Provide and promote nutritious foods and appealing food choices whenever and wherever food is offered at school, outside of school meal programs. Venues include cafeterias, on-campus stores, vending machines, sport events, and food offerings at fundraising projects.

Providing and encouraging the consumption of nutritious foods can help students improve the quality of their dietary intake, gain experience with a variety of foods, develop healthy eating habits, decrease the prevalence of overweight and obesity, and maximize the contribution that good nutrition has on students' readiness to learn.

By establishing nutrition standards or policies for all foods offered on campuses, schools can send consistent messages to students about good nutrition and help shape social norms that influence the dietary habits of students and staff. By expanding choices offered beyond food and beverages high in fat, sodium, or added sugars, a student can practice what he or she has learned in the classroom.

Foods offered should contribute to meeting the dietary needs of students, be consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (23), and be from the five major food groups of the Food Guide Pyramid. Restrict or limit the availability of "Foods of Minimal Nutritional Value" or "FMNV" (as defined under National School Lunch Program regulations) throughout the school, and establish nutrition standards that are stronger than the FMNV definition.

School food services personnel should work with nutrition educators and with vendors to design and implement educational and marketing activities on an ongoing basis to increase students' demands for nutritious snack choices. This may involve manipulating the prices of snacks sold at school to make nutritious choices more attractive. Offer healthy food choices that match the cultural and ethnic diversity of the student population. Education and marketing could also include involving student groups in the development of campaigns to promote nutritious snacks and activities such as sponsoring contests, placing promotional signs around the school building.

American School Food Service Association. Keys to Excellence: Standards of Practice for Nutrition Integrity. Alexandria, VA: American School Food Service Association; 1995.

Bogden JF. Fit, Healthy, and Ready to Learn: A School Health Policy Guide. Part I: Physical Activity, Healthy Eating, and Tobacco Use Prevention. Alexandria, VA: National Association of State Boards of Education; 2000.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Guidelines for school health programs to promote lifelong healthy eating. MMWR. 1996;45(RR-9):1-41.

Story M, Neumark-Sztainer D. Competitive foods in schools: issues, trends, and future directions. Topics in Clinical Nutrition. 1999;15:37-46.

US Department of Agriculture. Nutrition and Your Health: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2000. 5th ed. Washington, DC: US Department of Agriculture; 2000.

US Food and Nutrition Service. Changing the Scene: Improving the School Nutrition Environment. A Guide to Local Action. Washington, DC: US Department of Agriculture; 2000.