Often, if kids don’t like the daily meal offering in the cafeteria, there is a wide variety of other foods for them to pick from in the school or even in the cafeteria itself. Fruits and yogurt are available, but chips and snack cakes are, too. This line up of competitive food options in schools is going to change with the goal of ensuring that healthier choices are available to students.  Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a proposed rule on nutrition standards for competitive foods in schools. This is a partner to last year’s updated nutrition standards for school meals, which went into effect for the 2012-2013 school year. Competitive foods are foods or beverages that are sold on school property during school hours, but they are not part of the reimbursable meals. The proposed nutrition standards would apply to a la carte items in the cafeteria, in vending machines or in school stores. USDA has proposed requirements that each food or beverage would need to meet in order to be sold in schools. In some cases, USDA proposed two different options and specifically asked for comments on which approach it should select. The proposal would set minimum requirements for the type of food and nutrients of concern that the food item must contain, while also setting limits on total fat, saturated fat, trans fat, sodium, sugar and calories. Beverages are limited to water, low-fat and fat-free milk and 100 percent juice, with some other low-calorie beverages available in high schools. Some exemptions are provided, including the exemption of reduced-fat cheese from the proposed rule’s fat and saturated-fat limits and a higher allowance for sugar content in fat-free and low-fat yogurt. The standards would allow for many dairy products to continue to be sold as competitive foods in schools. Changes to formulations or package sizes may be required to meet the nutrition standards in the proposed rule. The limits on sodium may restrict cheese that is sold, while ice cream and frozen desserts could be affected by the total sugar limit. The overall effect on dairy products will depend on the exact nutrient profile of each product, as well as the final rule set by UDSA. IDFA plans to submit comments on the proposed rule. If your company is a member of IDFA and this is a topic you’re interested in, please join an upcoming Nutrition Working Group call—contact me for details at amfoodnutrition@gmail.com.