Policy Opportunities for Increasing Access to Healthy Foods in Schools

Increased Access to Healthy Food

Action steps to increase access to healthy food in local schools:

Work with school wellness councils/school officials to improve school nutrition programs by increasing access to healthy foods.
Schools struggle to maintain healthy cafeteria menu options that are within their limited school meal budgets and remain appealing to students. School wellness councils/school officials can work with school administrators to develop creative solutions to ensure that students have access to nutrient-dense, low-energy value foods.

Recommended by:

• AAP Policy: Dietary Recommendations for Children and Adolescents: A Guide for Practitioners
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Recommended Community Strategies and Measurements to Prevent Obesity in the United States
• Institute of Medicine Report (IOM): Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Policies
  National Governor's Association (NGA): Successful State Strategies to Prevent Childhood Obesity
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF): Action Strategies Toolkit - A Guide for Local and State Leaders Working to Create Healthier Communities and Prevent Childhood Obesity

For more information:

• School Nutrition Association

Work with school wellness councils/school officials to include nutrition education in school curricula.
Creating healthier environments for children and adolescents is a critical step in supporting children in making healthy choices, however, it is also important for children to learn how and why they should they lead healthy active lives School wellness councils can work with school administrators to develop health curricula that encourages health eating.

Recommended by :

• AAP Policy: Health, Mental Health, and Safety Guidelines for Schools: Food Services and Health Education
• Institute of Medicine (IOM)Report: Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity
• National Governor's Association (NGA): Successful State Strategies to Prevent Childhood Obesity
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF): Action Strategies Toolkit - A Guide for Local And State Leaders Working to Create Healthier Communities And Prevent Childhood Obesity

For more information:

• Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Team Nutrition

Create edible garden programs that integrate gardening and fresh seasonal cooking into curricula, culture, and food programs.
School gardens can provide experiential learning about food systems and how to grow food while simultaneously exposing children to new and healthy foods. Exposing students to fresh produce presents a unique opportunity to meet children's immediate nutritional needs, while cultivating lifelong healthy habits.

Recommended by:

• AAP Policy: Prevention of Pediatric Overweight and Obesity
• Institute of Medicine (IOM) Report: Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF): Action Strategies Toolkit - A Guide for Local And State Leaders Working to Create Healthier Communities And Prevent Childhood Obesity

For more information:

• Farmtoschool.org

Work with school wellness programs to institute farm-to-school programs that deliver fresh fruits and vegetables directly from farms to schools.
Farm to School connects schools (K-12) and local farms with the objectives of serving healthy meals in school cafeterias, improving student nutrition, providing agriculture, health and nutrition education opportunities, and supporting local and regional farmers.

Recommended by:

• AAP Policy: Health, Mental Health, and Safety Guidelines for Schools: Food Services and Health Education
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Recommended Community Strategies and Measurements to Prevent Obesity in the United States
• Institute of Medicine (IOM) Report: Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity
• National Governor's Association (NGA): Successful State Strategies to Prevent Childhood Obesity
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF): Action Strategies Toolkit - A Guide For Local And State Leaders Working to Create Healthier Communities And Prevent Childhood Obesity

For more information:

• KidsGardening.org
  
  

Limit Unhealthy Foods

Action steps limit unhealthy foods in local schools:

Work with local school wellness councils/school officials to limit availability of low-nutrient, energy-dense competitive foods in schools.
By limiting the availability of low-nutrient, energy dense competitive foods available within school stores, bake sales, or vending machines, schools can encourage healthier eating by all students.

Recommended by:

• AAP Policy: Health, Mental Healty, and Safety Guidelines for Schools: Access to Foods Outside of Meal Programs
• AAP Policy: Health, Mental Healty, and Safety Guidelines for Schools: Food Choices Outside of Meal Programs
• Institute of Medicine Report (IOM): Local Government Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity
• National Governor's Association (NGA): Successful State Strategies to Prevent Childhood Obesity
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF): Action Strategies Toolkit - A Guide for Local and State Leaders Working to Create Healthier Communities and Prevent Childhood Obesity

For more information:

• Alliance for a Healthier Generation
  
  

Point of Purchase

Action steps for point of purchase in local schools include:

Work with school wellness councils/school officials to position food high in nutrients and low in energy-density to make students more likely to opt for healthier choices.
Attractively positioning foods high in nutrients and low in energy-density in school cafeterias can make healthy choices more attractive to students in lunch lines.

Recommended by :

• AAP Policy: Health, Mental Health, and Safety Guidelines for Schools: Access to Foods Outside of Meal Programs
• AAP Policy: Health, Mental Health, and Safety Guidelines for Schools: Food Choices Outside of Meal Programs
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Recommended Community Strategies and Measurements to Prevent Obesity in the United States
• National Governor's Association (NGA): Successful State Strategies to Prevent Childhood Obesity
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF): Action Strategies Toolkit - A Guide for Local and State Leaders Working to Create Healthier Communities and Prevent Childhood Obesity

For more information:

• Alliance for a Healthier Generation
  
  

Media Campaigns

Action steps to develop media campaigns in local schools include:

Work with district administrators to ensure that children are not exposed to food marketing materials of low-nutrient, energy-dense foods in schools and do not accept money from these companies.
Cash-strapped schools often agree to marketing contracts with food and beverage manufacturers to help fund extracurricular programs. Limiting students' exposure to food marketing will encourage healthy eating behavior inside and outside of schools.

Recommended by:

• AAP Policy: Children, Adolescents, and Advertising | Children, Adolescents, and the Media
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Recommended Community Strategies and Measurements to Prevent Obesity in the United States
• Institute of Medicine (IOM) Report: Local Actions to Prevent Childhood Obesity
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF): Action Strategies Toolkit - A Guide for Local and State Leaders Working to Create Healthier Communities and Prevent Childhood Obesity

For more information:

• Alliance for a Healthier Generation