Connecticut’s Healthy Food Certification (HFC) is a voluntary program which provides monetary incentives to school districts that choose to implement state nutrition standards for all foods sold to students outside reimbursable school meals. This paper evaluates the impact of Connecticut’s HFC on the availability of competitive foods and National School Lunch Program (NSLP) participation. Researchers found that, on average, all school districts in Connecticut reduced the availability of unhealthy competitive foods, with a significantly greater reduction in HFC school districts. Average NSLP participation also increased throughout the state. Participating in HFC was associated with significantly greater NSLP participation for paid meals in middle school; however, HFC implementation did not increase overall NSLP participation beyond the statewide upward trend.
Age Groups: Adolescents (grades 9 to 12), Elementary-age children (grades K to 5), Young adolescents (grades 6 to 8)
Keywords: Competitive foods, Nutrition standards, School meal programs, Snacks, Vending machines
State: Connecticut
Resource Type: Journal Article
Focus Areas: Pricing & Economics, School & After School
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