The Plymouth Community School Corporation is updating some of its food service guidelines. The nutritional standards approved by the school board Tuesday deal with food and drinks that are sold to students during school, but aren’t part of the official school lunch or school breakfast program. That includes items sold à la carte or in school vending machines.
Specifically, that food will have to be rich in whole grain; have a fruit, vegetable, dairy, or protein product as its first ingredient; or be a combination food with at least one-fourth cup of fruit or vegetables. So-called “entrée items” are limited to 350 calories, 480 milligrams of sodium, and no trans fat. Snacks and à la carte items have tighter restrictions.
Beverages are limited to water or up to eight-ounce containers of milk, fruit juice, or vegetable juice, while 12-ounce containers are allowed at the middle-school level. The policy also allows 12-ounce containers of low-calorie beverages or 20-ounce containers of no-calorie beverages to be sold at the high school.
