Healthy Snacks and Beverages

USDA recently published practical, science-based nutrition standards for snack foods and beverages sold to children at school during the school day. As of July 1, 2014, these standards allow schools to offer healthier snack foods to children, while limiting less nutritious foods.

Smart Snacks in Schools

The new USDA Smart Snacks nutrition standards support better health for students and echoes the good work already taking place in schools in RI. Smart Snacks are also know as competitive foods because they "compete" with the nutritious school meals.

Smart Snack standards apply when competitive food & beverage items are:

1. Sold to students
2. On the school campus (vending machines, school stores, a la carte lines, snack bars and sold through fund raisers)
3. During the school day (midnight before, to 1 hour after the end of the official school day)

must meet the nutrition standards for competitive foods. In other words, children will be able to buy only foods that their parents would find generally acceptable.

More guidance is found on the USDA Smart Snacks website.