Smart Snacks

USDA Smart Snacks in Schools & the Arizona Nutrition Standards

The Arizona Nutrition Standards have been revised to incorporate the new USDA Smart Snacks in Schools requirements. The revised standards took effect July 1, 2014. They apply to all foods sold or served on campus during the school day. The school day is defined as the period from midnight before, to 30 minutes after the end of the official school day.

The intent of the standards is to ensure consumption of healthful foods during the school day and create an environment that reinforces the development of healthy eating habits. There is a list of snacks that parents or staff can purchase through the cafeteria. Food & Nutrition Services has done the work for you. We have analyzed the nutrition facts and determined that the snack meets all of the new requirements. In addition, snacks meeting the standards will be available for purchase at breakfast and lunch.

Food fundraisers are not permitted during breakfast or lunch serving times. School or PTO fundraisers, classroom snacks, classroom/school wide celebrations must meet Smart Snack guidelines during the school day (midnight the day before to 30 minutes after release). Snacks for classroom incentives or classroom/school wide celebrations can be purchased from the cafeteria. Fundraisers that are not intended for consumption at school such as cookie dough are EXEMPT. Individual classroom birthday celebrations are EXEMPT. A Smart Snacks on-line calculator is available at https://foodplanner.healthiergeneration.org/calculator/. If the school or PTO plans a fundraiser it is the responsibility of the school or PTO official to run the nutrition facts labels through the on-line calculator to determine compliance. It is also the responsibility of the school or PTO official to have the nutrition facts labels and the printout of the on-line calculator approval on hand during the sale for audit purposes.

In addition, a la carte food and beverage snacks meeting the Smart Snack standards will be available for purchase at breakfast and lunch. Parents, if you would like to set up restrictions on your student’s account for a la carte Smart Snack food and beverage purchases, please contact your site's cafeteria manager. View the Smart Snacks flyer for more information.