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Balanced Beverage Guidelines Putting Principles Into Practice in Schools Across America- A Response to IOM

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    

Contacts:
Tracey Halliday 
(202) 463-6718

Jennifer Tzitzon
(202) 463-6705

BALANCED BEVERAGE GUIDELINES PUTTING PRINCIPLES INTO PRACTICE IN SCHOOLS ACROSS AMERICA

By focusing on calories, initiative brings to life goals outlined by Institute of Medicine

WASHINGTON – The beverage industry, teaming up with the American Heart Association and William J. Clinton Foundation through the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, is already putting into practice the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) call for improved school nutrition by working to implement a balanced, science-backed beverage initiative in schools across America.

The beverage industry welcomes the IOM report on “Nutrition Standards for Foods in Schools” as an opportunity to highlight its work changing the product mix in schools through the School Beverage Guidelines. The guidelines provide for only water, 100 percent juice and low-fat milk for younger students, with the addition of a broader range of low-calorie, nutritious and functional beverage choices for high school students. The guidelines cut calories and control portion sizes, which includes removing full-calorie soft drinks from all schools and capping portions for 100 percent juice and low-fat milk at all levels and light juices and sports drinks in high schools.

“The IOM report puts an important focus on school nutrition, and we agree,” said Susan Neely, president and chief executive officer of the American Beverage Association (ABA). “In fact, our industry is already changing the mix of products in schools across America to cut calories and control portion sizes. We’re ahead of the curve with our balanced School Beverage Guidelines.”

The School Beverage Guidelines strike the right balance for students. A Public Opinion Strategies survey of 700 parents showed that 82 percent of parents supported the guidelines, while a significant majority supports each of the beverages allowed in high schools. The guidelines are earning praise from health professionals as well.

“The guidelines are strongly supported by parents because they reflect how families really live and the moderation parents want for their children,” Neely said.

The School Beverage Guidelines were developed in May 2006 by the American Beverage Association, Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages, The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a joint initiative of the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation. The guidelines were developed using nutrition science, including the American Heart Association’s Dietary Guidelines for Healthy Children and 2006 Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations.

For the past year, the beverage industry has been working toward full implementation by the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year. Much of the first year has been spent with efforts to reformulate products, develop new packaging, retrofit machines, train company employees on making the transition at schools in their areas, and work with schools and school districts to change the product mix. These are all very time-consuming endeavors as companies work to make changes in more than 120,000 schools and school districts throughout the country.

“The School Beverage Guidelines are very much a national initiative, as our companies are working with all their schools to bring about change,” Neely said. “We teamed with the American Heart Association and Clinton Foundation to create guidelines that recognize the unique educational setting of schools and contribute to teaching children how to live a balanced lifestyle through diet and exercise.”

The IOM, beverage industry and Alliance for a Healthier Generation share much in common in their approach to beverages in schools, agreeing on the beverage mix from kindergarten through middle school. In high school, however, the guidelines provide for more choices for teenage students.

Neely said the industry is making sure those choices for high school students are low-calorie, nutritious and packaged in smaller portions. This gives students choice and reinforces efforts by schools to teach students the importance of a balanced diet and exercise.

“I think it’s good to have a variety of beverages in high schools for teenagers to choose from and also provide education so they get their nutrients,” said Dr. Christine Williams, professor of clinical pediatrics and director of the Children’s Cardiovascular Health Center in the Department of Pediatrics at Columbia University. Dr. Williams works with children who have weight challenges. “Moderation and variety are key things to a healthy diet.”

Neely stressed that the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and American beverage industry have created a strong model for addressing the foods and beverages sold in schools. The ABA looks forward to working further with the IOM and policy-makers in their efforts to address nutrition in schools.

“The bottom line is the School Beverage Guidelines are common sense, supported by science, backed by parents and responsive to concerns about nutrition in schools,” Neely said. “And, they’re already being implemented nationally. We’re making it happen in our schools.”

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The American Beverage Association is the trade association representing the broad spectrum of companies that manufacture and distribute non-alcoholic beverages in the United States.

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SCHOOL BEVERAGE GUIDELINES

Our School Beverage Guidelines provide the following beverages:

Elementary Schools

• Bottled water
• Up to 8 ounce servings of milk and 100% juice
  • Fat-free or low-fat regular and flavored milk and nutritionally equivalent (per USDA) milk alternatives with up to 150 calories/ 8 ounces*
  • 100% juice with no added sweeteners, up to 120 calories / 8 ounces, and with at least 10% of the recommended daily value for three or more vitamins and minerals

Middle School

• Same as elementary school, except juice and milk may be sold in 10 ounce servings
• As a practical matter, if middle school and high school students have shared access to areas on a common campus or in common buildings, then the school community has the option to adopt the high school standard

High School

• Bottled water
• No- or low-calorie beverages with up to 10 calories / 8 ounces
• Up to 12 ounce servings of milk, 100% juice and certain other drinks
  • Fat-free or low-fat regular and flavored milk and nutritionally equivalent (per USDA) milk alternatives with up to 150 calories / 8 ounces*
  • 100% juice with no added sweeteners, up to 120 calories / 8 ounces, and with at least 10% of the recommended daily value for three or more vitamins and minerals
  • Other drinks with no more than 66 calories / 8 ounces
• At least 50% of non-milk beverages must be water and no- or low-calorie options

* In recognition of the currently limited availability of flavored milk with less than 150 calories / 8 oz and the importance of milk’s natural nutrients in children’s diets, flavored milk with up to 180 calories / 8 oz will be allowed under these guidelines until August 31, 2008 so long as schools attempt to buy the lowest calorie flavored milk available to them. Because of unique CA state milk regulations, the calorie limit for fat-free and low fat flavored milk in CA schools is 180 calories / 8 oz with a transition period until August 31, 2008 that allows 210 calories / 8 oz.

Time of Day

• All beverages sold on school grounds during the regular and extended school day.
• The extended school day includes before and after school activities like clubs, yearbook, band, student government, drama and childcare/latchkey programs.
• These guidelines do not apply to school-related events where parents and other adults are part of an audience or are selling beverages as boosters during intermission, as well as immediately before or after an event. Examples of these events include school plays and band concerts.