Ingredients for Snacks

At last! The snack list has been posted.  The list of elementary school snacks and their ingredients is on the district website at: http://www.northshore.k12.ny.us/Foodserviceinfo/2010SnackList/Oct-10-Approvedsnacklist.pdf.

 The "snacks" as we call them - a la carte dessert items sold at lunch -  include:

All Natural Baked Multigrain Sun Chips
Chocolate Chip Organic Z-bars
Stonyfield Farms Organic Strawberry Yogurt Push-up
Food Should Taste Good Multigrain Tortilla
Back to Nature Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Back to Nature Honey Graham Sticks
Snyders of Hanover: Nubblers (aka Pretzels)
Fresh Fruit

On the survey of parents last year regarding snacks, only 27% of parents supported selling the cookies we had at the time. These cookies may be better but it does not appear that parents want them and last year's district nutrition committee voted to get rid of them.  I'd argue the graham sticks are cookies, too.  Plus, do we want to teach small children that they should have dessert after lunch?

After the survey, the district nutrition committee's subcommittee on snacks developed the following guidelines:

"New Choose Sensibly Guidelines as of 3/10 for North Shore Schools"

Fat - 7 grams or less

Saturated Fat - 2 grams or less

Sodium - 200 mg or less

Sugar - 8 grams (added) or less

On the current list, the following violate the sugar standard:
 
Zbar (11g)
Honey Graham Sticks (9g)

The vanilla milk we sell a la carte also violates the sugar standard  by a wide margin.

I believe the snacks are ok with regard to saturated fat. Two snacks come close to the sodium guidelines but still pass:

Those Honey Graham sticks again (190mg)
Pretzels ("nibblers")  (200mg)

On the upside, there are some whole grains available (not the cookies or the pretzels). The snacks have  reasonable number of ingredients - not a laundry list of thins you don't want to eat - and are HFCS-free.  Please follow the link to the district's website, read hte ingredient and nutritional information and i fyou allow your kids to buy snacks, discuss with them what you're ok with.

Fruit is always nice.

Sara