New Jersey is School Nutrition Leader

New Jersey is School Nutrition Leader

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recognized New Jersey for its accomplishments in improving nutrition for young people. The CDC identified New Jersey as one of the 10 best states in the percentage of secondary schools that did not sell unhealthy food and beverages from vending machines or at a school store, canteen or snack bar in 2008. CDC collected the information from the 50 states in its 2008 School Health Profiles Survey. The School Health Profiles is a system of surveys conducted every two years to assess school health policies and practices in states, large urban school districts, and territories. Through the enactment of state law and regulations, schools are banned from selling junk food to students. State regulations require all New Jersey public and private schools that participate in federally funded child nutrition programs to adopt, at a minimum, the New Jersey School Nutrition / Wellness Policy. Information on the policy can be found at: http://www.nj.gov/agriculture/divisions/fn/childadult/school_model.html State law requires all public schools, including schools that do not participate in the federal programs, to follow the standards as stated in the policy. In addition to regulations governing the district-wide wellness policy, New Jersey maintains rigorous state academic standards for Comprehensive Health and Physical Education, which require districts to incorporate nutrition education and physical activity into the local curriculum. As part of the state’s ongoing commitment to prevention and education, the standards were updated and readopted by the State Board of Education in June 2009.

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