Starting July 1, 2014 the school will be offering healthier food options. The new federal rule titled ‘Nutrition Standards for All Foods Sold in School’, which is set up by the United States Department of Agriculture, specifies nutrition standards for all food sold in school. For example, snacks and side dishes must have 200 or less calories. The rule excludes food sold at concession stands during games, but will especially hurt groups that rely on bake sales for fundraising.

“I don’t know how to work around this… You’re going to have to make whatever you sell fit into this nutritional standard… It’s going to be a learning curve for all of us,” librarian Debi O’Brien says of how the rules will affect fundraising, like Cappuccino Days.

However, Associate Principal Mike Rasmussen, who is in charge of fundraising, says groups may still be able to have bake sales, just not as many.

“Right now we are moving along as we always have and we can still have these types of fundraising activities. It’s just the number of activities that we can have,” Rasmussen said.

As it gets closer to the beginning of the next school year, the school and cafeteria will have more information about the changes. Even though these new rules may upset students and create fundraising problems, both O’Brien and Rasmussen understand the concerns for healthier foods.

“I’m on board with it. This is obviously a place where we’d like young people to be at their best and food is an element of that. I mean, what you eat when you’re out and about is your prerogative, but it makes sense that if you’re in an educational environment that we need to make sure that we have foods that are suitable to promote a healthy lifestyle,” Rasmussen said.