Portland schools outlaw junk food

The Portland School Board this past week approved a pair of nutrition policies aimed at keeping the district’s students living healthier.

Here are a few paragraphs about what the policies mean to you and your kids, as provided by the district in an announcement:

The policies recognize that diet influences students’ ability to learn, and they aim to ensure that food offered at schools and school events support student achievement.

The new standards apply to all food and beverages sold or served by a school or school organization, regardless of location, such as on field trips, by sports teams or at events sponsored by parent teacher organizations (PTOs). They also apply to all food and beverage available at school during the school day, such as at school celebrations, in vending machines and at staff meetings.

Food must meet the USDA’s Healthier US Schools Challenge minimum nutrition standards at the Gold Award level. Beverages must meet the Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s High School Beverage Guidelines. Soda is not permitted.

During the school day, all food and beverages must meet these standards. Slightly looser food standards apply before and after the school day.  Although all packaged food must meet the same Healthier US Schools Challenge standards, up to half of non-packaged food may not meet those standards.

The nutrition policies do not apply to food that students, staff or community members bring for their own consumption. They also do not apply to non-school groups such as community athletic leagues using schools outside of the school day. In addition, non-school groups at school events that take place off school property are exempt from the standards. Examples of the latter would be sporting events at the Expo, graduations and concerts at Merrill Auditorium and fundraising events on behalf of schools held at local restaurants.

 

Seth Koenig

About Seth Koenig

Seth has nearly a decade of professional journalism experience and writes about the greater Portland region.