WILMINGTON, Del.—Children’s consumption of fruits and vegetables increases if they attend elementary schools where high-fat and high-sugar snacks are restricted, said new research published in the January 2009 issue of The Journal of Nutrition.
The study’s authors surveyed more than 10,000 fifth-graders at over 2,500 elementary schools nationwide and found a 3-percent increase in fruit and vegetable consumption by children in schools that restricted high-fat and high-sugar snacks. This consumption increase included fruits and vegetables eaten over the course of the entire day, not just during school hours, and included fruits and vegetables eaten as part of meals as well as for snacks. The authors concluded that a restrictive snack policy should be part of a multifaceted approach to improve children's diet quality.
“This study comes at a time when advocates are urging Congress, as part of the 2009 Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act, to allow USDA to set standards for foods and beverages sold to children outside of the school meal programs,” said Elizabeth Pivonka, PhD, RD, president and CEO of Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) the nonprofit entity behind the Fruits & Veggies—More Matters® national public-health initiative.