A Closer Look at Competitive Foods in Schools

A survey of 228 Pennsylvania high schools found bottled water and fruit juice are available in more schools' vending machines than any other food or drink item. Also, according to the survey, the top-selling a la carte food items are hamburgers, pizza and sandwiches.

The schools were selected randomly to measure the extent of their "competitive food sales." Competitive foods refers to choices from sources such as vending machines, snack bars and fundraisers that are available in school other than traditional lunch and breakfast programs. Since most competitive foods are minimally regulated, especially compared to school meals, much less is known about their sale and availability.

According to the survey of school foodservice directors, conducted by researchers at Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania Department of Health, 71.5 percent of the schools offer water in their vending machines and 67.4 percent offer fruit juice, suggesting schools are making an effort to "make more-nourishing beverage options available to students."

The top-selling a la carte items in the schools were:

1) Hamburgers, pizza and sandwiches (77.1 percent listed in the five top-selling items)
2) Cookies, crackers, cakes, pastries and other baked goods not low in fat (68.3 percent)
3) French fries (52.4 percent)
4) Salty snacks not low in fat (44.9 percent)
5) Carbonated beverages (42.3 percent)
6) Water (36.6 percent)
7) Ice cream or frozen yogurt not low in fat (36.1 percent)

The researchers also found: '"/>

Contact: Kelly Liebbe
media@eatright.org
American Dietetic Association
1-Aug-2005