title: Snacks, sweetened beverages, added sugars, and schools.
abstract: Concern over childhood obesity has generated a decade-long reformation of school nutrition policies. Food is available in school in 3 venues: federally sponsored school meal programs; items sold in competition to school meals, such as a la carte, vending machines, and school stores; and foods available in myriad informal settings, including packed meals and snacks, bake sales, fundraisers, sports booster sales, in-class parties, or other school celebrations. High-energy, low-nutrient beverages, in particular, contribute substantial calories, but little nutrient content, to a student's diet. In 2004, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that sweetened drinks be replaced in school by water, white and flavored milks, or 100% fruit and vegetable beverages. Since then, school nutrition has undergone a significant transformation. Federal, state, and local regulations and policies, along with alternative products developed by industry, have helped decrease the availability of nutrient-poor foods and beverages in school. However, regular access to foods of high energy and low quality remains a school issue, much of it attributable to students, parents, and staff. Pediatricians, aligning with experts on child nutrition, are in a position to offer a perspective promoting nutrient-rich foods within calorie guidelines to improve those foods brought into or sold in schools. A positive emphasis on nutritional value, variety, appropriate portion, and encouragement for a steady improvement in quality will be a more effective approach for improving nutrition and health than simply advocating for the elimination of added sugars.
mesh_terms: D001628:Beverages / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D002149:Energy Intake; D005522:Food Services / Q000592:standards*; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012574:Schools; D013549:Sweetening Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D013549:Sweetening Agents
keywords: beverages; schools; snacks; sugar