USDA Approves Eliminating All Junk Food in Schools

At the urging of U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday issued its ruling to eliminate the sale of all junk food in schools.

Senator Gillibrand led the effort as part of the healthy, hunger-free schools act to reform child nutrition standards that was signed into law in 2010.

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Schools Act that Senator Gillibrand fought hard to pass requires the USDA to establish nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools, including beyond the federally-supported school meals programs. The "Smart Snacks in School" proposed rule is the first step in the process to create national standards.

The USDA’s proposal includes, promotes the availability of healthy snack foods with whole grains, low fat dairy, fruits, vegetables or protein foods as their main ingredients.

It ensures snack food items are lower in fat, sugar, and sodium and provide more of the nutrients kids need.

It also allows variation by age group for factors such as beverage portion size and caffeine content.