New health and nutritional guidelines adopted by the state Department of Education will rid public school campuses statewide of candies, cookies, sodas and fatty foods and will even change what schools sell at fundraisers, officials said yesterday.

Over the next four years, schools will begin phasing out foods and drinks high in fat and sugar and will begin promoting more healthy food choices. In addition, schools are being asked to provide more opportunities for physical activity and nutrition education.

The new guidelines aren't expected to cause dramatic changes in the way school lunches are prepared. However, principals say they are likely to put a halt to popular food fundraisers and snack sales.

"Fundraisers are the biggest issue," said Justin Mew, principal of Niu Valley Middle School.

"We would now need to revisit what we sell," he said, adding that the school regularly sells cookies, breads and Portuguese sausages as fundraisers.

DOE Superintendent Patricia Hamamoto acknowledged that fundraisers, campus snack sales and vending machines are likely to be more affected, since modifications to school lunches will be slight.

"A lot of schools depend on that revenue stream," she said, adding that schools will have to explore other ways to raise money.

"Ultimately, at the end of the day, we're making decisions that benefit the students," she said.

Hamamoto said the wellness guidelines are aimed at instilling life-long healthy habits in students by providing healthier food choices and increasing opportunities for physical activity in all of Hawai'i's public schools.

The state's new wellness guidelines are in response to a federal mandate requiring all schools participating in the National School Lunch Program to establish and implement policies that promote healthy choices.

Hawai'i's wellness guidelines have specific nutritional standards, which include low saturated fat, no trans fat, low sugar and high fiber foods. The guidelines also place an emphasis on promoting breakfast as well as healthy snacks. In addition, the guidelines address physical fitness.

Schools will have until June 2011 to put all components of the guidelines in place. But many schools are already reporting at least partial compliance with the guidelines.

'OBESITY IS A CONCERN'

At Kalani High School, sodas and sugary drinks are virtually impossible to find. Vending machines are almost entirely filled with bottled water; some include 100 percent fruit juice.

"It's about what is best for the kids," said Laura Ahn, vice principal at Kalani High School. "Obesity is a concern and we need to establish the healthy habits at the school level."

Ahn said many of the changes will happen outside the cafeteria. Pizza parties, candies and other kinds of incentives will have to come to an end.

"A lot of our concern is with the fundraising," she said. "As a school, we're not selling candies or Portuguese sausage, but our athletic teams do. So we're going to have to find different ways of fundraising."

Popular fundraising vendor School Kine Cookies is already working on modifying its product to adhere to the new wellness guidelines.

But vice president Shiela Gold said her worry is that some school principals will put an end entirely to food fundraisers.

"It's hard when you've been doing something for a long time and something new comes along," Gold said.

Gold said School Kine Cookies, which have been in schools for more than a decade, do not include additives, preservatives, margarine or trans fat. The company said its product is nearly compliant with the wellness guidelines and is working to meet one last criteria.

Niu Valley Middle School principal Mew said he has already contacted fundraising vendors to encourage them to modify their products to meet the new standards.

Mew pointed out that schools have four years to implement the guidelines, which will give them time to phase out fundraisers that don't meet the new rules. It will also give fundraising vendors time to modify their product.

The new guidelines also include a physical activity component. All students must have at least 20 minutes a day of supervised recess, during which time schools are required to encourage moderate to vigorous physical activity.

The state recommends, but does not require, the following minutes of physical education per week: 45 for kindergarten to third grade; 55 for fourth and fifth grade; 109 for sixth grade at an elementary school; and 200 for grade six to 12.

High school students must complete two semesters of physical education to graduate.

HEALTHIER CHOICES

Lauren Watanabe, a sophomore at Kalani, said students aren't likely to enthusiastically embrace the new food restrictions.

Watanabe says she tends to eat healthy, opting to bring her own fruit from home rather than snacking on candy. But she's in the minority.

"Eventually, I think we'll appreciate that it is helping us create a healthier lifestyle," Watanabe said.

She also admitted that students can still opt for the unhealthy snacks while not at school.

But that's something officials say they hope will change. By offering healthy food options at school, officials believe it will promote healthier choices at home.

"Healthy schools promote healthy students," said Dr. Chiyome Fukino, director of the state Department of Health.

Fukino said an alarming 70 percent of high school students do not engage in regular physical activity. Also, about 25 percent of students entering kindergarten in Hawai'i are overweight or obese.

"We cannot do this alone," Fukino said. She urged parents, fundraising vendors, food vendors and the general community to help promote healthy choices for students.

School lunches have already been moving in the direction of healthier menus and aren't expected to change dramatically, said Glenna Owen, director of the DOE's school food services branch.

"This year, we've already laid the foundation for the changes that are to come," Owens said.

For instance, breakfast items — pancakes, waffles, French toast — have all changed to whole wheat. Salads are now made with at least half of romaine lettuce, as opposed to majority iceberg lettuce.

"For rice, the current ratio we have is 25 percent brown to 75 percent white. Next year it will change to 50-50 ... ," she said.

Rolls will also change to include 50 percent whole wheat.

Kalani High food service manager Brenda Nagasawa said the school has already begun to incorporate some of those changes in school lunches.

"We're encouraging kids to take more than one serving of fruits and vegetables," Nagasawa said.

Nagasawa said she intends to use nutrition handouts and brochures in the cafeteria to educate students about eating healthy.

"Hopefully this is something they can take home and use in their everyday life," she said.