From Your Health Journal…..”What a great story from the Fosters Daily Democrat by Jen Keefe called N.H. Ahead Of Curve For School Snack Nutrition. As the US Government is making changes to the lunch and snack programs at schools – making sure they are nutritious and healthy, New Hampshire schools have already been practicing healthy lifestyle, meeting many of the government guidelines already. What a great story, as childhood obesity is on the rise all over the US, it is great to see some major changes that will impact a child’s health now and in the future. All the change falls under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, passed in 2010 to combat childhood obesity. The Act requires the USDA to establish nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools. Please read the Foster’s Daily Democrat page (link provided below) to read the complete article.”

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The U.S. government is taking steps to further limit junk food in school vending machines and cafeteria lines, but it won’t mean a big change for New Hampshire students.

“Most of the stuff we have meets all the guidelines already,” said Tom Tanner, food service director in Rochester. “There probably will be some change. We’ll have to tweak a few things.”

At the beginning of February, the Department of Agriculture released its “Smart Snacks in Schools” proposal that promotes replacing sugary options like cookies, cake and snack bars with whole-grain, lower sugar items like granola bars.

“Parents and teachers work hard to instill healthy eating habits in our kids, and these habits should be supported when kids walk through the schoolhouse door,” said Tom Vilsack, agriculture secretary.

The proposal is another step in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, passed in 2010 to combat childhood obesity. The Act requires the USDA to establish nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools.

A 60-day public comment period is now open for people to give input and suggest changes, and the new regulations could be implemented as soon as the 2014 school year.

However, when those changes take place, New Hampshire students may not see much of a change in their vending machine or lunch line choices.

“Our current snack program does conform to the strictest criteria for snack items that’s currently available,” said Chris Faro, district manager for dining management provider Cafe Services, The Dover and Somersworth school districts outsource to Cafe Services to handle all food service needs, including vending machines.

Faro said it’s too early to speculate on what the impact to the school districts might be, but said any changes will be handled effectively.

“Cafe Services has a strong history of exemplary regulatory compliance, and we will be fully prepared to implement changes to conform to the new regulations when they are finalized,” he said.

The vending machines in Dover High School’s cafeteria already meet many of the standards set forth in the proposal, according to Business Administrator Mike Limanni.

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