title: Understanding school food service characteristics associated with higher competitive food revenues can help focus efforts to improve school food environments.
abstract: Many school food services sell extra foods and beverages, popularly referred to as “competitive foods,” in addition to USDA school meals. On the basis of national survey data, most competitive foods and beverages selected by students are of low nutritional value. Recent federal legislation will allow schools that participate in USDA school meal programs to sell competitive foods only if the food items they sell meet nutrition standards based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Concerns have been raised about the potential effects of limiting competitive foods on local school food service finances. However, national data indicate that only in a subset of schools do food services receive large amounts of revenues from competitive foods. These food services are typically located in secondary schools in more affluent districts, serving higher proportions of students who do not receive free or reduced price meals. Compared to other food services, these food services couple higher competitive food revenues with lower school meal participation. Increasing school meal participation could increase meal revenues to offset any loss of competitive food revenues. Replacing less-healthful competitive items with healthier options could also help maintain school food service revenues while improving the school food environment. Nationally consistent nutrition standards for competitive foods may encourage development and marketing of healthful products.
authors.affiliation: Food Assistance Branch, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250-1800, USA. jguthrie@ers.usda.gov
authors.forename: Joanne F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Guthrie
authors.forename: Constance
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Newman
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ralston
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Prell
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ollinger
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D004465:Economic Competition; D005509:Food Dispensers, Automatic / Q000191:economics*; D005522:Food Services / Q000191:economics* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D009753:Nutritive Value; D012574:Schools / Q000191:economics*; D014481:United States; D016885:United States Department of Agriculture