March 17, 2006 |
2006-R-0244 | |
COMPARISON OF 2005 AND 2006 SCHOOL NUTRITION LEGISLATION
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By: Soncia Coleman, Associate Legislative Analyst | ||
You asked for a comparison of the school nutrition bill raised by the Education Committee in 2006 (S. B. 381) and the 2005 vetoed public act on school nutrition (PA 05-117).
Generally, S. B. 381 contains more stringent beverage restrictions than last year's vetoed school nutrition legislation. With regard to food requirements, both pieces of legislation require the State Department of Education (SDE) to set nutritional standards for food sold to students at school. However, rather than mandating compliance as did PA 05-117, S. B. 381 offers a financial incentive to schools that certify that they have met the SDE's nutritional standards. Finally, S. B. 381 does not include provisions on exercise and school wellness committees that were included in PA 05-117. The pieces of legislation are compared below.
PA 05-117 (vetoed) |
S. B. 381 (2006) | |
Exercise Requirement |
Required students in full-day kindergarten and grades 1-5 to be provided with the opportunity to exercise for at least 20 minutes per full-school day in addition to any physical education requirements. It allowed a planning and placement team to develop a different schedule for special education students. |
No exercise requirements |
School Wellness Committee |
Allowed boards to establish school wellness committees to monitor and implement the nutrition and physical activity policies required under the 2004 federal Child Nutrition and Women, Infants, and Children Reauthorization Act. |
Does not address school wellness committees |
-Continued-
PA 05-117 (vetoed) |
S. B. 381 (2006) | |
Food Restrictions |
• Required SDE to publish a list of recommended prepackaged foods and set nutritional guidelines for other foods. • In accordance with list and the guidelines, limited the foods offered for sale to students on school grounds from any source, including school stores, vending machines, school cafeterias, and school-sponsored and non school-sponsored fundraising activities. • Allowed local boards to let schools sell foods that failed to meet the nutritional guidelines or did not appear on the list if (1) the sale was in connection with a school-sponsored event occurring after the end of the regular school day or on the weekend, (2) the sale was at the location of that event, and (3) the foods were not sold from a vending machine or school store. • The standards did not apply to foods served as part of the National School Lunch or School Breakfast programs. |
• Requires SDE to publish nutrition standards for food items offered for sale to students at schools. • Schools are not required to meet the standards. However, it requires boards that serve schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program to certify whether or not they will meet the standards. For each lunch served in the prior year in districts that meet the nutritional standards, the bill gives boards 10 cents in addition to the match of federal dollars required under the National School Lunch Program • Allows boards to exclude from certification the sale to students of food items that do not meet the standards, if (1) the sale is in connection with a school-sponsored event occurring after the end of the regular school day or on the weekend, (2) the sale is at the event location, and (3) the food is not sold from a vending machine or school store. • The standards do not apply to foods served as part of the National School Lunch or School Breakfast programs. |
-Continued-
PA 05-117 (vetoed) |
S. B. 381 (2006) | |
Beverage Restrictions |
• Allowed only the following beverages to be sold to student from any source, including school stores, vending machines, school cafeterias, and any fundraising activities, whether or not school-sponsored: (1) water, (2) milk, including flavored and non-dairy milk (3) 100% fruit juice or vegetable juice or a combination of such juices, and (4) beverages that contain only water and fruit juice and have no added natural or artificial sweeteners. • Additionally, starting one-half hour after the last lunch period, it allowed high schools to sell (1) sugar free soft drinks and (2) electrolyte replacement beverages that contain 42 grams or less of added sweetener per 20 oz. serving, as long as the drinks did not constitute more than 20% of the beverage offerings. |
• Allows only the following beverages to be sold to students from any source, including school stores, vending machines, school cafeterias, and any fund-raising activities on school premises, whether or not school-sponsored: (1) water, which may be flavored but contain no added sugars, sweeteners, artificial sweeteners or caffeine; (2) milk, which may be flavored but contain no artificial sweeteners and no more than 32 grams of sugar per 8 oz. serving, or 4 grams per oz. , (3) nondairy milks, which may be flavored but contain no artificial sweeteners, no more than 32 grams of sugar per eight ounce serving, or 4 grams per oz. , no more than 35% of calories from fat per serving and no more than 10% of calories from saturated fat per serving; (4) 100% fruit juice or vegetable juice or combination of such juices, containing no added sugars, sweeteners, or artificial sweeteners; and (5) beverages that contain only water and fruit or vegetable juice and have no added sugars, sweeteners or artificial sweeteners. • Portion sizes of beverages other than water offered cannot exceed 12 oz. |
-Continued-
PA 05-117 (vetoed) |
S. B. 381 (2006) | |
Beverage Restrictions |
• Allowed local boards to let middle and high schools sell other beverages if (1) the sale was in connection with a school-sponsored event occurring after the end of the regular school day or on the weekend, (2) the sale was at the event location, and (3) the foods were not sold from a vending machine or school store. |
• Allows boards to let all schools sell other beverages if (1) the sale is in connection with a school-sponsored event occurring after the end of the regular school day or on the weekend, (2) the sale is at the event location, and (3) the beverages are not sold from a vending machine or school store. |
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