Act Allows Region 15 to Continue Selling Snacks

The Region 15 Board of Education unanimously approved an act Monday that will allow the region to continue selling foods that do not meet Connecticut nutritional standards on school grounds.

The act, Public Act 06-63: An Act Concerning Healthy Food and Beverages in Schools, certifies that all food items sold to students separately from reimbursable meals will not meet the Connecticut Nutrition Standards.

Region 15 currently complies with all Connecticut nutrition standards regarding reimbursable meals. Reimbursable meals are considered any meal the schools sells to children during the school day.

If the region had agreed to terminate the sale of all foods not up to standard, it would have ended the sale of all candy, brownies, donuts, etc. sold at sporting events or through fundraisers.

To entice schools to become completely under the nutritional standards, Connecticut offers to reimburse $.10 per meal sold during the school day. According to the board the money the region would gain from this offer would not equate to what they would lose if they were to stop selling foods that don’t meet standards on school grounds.  

Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story said with the passing of the act Region 15 would not be allowed to sell foods that do not meet Connecticut nutrition standards at anytime, which is incorrect.