6700SP Distribution and Sale of Competitive Foods

I. Background and Purpose

All food and beverages sold outside the school meal program on the school campus during the school day must meet the federal “Smart Snacks” nutrition standards.

This procedure establishes the rules for the sale of such foods and beverages, called competitive foods, within Seattle Public Schools to ensure compliance with federal regulations.

A. Definitions

Competitive Foods: All food and beverages sold to students on the school campus during the school day that are not part of the federally reimbursable school meal programs.
Distribution: Distributing food and beverages purchased with District funds to students.
School Campus: All areas of property under the jurisdiction of the school that are accessible to students during the school day.
School Day: The period from midnight before to 30 minutes after the end of the official school day.

B. Scope

This procedure applies to all competitive food sales, regardless of source, including, but not limited to:

Vending machines.
Student stores, student clubs, Distributed Educational Clubs of America (DECA) stores, and Associated Student Body (ASB) groups.
A la carte sales in lunchrooms.
Fundraisers.

This procedure also applies to the distribution of food and beverages purchased with District funds to students.

This procedure does not apply to meals and snacks brought from home for individual consumption.

II. Staff Roles and Responsibilities

A. Culinary Services

Responsible for maintaining records documenting compliance for all a la carte sales under its operational responsibility.
Responsible for food purchased with District funds.

B. School Principal or Designee

Must assure compliance with these standards for all food and beverages sold by entities and individuals such as vending machines, student stores, student clubs, DECA, ASB, and/or sales and distribution of food by teachers or staff.
Responsible for maintaining compliance records for competitive foods sold outside the meal program.
Documentation may include nutrition facts panels, ingredient lists, product formulation statements, child nutrition (CN) labels, or standardized recipes. This documentation must be readily available for state and federal review.

III. Approved Snacks

Items purchased using District funds must go through Culinary Services.
DECA stores are exempt from purchasing from Culinary Services but, items must meet Smart Snack standards.

IV. Restrictions on School Property

Non-SPS groups are not permitted to sell food on school property during school hours.

V. General Nutrition Standards for Competitive Foods

All competitive food items must meet the following general and nutrient standards.

A. General Standards

A competitive food must meet the nutrient standards AND meet one of the following criteria:

Be a grain product containing 50% or more whole grains by weight or have a whole grain as the first ingredient; or
Have as the first ingredient a non-grain main food group (fruit, vegetable, dairy, or protein food); or
Be a combination food that contains at least ¼ cup of fruit and/or vegetable; or
Be on the USDA-approved list or be pre-approved by the Culinary Services Director.

Exception: If water is the first ingredient, the second ingredient must be one of the items above.

B. Nutrient Standards

Competitive food items must meet the following nutrient standards. All limits include any added accompaniments (e.g. condiments).

Calories
- Snacks & Side Dishes: ≤ 200 calories
- Entrée Items: ≤ 350 calories
Sodium
- Snacks & Side Dishes: ≤ 200 mg
- Entrée Items: ≤ 480 mg
Total Fat
- Must be ≤ 35% of total calories.
  - Exemptions: Reduced fat cheese (e.g. part-skim mozzarella); nuts, seeds, and nut/seed butters; products consisting of only dried fruit with nuts and/or seeds with no added sweeteners or fats; seafood with no added fat.
Saturated Fat
- Must be ≤ 10% of total calories.
  - Exemptions: Reduced fat cheese (e.g. part-skim mozzarella); nuts, seeds, and nut/seed butters; products consisting of only dried fruit with nuts and/or seeds with no added sweeteners or fats.
Sugar
- Must be ≤ 35% of weight from total sugars.
  - Exemptions: Dried whole fruits or vegetables with no added sweeteners; dried fruits with sweeteners required for processing and/or palatability (e.g. cranberries, tart cherries); products consisting of only exempt dried fruit with nuts and/or seeds with no added sweeteners or fat.

Exemptions: The following items are exempt from the above criteria:

Fresh fruits and vegetables with no added ingredients except water.
Canned or frozen fruits with no added ingredients except water, or packed in 100% juice, extra light syrup, or light syrup.
Canned vegetables (no salt added/low sodium), with no added fats.
Bean dips (exempt from the total fat standard).

C. Additional General Rules

Entrée Exemption: Any entrée item offered as part of the school lunch or breakfast program is exempt from all competitive food standards if sold as a competitive food on the day of service or the day after.
Flavored Milk: Cannot contain more than 10 grams of added sugars per 8 fluid ounces.
Beverage Pricing: All beverages (except milk) must be priced higher than bottled water for the same size serving.
Caffeine: All food and beverages must be caffeine-free (except naturally occurring trace amounts).
Accompaniments (Condiments): Must be included in the nutrient profile of the food item and therefore must meet all standards. Use is limited.
Vendor Contracts: Shall not include incentives for increasing consumption or the distribution of free products.
Local Preference: Competitive foods should, as much as possible, be fresh and locally grown or produced.

VI. Beverage Standards by Grade Level

A. Elementary (K-5, K-8) Schools

Plain or plain carbonated water (no size limit)
Unflavored low-fat (1%) milk (8 oz limit)
Nonfat milk (flavored or unflavored) and approved milk alternatives (8 oz limit)
100% fruit/vegetable juice (8 oz limit)
100% juice diluted with water (with/without carbonation), no sweeteners (8 oz limit)

B. Middle Schools

Plain or plain carbonated water (no size limit)
Unflavored low-fat (1%) milk (12 oz limit)
Nonfat milk (flavored or unflavored) and approved milk alternatives (12 oz limit)
100% fruit/vegetable juice (12 oz limit)
100% juice diluted with water (with/without carbonation), no sweeteners (12 oz limit)

C. High Schools

Plain or plain carbonated water (no size limit)
Unflavored low-fat (1%) milk (12 oz limit)
Nonfat milk (flavored or unflavored) and approved milk alternatives (12 oz limit)
100% fruit/vegetable juice (12 oz limit)
100% juice diluted with water (with/without carbonation), no sweeteners (12 oz limit)
Other flavored/carbonated beverages:
≤ 5 calories per 8 oz (or ≤ 10 cal per 20 oz) – 20 oz limit
≤ 40 calories per 8 oz (or ≤ 60 cal per 12 oz) – 12 oz limit

VII. Fundraisers

All fundraisers involving the sale of food and beverages on the school campus during the school day must be in full alignment with the competitive food nutrition standards outlined in this procedure. Washington state does not permit exemptions for fundraisers.

VIII. School Practices

A. Food as a Reward or Punishment

Food and beverages should not be used as a reward for academic performance or good behavior.
Food and beverages must not be withheld as a punishment.

B. Celebrations and Snacks

When using District funds:

Celebrations involving food are limited to no more than one per class per month.
Class parties should be held after the lunch period.
Snacks offered during the school day, in after-school programs, or at celebrations should meet Smart Snacks standards, emphasizing fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and items low in fat, sugar, and salt. Parents and volunteers should be encouraged to support these guidelines.

If not using District funds:

Encouraged to follow District policy and smart snack standards
All celebrations and class parties must occur after lunch at the respective school site.

Policy Cross References

Revisions

October 30, 2025
December 5, 2018

Adopted

June 18, 2014