Smart Snacks & Competitive Foods

Healthy Snacks at School: PUSD FOOD SERVICES

At Paradise Unified School District, we want to help our students grow up healthy, happy, and ready to learn. Because of this, all foods and drinks sold to students during the school day must meet special healthy standards. These rules come from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the California Department of Education (CDE).

When do these rules apply?

These rules apply to any food or drink sold to students on any school campus from midnight before school starts until 30 minutes after the final bell rings.

This includes items sold in:

Vending machines
Student stores
Cafeteria snack lines
School fundraisers held during the day

🥗 Snack and Food Rules

Before a snack can be sold at school, it must pass two checks: The Main Ingredient Check and The Nutrition Check.

1. The Main Ingredient Check

The snack must be a healthy food first. The very first ingredient listed on the food package must be one of these:

A fruit
A vegetable
A dairy product (like cheese or yogurt)
A protein food (like nuts or seeds)
Whole grain (like whole-wheat or brown rice)

2. The Nutrition Check

Snacks also have limits on sugar, salt, and fat to keep them truly healthy.

Calories: Snacks must be 175 calories or less for elementary students, and 200 calories or less for middle and high school students. (Main meals like a la carte entrées can be up to 400 calories).
Sugar: Sugar cannot make up more than 35% of the snack's total weight.
Salt (Sodium): Snacks cannot have more than 200 mg of sodium.
Fats: The snack must be low in bad fats and have 0 grams of trans fat.

🚫 State Safety Rule: California does not allow any school snacks to contain certain chemical ingredients or artificial colors, including Red Dye 3.

🥤 Drink Rules

We want to make sure students stay hydrated with healthy options. The drinks allowed at school depend on the student's age:

For Elementary and Middle Schools:

Water: Plain water (flat or sparkling) with no added sugar or flavors.
Milk: Low-fat (1%) plain milk, or fat-free milk (plain or flavored) in an 8-ounce size or smaller.
Juice: 100% fruit or vegetable juice with no added sugar in an 8-ounce size or smaller.

For High Schools:

High schoolers can have the same healthy options listed above, but in larger sizes (up to 12 ounces). They are also allowed to buy:

Diet or Low-Calorie Drinks: Low-calorie flavored waters or sports drinks (under 40 calories per serving).

🛠️ Wondering if a snack is allowed?

Before buying inventory for a student store or planning a school fundraiser, you can check if a snack is compliant! Use the free online Calculator. You just type in the numbers from the snack's nutrition label, and it will tell you "Yes" or "No."

For questions, please contact the Paradise Unified Food Services Office. We are always happy to help!