When students return to school, they should expect to find healthier foods in their cafeterias and vending machines and at classroom parties and other special events.

High-fat snack foods such as chips and processed baked goods will be replaced by baked chips, granola bars and fruit snacks in many districts. Pizza crust and pasta might be made with wheat flour rather than white; hoagies, wraps and other sandwiches might contain turkey rather than pork-based lunch meats; and french fries could be baked.

	Anita Dufalla, Post-Gazette Click photo for larger image.

Though soft drink manufacturers recently announced they wouldn't sell regular soda at schools during the lunch hour -- only diet would be available -- the beverage is likely to have been eliminated from most school lunch counters anyway. Districts are choosing instead to offer low-fat milk, low-sugar juices, water and, perhaps, sports drinks.

Federal law

The changes are a result of the Child Nutrition and Reauthorization Act of 2004, which requires schools to create and adopt wellness policies geared to healthier eating and increased exercise for students. The requirement applies to all public and private schools that participate in the National School Lunch or National School Breakfast programs.

Districts that don't comply face the loss of their federal funds.

The goal of the act is for school districts to address childhood obesity by teaching students about healthy lifestyles, which include nutritious eating habits and regular physical activity.

In addition to the food choice changes made at the schools, the act encourages physical education classes to include lifelong fitness activities such as yoga and jogging rather than competitive sports, and for districts to offer physical fitness opportunities to students and their parents outside of gym class.

A number of districts have been implementing the practices over the past 18 months, said Sharon Fissel, director of policy services for the Pennsylvania School Boards Association, which has developed a model for districts to use as they create their own policies.

"This is something that I've seen school districts really embrace, not because it was required, but because it would benefit the students," Ms. Fissel said.

Under the requirements, districts must form a wellness committee that includes school board members and administrators, a district food service representative, parents, students and community members. The committee is supposed to help develop the district's policy, and someone within the district must be designated to monitor the district's compliance with its policy.

Policies developed by districts must include goals for nutrition education, physical activity, physical education and other school-based activities. Districts must have available the nutritional information for all foods and drinks sold on the school campuses during the school day.

Districts must have policies in place by July 1 and implemented by the beginning of the school year. Policies must be submitted to the state Department of Education for approval.

Changes in the East

In the Plum Borough School District, some of the changes mandated by the 2004 law have been enacted, said Dawn Check, the spokeswoman for the district.

For instance, calling a vending machine a "pop machine" would now be a total misnomer. There are no carbonated beverages in the machines at all, but "water machine" or "juice machine," two items that are dispensed, don't really trip off the tongue.

In the machines formerly known as "candy machines," Snickers have been replaced by cheese and crackers and Wheat Thins.

Ms. Check said a difference this year would be the policy on parties for special occasions such as Halloween. Instead of the usual sugary treats, healthy snacks will be served.

The Penn-Trafford School District is looking at instituting some changes in physical education that Assistant Superintendent Harry Smith said probably would be worked out during in-service days this week. He said those changes might include electives in gym classes so that students at the middle schools and the high school might be able to choose an aerobic activity over a team sport which often relegates some to the sidelines.

In the cafeteria, there will be fewer choices of items available to students, and throughout the schools, there will be posters about choosing foods wisely, he said.

In the Penn Hills School District, as at the others, the edible offerings in the cafeteria and the vending machines all will be healthier.

As for fund-raising, the Girl Scouts had better keep their Thin Mints outside. The official policy calls for all food items sold as fund-raisers to be sold in single serving size. A box of Girl Scout cookies says there are nine servings inside, even though lots of people can eat the entire box in one sitting.

Food sold for fund-raisers, sold from school stores or served at the cafeteria as an a la carte item also must have minimal amounts of trans fats and may not contain sugar as the first ingredient.

School parties in the Penn Hills schools will, whenever possible, serve fresh fruits and vegetables, with beverages that are water, milk or 100 percent fruit juice.

In McKeesport Area schools, healthy foods have been incorporated for the past 18 months. The high school cafeteria has "fryless Wednesdays," during which there are no fried foods.

Mary Niederberger can be reached at mniederberger@post-gazette.com or 412-851-1866.