San Juan County schools districts adjust to new federal nutrition standards

As San Juan County students head back to school over the next several days, they may see changes in the food served at their school cafeterias and sold in the vending machines. New federal standards are expected to affect local school food programs by tightening nutrition requirements for meals and snacks and governing the types of items that can be sold during school-day fundraisers. On July 1, the Smart Snacks in Schools nutritional standards were implemented as part of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Under the law, the U.S. Department of Agriculture was directed to establish a set of nutritional standards for all foods and beverages sold during the school day. Schools that fail to comply with the new regulations could lose their federal funding, according to local officials. Changes to school nutrition in the last two years focused on breakfast and lunches, said Kevin Concannon, undersecretary of the USDA's Food and Nutrition Services, in a phone interview on Wednesday. This year's changes will apply to à la carte lines, snack bars, vending machines and club fundraisers during the school day. About 50 million students nationwide will be affected by the changes. Jaynelle Minor, the Farmington Municipal Schools District's student nutrition supervisor, said it has been difficult to adhere to the new guidelines. But, she added, the changes will help students eat healthier snacks...more