Freshmen Tanya Esmiel and Jennifer Lance pose with food in the cafeteria.

Say goodbye to your Cheetos and Zebra Cakes. Any food sold by the school that is considered to be a side dish or snack cannot contain more than 200 calories.

Starting July 1, the USDA’s updated standard for all snack foods sold in schools will be implemented. The new standard, dubbed “Smart Snacks in School,” will substantially alter the food and snacks sold at the snack bar and in the vending machines.

“It’s a good idea to have more healthy options at school, but it is the students choice on what they eat,” sophomore Katie Hornsby said. “There should still be choices that are considered unhealthy.”

In addition to the calorie limit, snack items also have limits on sodium (<230 mg), sugar (<35% total weight), saturated fats (<10% calories), trans fats (<0.5 g) and total fats (<35% calories). This includes student favorites such as Rold Gold pretzels, Chex Mix, Frosted Doughnuts, Fritos and Sun Chips.

“Students may find they enjoy healthier snacks, especially if they are the only items they are offered to purchase,” Director of Food Services for Parkway Marlene Pfeiffer said.

For entrée items sold A la Carte, the limits are slightly more generous. They can contain no more than 350 calories and 480 mg of sodium. Also, fried foods sold A la Carte are no longer allowed. This means no more Chick-Fil-A, french fries, or Arby’s.

“I think a lot of what the students eat from school has to do with their environment. Depending on the social economics of their situation, or just the easier way to get the meal,” Parkway chef Dan Flick said. “Healthy food costs more to purchase and takes time to prepare. We are trying to show students the right way to eat at school and hopefully this will carry on when they leave.”

The new standards are likely to effect aspects outside of just student eating habits. The income generated from food sold is likely to be impacted negatively, and snack manufactures are looking to alter their ingredients to fit the new standards.

“Regulating and following through with these regulations will decrease PTO, club and sports sales of these ‘snack’ items to fund their projects and equipment needs. It will also decrease our working funds dramatically for the first year or two,” Pfeiffer said. “Many snack food items that students are willing to buy do not meet the USDA requirements.”

While this new set of standards might seem like the end of the world, they only restrict unhealthy food from being sold in school. If a student wants a fix of Cosmic Brownies, then they can bring them from home.

“I feel that we all need to have a healthier diet. Our society is stuck in a fast food rut. The healthier we eat, the better off we will be,” Flick said.