Smart Snacks Overview
Stephanie Simms- National PTA
School Nutrition Policy Fellow
Nancy Lyons- U.S. Dept. of Agriculture
Senior Policy Analyst, Child Nutrition Division
Background
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Smart Snacks guidelines went into effect on July 1, 2014
Part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act in 2010 that
improved the National School Lunch Program and the
School Breakfast Program
Federal guidelines  further policies, restrictions,
exemptions are determined by each state
Why Smart Snacks?
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Children are seeing a healthier school environment through
both the National School Lunch Program and the School
Breakfast Program
Encourages children to make healthy choices
PTA delegates passed a resolution at the 2004 National PTA
Convention calling for stronger national guidelines for all
foods sold in school
Consistent messaging about healthy eating
Smart Snacks Guidelines
Smart Snacks guidelines applies to “Competitive Foods”
• “foods and beverages sold to students on campus during
the school days which are not a part of the reimbursable
meal program” (Campus is defined by the individual school
and the school day is midnight before the school day to 30
minutes after school releases)
Source: USDA; 2013. http://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/faqs
Smart Snacks Guidelines
• Foods and beverages that must meet Smart
Snack guidelines include those found in:
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à la carte lines
vending machines
snack bars
school stores
fundraisers (unless exempted)
Is it a Smart Snack?
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Is it a food or beverage?
Is it sold during school hours (midnight prior to the school
day to 30 minutes after school releases)?
• Is it sold to students?
• Is it sold on the school campus?
• Is it sold as a fundraiser or in an à la carte line, vending
machine, snack bar, school store, etc.?
If you answered “yes” to all of these questions, then your
product must meet Smart Snack guidelines.
Determining if it is a Smart Snack
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Alliance for a Healthier Generation Product Calculator:
http://tools.healthiergeneration.org/calc/calculator/
Alliance for a Healthier Generation Product Navigator:
https://www.healthiergeneration.org/live_healthier/eat_h
ealthier/alliance_product_navigator/
USDA Smart Snacks Information:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/school-meals/smart-snacksschool
Fundraisers
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Must meet Smart Snacks guidelines if it is a food or
beverage sold during the school day on the school campus
Some states are allowing fundraiser exemptions for schools:
http://www.nasbe.org/healthy_schools/hs/bytopics.php?t
opicid=3115&catExpand=acdnbtm_catC
Healthy fundraisers, including food and non-food, that
meet the guidelines will be available for you on the
National PTA Smart Snacks page: www.pta.org/smartsnacks
(launching at the end of September/beginning of October)
Fundraisers
• Catalog fundraisers (cookie dough, frozen pizzas) and items
not intended to be consumed at school during the school
day by students are exempt from Smart Snacks guidelines
• No limits for fundraisers that meet Smart Snacks guidelines
• Foods and beverages sold outside of the defined school day
or off campus do not have to meet Smart Snacks guidelines
• Individual schools may have policies regarding what can and
cannot be sold at fundraisers- be sure to check your local
wellness policy.
Celebrations & Events
• Foods and beverages not sold such as those given away at
birthday parties or field day do NOT have to meet the Smart
Snacks guidelines
• Some local wellness policies are regulating what foods and
beverages are served at celebrations or events so be sure to
check that before bringing foods and beverages to school
Compliancy
• Local Education Agencies (LEA) must determine if a school is
compliant with Smart Snacks guidelines
• Within a school it may vary who is responsible for that
school’s compliancy; it may be the principal or another
administrator
• Reach out to your school and see who is in charge of making
sure foods and beverages sold at school during the day are
compliant with Smart Snacks guidelines
Ways Your PTA Can Help
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Work with the school nutrition staff to understand how PTA
can support them in gaining acceptance of the new
standards
Incorporate foods and beverages that meet the Smart
Snacks guidelines into PTA events
Open dialogue with school staff
Support schools in implementing the changes to provide
healthier foods and beverages to every student
School Wellness Policies
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Update nutrition guidelines for activities, meetings,
celebrations, events, etc. to reflect Smart Snacks guidelines
Learn more about how you can get involved with your
school wellness policy at www.pta.org
Healthier US School Challenge
• Smart Snacks guidelines for Healthier US School Challenge
schools:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/cn/2014hussc_
criteria.pdf
• Criteria for all levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Gold Award of
Distinction
USDA Website & Resources
http://www.fns.usda.gov/healthierschoolday/tools-schools-smart-snacks
USDA Website & Resources
What’s Next
• National PTA Implementation Guide distributed to all state and
local PTAs in October that includes additional resources from
other organizations
• Smart Snacks webpage to be launched at the end of
September/beginning of October: www.pta.org/smartsnacks
• Web or in-person trainings by the School Nutrition Policy Fellow
can be requested at schoolfoods@pta.org
• For further assistance contact the School Nutrition Policy Fellow
at schoolfoods@pta.org
• Highlight section for your fundraiser on the webpage
• Additional webinars TBD
Questions?
If you have additional questions that were not
answered during the webinar, please contact
the School Nutrition Policy Fellow at
schoolfoods@pta.org