According to new regulations, Rice Krispies would be banned from school cafeterias.

Nutritional regulations could make companies snap, crackle and pop

March 15, 2013 6:05 pm Published by Leave your thoughts

Yesterday on this blog, we discussed how grocery stores may soon struggle with new federal regulations that require them to post nutritional information for products prepared in their stores. According to the Wall Street Journal, though, it looks like larger food distributors will soon be facing similar frustrations.

Companies that count on supplying schools with their products for school lunches may be in for a rude awakening as new federal regulations crack down on what schools can legally sell to children. According to the report, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a new set of guidelines last month dictating what nutritional factors must be satisfied by foodstuffs in order for them to be allowed in school cafeterias.

The regulations, which fall under the umbrella of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 states that "The grain-based dessert items such as cookies, snack bars, pastries and cakes would likely be most impacted by the proposed grain, sugar, fat, and calorie standards. As currently packaged, many low-fat granola bars could be sold, while many cereal bars, cookies, and snack cakes currently contain too much sugar to meet the proposed standards," according to the WSJ. The news outlet included Rice Krispies, Fruit Roll-Ups, Doritos, Welch's Fruit Snacks and Smartfood white-cheddar popcorn as items that would vanish from cafeteria shelves.

Many of the country's largest food distributors are expected to fight the law, as such tight nutritional restrictions would slash sales numbers for many companies, especially those who rely on selling breakfast foods to schools. According to the report, frozen and fresh snacks that have water or fruit juice as the main ingredient are exempt from the regulations. However, companies that make more traditional snack foods will be hard pressed to make up the sales lost from the new legislation.

Local companies looking to make sure their products satisfy any new federal regulations are encouraged to seek out a Phoenix small business attorney.

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