September 9, 2005 -- Study Finds Most Schools Offer 'Competitive' Foods

Asked by Congress to come up with some hard data on the extent to which schools are offering students the opportunity to buy and eat foods not on the federal school lunch and breakfast menus, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said this week that in the 2003-2004 school year, 9 out of 10 U.S. schools sold competitive foods, ranging from nutritious items like fruit and milk to less nutritious items such as sodas and candy. High and middle schools were more likely than elementary schools to make competitive foods available, on a la carte lines in the cafeteria or in vending machines. Though school district officials commonly set overall policies for competitive food sales, decisions about specific sales were usually left to school food authority directors and principals. And those sales generated substantial revenues for schools, according to the GAO study - as much as $125,000 per school for some high schools. To compile its data, the GAO visited six school districts in California, Connecticut, Mississippi, Missouri, and South Caroline. The report, GAO-05-563, is available online at www.gao.gov/new.items/d05563.pdf.