Using a Bid Database to Study the Nutritional Quality of Competitive Foods in Schools and Establish a Baseline for Evaluating New USDA Guidelines

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently proposed new standards for snack (competitive) foods in schools, similar to the Competitive Foods Guidelines developed by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. This project will objectively track changes in snack food purchasing among K-12 public schools as a result ofthese standards. The aims of this work are to More

State Law Approaches to Addressing Digital Food Marketing to Youth

State consumer protection laws have yet to fully catch up with advances in digital marketing. This report focuses on how existing state consumer protection law can be used to limit harmful digital marketing to children and adolescents. The report describes the key differences between digital and traditional food marketing and discusses a variety of digital More

Examining Contracts and Agreements Between Small-Scale Food Retailers and the Food Industry

Small retail food stores are ubiquitous in lower-income, urban settings, and are a major food source among lower-income racial and ethnic minority children and adolescents. Little is known about the types of agreements (e.g., slotting fees, retail promotional programs, exclusive contracts) that small retail food stores may have with manufacturers and distributors of high-sugar, high-fat More

Soda Tax Debates in California: How Were They Framed?

The purpose of this project is to understand public debates regarding proposed local soda taxes based on experiences during 2012 in the cities of Richmond and El Monte, California, so that future ballot initiatives might better anticipate what to expect when sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxes are presented to local voters. News media content and online More

Stocking Characteristics and Perceived Increases in Sales Among Small Food Store Managers/Owners Associated with the Introduction of New Food Products Approved by the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children

Implementation of the 2009 Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) food package has implications for WIC-authorized store managers/owners who had to modify their stock to meet the demands of their WIC customers and to maintain their WIC authorization. This paper examines perceived sales, product selection, and stocking habits of small WIC-authorized More

Small Retailer Perspectives of the 2009 Women, Infants and Children Program Food Package Changes

In 2009, the U.S. Department of Agriculture implemented changes to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) food package. This paper explores the perceptions of owners and managers of small food stores about implementation successes and challenges related to the new WIC package. Findings from qualitative interviews across seven states indicate More

Does Competitive Food and Beverage Legislation Hurt Meal Participation or Revenues in High Schools?

Using a large representative sample of 56 California high schools, this study examined the influence of comprehensive food and beverage legislation on both school meal participation and revenue. Researchers found that a year after California’s legislation was implemented, participation in the free/reduced lunch program increased significantly, thus increasing total meal participation. There was a slight More

Influence of Competitive Food and Beverage Policies on Children’s Diets and Childhood Obesity. A Research Review

Competitive foods are foods and beverages that compete with school meal programs. They are sold through vending machines, a la carte cafeteria lines, school stores and other venues. Given that the foods and beverages available in schools have a significant impact on children’s diets and their weight, it is important to understand how competitive foods More