrition standards for ala carte and vending guidelines (see above);
  • disseminate a list of healthy party food ideas to parents and teachers.
Rewards The school district will:
  • not use foods or beverages, especially those that do not meet the guidelines of ala carte and vending machines (see above), as rewards for academic performance or good behavior;
  • not withhold food or beverages as a punishment of students.
Concessions/ Dances/ School Sponsored Activities The school district will:
  • encourage the sale of foods at school-sponsored events outside of the school day to include beverages and foods that meet the guidelines of ala carte and vending machines (see above).
Collaboration Between Food Service and Health Education The school district food services program will encourage food service staff to collaborate with classroom teachers to reinforce nutrition education lessons taught in the classroom by doing at least one of the following:
  • display educational materials in the cafeteria that reinforce classroom lessons;
  • teach or present nutrition lessons or nutritional information to students;
  • provide cafeteria tours to students;
  • other activities as appropriate.
Food Service Staff The school district will ensure that:
  • qualified nutrition professionals administer the school food services;
  • the food service manager will participate in at least one professional development or continuing education program per year on meeting the Dietary Guidelines for Americans;
  • food service staff receives appropriate training for safety and food emergencies, i.e. choking, natural disasters and medical emergencies.
The Food Services Director will: · develop and implement a plan to support local sustainable agriculture by integrating local, preferably organic (by USDA definition) foods into the meals served to students based on availability and acceptability. · coordinate school breakfast and lunch menus with seasonal production of local farms and with production in school gardens so that school meals will reflect seasonality and local agriculture. Implementation The school district will implement this section of the Wellness Policy by gathering more information and suggestions from:
  • focus groups with parents and secondary students – to be held in the 2006-07 school year and ongoing as needed;
  • Iowa City Community School District Wellness Committee input.
Evaluation The school district will assess the outcomes of policy implementation by the following:
  • student and parent surveys;
  • informal lunch room observations of food waste and student choices;
  • food service sales;
  • feedback from the Food Services Director to the Wellness Committee and Board members.



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BICSF 		Latest page update: made by BICSF , Mar 14 2008, 12:36 AM EDT (about this update About This Update BICSF Edited by BICSF

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