Will Classroom Bake Sales Be Banned By New Government Nutrition Regulations?

Stricter school nutrition standards set into motion by first lady Michelle Obama will be implemented nationwide starting in the 2017/18 school year.The standards, approved this summer by the USDA, will require any school that is participating in the federal school lunch program to observe the standards not just in the lunchroom, but with any food or drinks served on school grounds. This would ostensibly include school bake sales, birthday classroom cupcakes, and pizza party rewards.

Currently only 13 percent of school districts nationwide outright ban teachers from rewarding students with food, but 25 percent discourage the practice, according to The New York Times. One solution for traditional school fundraisers and in-classroom parties would be to make use of healthier snacks that can be bought from vending machines instead of homemade treats whose nutritional content is unknown.

"Many will use Smart Snacks because that's what they're used to," Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest told The New York Times.