•    Smart Snacks in School
     

    Smart Snacks in Schools

    As of school year 2014, federal guidelines required that all foods and beverages sold to students on the school campus during the school day must meet Smart Snacks standards​. This includes food or beverages sold in a la carte sales, vending machines, school stores, snack carts, and fundraisers.

    Any entity selling food to students is required to maintain records, such as nutrition labels, and product specifications. In this context, 'school campus' refers to all areas of the property under the jurisdiction of the school that are accessible to students. A 'school day' begins at 12:01 a.m. and ends 30 minutes after the end of the official school day. ​​ 

    This federal rule DOES NOT apply to:

    • Foods sold after school hours

    • Foods sold off school campus

    • Foods sold exclusively to adults

    • Foods given to students at no charge

    • Foods brought from home for student consumption

     Henry County Board of Education Policy, EED, Vending Machines states:

    “All foods sold in Henry County Schools will comply with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) “Smart Snacks in School” nutrition standards.  This rule applies to all food sold during the school day which begins at 12:01 am and ends 30 minutes after the end of a scheduled school day.”  

    Click here for the: Vending Machines/Smart Snacks PPP. HCS nutrition standards for all foods available to students can be found in the: HCBOE approved wellness policy.

    Fundraisers

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) defines a fundraiser as an event or activity during which students exchange currency/tokens/tickets, etc., for the sale/purchase of a product in support of the school or school-related activities. The Smart Snacks regulations apply only to products intended to be consumed during the school day. If the item being sold is a nonfood item or a food item that meets the Smart Snacks standards, it can be sold anytime.

    Examples of fundraisers include:

    • Giving away food but suggesting a donation

    • Vending machine when the profits are used to support a school-sponsored club or activity such as the school band or football team

    • Special treats sold during lunch hour by a student organization

    • Bake sales offered to students

    • Pizza sold in the classroom

    Fundraiser Exemptions

    The Georgia State Board of Education approved 30 exempted fundraisers per school per school year not to exceed 3 days in length. However, there are time and place restrictions. Exempted fundraisers cannot operate anywhere on the school campus 30 minutes before until 30 minutes after the end of breakfast and lunch meal services.

    Exempted fundraisers cannot be in school cafeterias, vending machines, school stores, snack bars or a la carte sales. Fundraisers occurring in these venues must meet the Smart Snacks standards. The rule went into effect on September 10, 2014, exempted fundraisers prior to that date are not allowed.

    The Bottom Line

    • If a food or beverage meets the Smart Snacks guidelines, it can be sold anywhere, at any time on the school campus.

    • If a food or beverage does not meet the Smart Snacks guidelines, then it must be replaced with a compliant product, sold off school grounds, sold 30 minutes after the end of the official school day or be part of an approved, exempted fundraiser following the fundraiser exemption guidelines above.

    School Requirements:

    1. Schools are responsible for ensuring all products sold during the school day meet Smart Snack Guidelines

    2. Schools will ensure that approved exempted fundraiser items are sold only during allotted time frames

    3. Schools are responsible for maintaining records on all competitive foods and beverages sold at their school

      • Records include: a smart snack food inventory log, nutrition and product labels for all smart snacks sold, list of all non-exempt fundraisers, and an exempt fundraiser tracking sheet

      • Complete records should be delivered annually by the last official day of school to the School Nutrition Department Attn: Smart Snacks.  Failure to comply with regulations can result in public citations and financial penalties at the federal and state-level.

    Tools & Resources

    Federal/State Guidance

     

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    In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

    Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

    To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

    1. mail:
      U.S. Department of Agriculture
      Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
      1400 Independence Avenue, SW
      Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
    2. fax:
      (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
    3. email:
      program.intake@usda.gov

     

    This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

    Para todos los demás programas de asistencia de nutrición del FNS, agencias estatales o locales y sus subreceptores, deben publicar la siguiente Declaración de No Discriminación:

    De acuerdo con la ley federal de derechos civiles y las normas y políticas de derechos civiles del Departamento de Agricultura de los Estados Unidos (USDA), esta entidad está prohibida de discriminar por motivos de raza, color, origen nacional, sexo (incluyendo identidad de género y orientación sexual), discapacidad, edad, o represalia o retorsión por actividades previas de derechos civiles.

    La información sobre el programa puede estar disponible en otros idiomas que no sean el inglés. Las personas con discapacidades que requieren medios alternos de comunicación para obtener la información del programa (por ejemplo, Braille, letra grande, cinta de audio, lenguaje de señas americano (ASL), etc.) deben comunicarse con la agencia local o estatal responsable de administrar el programa o con el Centro TARGET del USDA al (202) 720-2600 (voz y TTY) o comuníquese con el USDA a través del Servicio Federal de Retransmisión al (800) 877-8339.

    Para presentar una queja por discriminación en el programa, el reclamante debe llenar un
    formulario AD-3027, formulario de queja por discriminación en el programa del USDA, el cual puede obtenerse en línea en:https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027s.pdf , de cualquier oficina de USDA, llamando al (866) 632-9992, o escribiendo una carta dirigida a USDA. La carta debe contener el nombre del demandante, la dirección, el número de teléfono y una descripción escrita de la acción discriminatoria alegada con suficiente detalle para informar al Subsecretario de Derechos Civiles (ASCR) sobre la naturaleza y fecha de una presunta violación de derechos civiles. El formulario AD-3027 completado o la carta debe presentarse a USDA por:

    (1) correo:
    U.S. Department of Agriculture
    Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
    1400 Independence Avenue, SW
    Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
    (2) fax:
    (833) 256-1665 o (202) 690-7442; o
    (3) correo electrónico:
    program.intake@usda.gov

    Esta entidad es un proveedor que brinda igualdad de oportunidades.