Nutritional impact of brand-name fast foods offered in the Indiana school lunch programs

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the nutritional impact of brand-name fast foods offered as part of reimbursable school lunches on students\u27 lunch intake. Two surveys were conducted to assess the current status of brand-name fast food use in the Indiana school lunch programs. Then, three separate studies were conducted to assess the impact of the brand-name fast foods on nutritional content of, consumption of, and participation in school lunches, respectively. Data were collected during the 1999/2000 school year in the state of Indiana. Secondary data were also utilized in the analysis, as appropriate. Use of brand-name fast foods in the Indiana school lunch programs was very limited in terms of the kinds and frequencies of the foods offered. The nutritional content of brand-name fast foods varied widely by kinds of foods as well as by brands. Overall, however, the total calories and percentages of calories from fat and saturated fat of brand-name fast foods offered in the Indiana school lunch programs did not distinctively differ from those of unbranded entrees prepared by Indiana schools. The brand-name fast foods contained higher amounts of sodium when compared with the same type of school-prepared foods. Elementary students tended to consume about the same amounts of foods, while high/secondary students tended to consume about the same proportions of foods whether the foods were brand-name fast foods or not. In the schools offering brand-name fast foods solely as part of school lunches, not as a-la-carte items, the average school lunch participation rate was significantly higher when brand-name fast foods were offered than when school-prepared entrees were offered. It was concluded that offering brand-name fast foods as part of reimbursable lunches in Indiana schools could compromise the nutritional quality of students\u27 lunch intake with respect to sodium content because of the excessive sodium content of the brand-name fast foods. On the other hand, offering brand-name fast foods is likely to improve the nutritional quality with respect to total energy, vitamin A, and calcium because of the positive impact on school lunch participation