Five food makers have come to a deal with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a joint initiative of the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association, on improving the quality of food available at US schools. Schools will be discouraged from stocking foods which have a high fat, salt and/or sugar content.
The five companies are:
— Campbell Soup Company
— Dannon
— Kraft Foods
— Mars
— PepsiCo
If this ‘voluntary’ drive really happens, school foods will have a limit of 35% of total calories coming from fat. Elementary schools will have a limit of 150 calories on each non-nutritious snack.
Bill Clinton said “I’m proud of these five companies for making an important statement about this health challenge and an even more important commitment to doing something about it. What we are setting in motion with these guidelines will dramatically change the kind of food that children have access to at school. It will take time, but through coalitions like this of industry and the non-profit sector, we are going to make a real difference in the lives of millions of children by helping them eat healthier and live healthier.”
Critics say that as a the new guidelines are voluntary their impact will be negligible.
— Alliance Nutrition Guidelines Fact Sheet (PDF)
— Alliance Competitive Food Agreement Q&A (PDF)
— Memo Of Understanding (PDF)
— Guidelines for Competitive Foods Sold in Schools to Students (PDF)
— Guidelines for Competitive Foods for K-12 Schools (PDF)
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation
Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today