Food Sales That Must Comply with HFC

 

HFC districts must ensure that all foods available for sale to students on school premises (separately from reimbursable meals) comply with the Connecticut Nutrition Standards (CNS). Exemptions are allowed only for food sales that meet the exemption criteria of the state HFC statute. Food sales must also comply with other applicable federal and state laws for food in schools (refer to the CSDE's resource, Overview of Federal and State Laws for Competitive Foods in Connecticut Public Schools, Private Schools, and Residential Child Care Institutions). 

• Sale means the exchange of a determined amount of money or its equivalent (such as tickets, coupons, tokens, and similar items) for foods and beverages. Sales also include programs and activities that charge a fee that includes the cost of foods and beverages provided to students, and activities that suggest a student donation in exchange for foods and beverages. Under Connecticut’s statutes and regulations for competitive foods, sales also include tickets and similar items that are given to students (such as food rewards) and can be exchanged for foods and beverages.

All Sources of Food Sales Must Comply with CNS

Some common sources of food sales to students include a la carte sales in school cafeterias (foods sold separately from reimbursable meals), school stores, vending machines, fundraisers, and culinary programs. Other examples are listed below. 

• A la carte sales in other CNPs, such as the Seamless Summer Option (SSO) of the NSLP and the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) operated by the board of education (BOE) on school premises (Note: A la carte sales are not common in these CNPs.)
• Adult education programs operated by the BOE, if the food and beverage sales are under the control of the adult education program (refer to Requirements for Selling Foods and Beverages in Adult Education Programs)
• Afterschool programs and activities (e.g., enrichment programs, extracurricular classes, tutoring sessions, and student clubs) that sell foods/beverages or charge a fee that includes the cost of foods/beverages
• Classroom parties and celebrations that sell foods/beverages or charge a fee that includes the cost of foods/beverages
• Clubs, organizations, and similar groups (e.g., booster clubs and parent-teacher organizations) that sell foods/beverages or charge a fee that includes the cost of foods/beverages
• Family resource centers that sell foods/beverages or charge a fee that includes the cost of foods/beverages
• Programs and meetings that sell foods/beverages or charge a fee that includes the cost of foods/beverages
• Recipient schools under interschool agreements with a sponsoring NSLP district
• School celebrations that sell foods/beverages or charge a fee that includes the cost of foods/beverages
• Sports competitions (e.g., games, matches, and tournaments) that do not meet the exemption criteria of the state HFC statute; 
• Summer school programs (e.g., enrichment or exploratory) operated by the BOE 
• Vendors on school premises, e.g., food service management companies (FSMCs), food trucks, caterers, online and mobile food delivery companies, and other outside entities that sell foods/beverages or charge a fee that includes the cost of foods/beverages
• Any other programs, organizations, and activities that sell foods and beverages to students on school premises or charge a fee to cover the cost of foods and beverages provided to students. 

This list is not all-inclusive. All food sales to students from all sources on school premises must comply with the CNS.