A competitive food is a food or beverage in which the following five criteria are met: (1) sold, (2) to a student, (3) on the school campus, (4) During the school day (midnight before to 30 minutes after the end of the official school day), and (5) outside of the federal reimbursable meal program. All five criteria must be true in order for the competitive food rules to apply.
Any entity, group, or individual that sells a food or beverage to a student on campus, during the school day, and outside of the federal reimbursable meal program must comply with the competitive food rules.
If you have a question on whether or not the food or beverage item you are interested in selling is compliant, please use the California Project Lean Calculator: http://www.californiaprojectlean.org/doc.asp?id=180&parentid=95
If your item is compliant, please submit a request to the Business Department for approval.
California Department of Education Competitive Food and Smart Snack Requirements
https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/he/compfoods.asp
Why are Smart Snack Nutrition Standards Important?
Nearly one third of kids in America are at risk for chronic diseases that are preventable, such as diabetes and heart disease, due to being overweight or obese. If left unaddressed, health experts say that this generation may be the first to live shorter lives than their parents. A healthy, well-balanced diet plays an important role in the prevention of these diseases; therefore, it is critical for all students to have access to healthy school meals full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy, based on scientific recommendations for nutrition. With many students consuming at least one snack food during the school day, it is also important that items offered a la carte and in vending machines fit within nutritional guidelines to help reinforce the message of an overall healthy diet.
Current Smart Snack List, Regulations, and Food Sale Policy