Pizza and other products sold at the after-school snack bar may not be offered later this year and next year due to a new federal nutrition memorandum.

The United States Department of Agriculture put out an initiative last June called “Smart Snacks in Schools,” which is part of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. The program regulates what foods and beverages can be sold to students 30 minutes after school ends and makes sure they are nutritious. This includes the Parent Teacher Student Association’s (PTSA) snack bar, other fundraisers such as bake sales done by school clubs and RHSa�� vending machines.

“Smart Snacks” was not supposed to be applied until the 2014-2015 school year, but MCPS officials decided to get a head-start on the program by beginning it this year. The PTSA did not get the memo until Sept. 5, when Principal Billie-Jean Bensen received an email from the MCPS Division of Food and Nutrition Services explaining the federal regulation.

By that time, the RHS PTSA had already made a pizza order for the beginning of the year and stocked up on other regular items to do business as usual.

The PTSA was not warned about the initiative with enough time to plan for the current year’s snack bar sales. They fear that if the program is starteda��it has not officially been made a law yeta��”Smart Snacks” will significantly decrease the PTSA’s income. The snack bar may even have to close, PTSA member and snack bar coordinator Konni Brantner said, if students are not interested in the healthy options.

“I understand the desire to have healthier kids and to help stamp out obesity. But I don’t think it’s fair to insist that after-school activities follow these strict regulations,” Brantner said. “In school, that’s one thing. But this is on their free time, with their own money.”

Before they knew about the regulations, the PTSA tried selling more nutritious options along with the usual products at RHSa�� summer school program.

Students, apparently, did not bite. The “healthier” choices were ignored and the PTSA was left with unwanted items such as applesauce and pretzels.

Although it is not ideal, the unhealthiest options are also the most popular. If “Smart Snacks” is initiated, pizza, Ramen noodles, muffins and Gatorade, which bring in the most sales, will not meet the new standards.

Junior Chris Reed has been volunteering at the snack bar since his freshman year. “The funds will take a large nose dive, which means less money going into the school to fund programs,” Reed said.

In addition to the snack bar, bake sales and other fundraisers involving food will be restricted. Echoes, RHSa�� literary magazine, has had trouble raising money in the past, according to Reed, who was previously a member and is planning to participate again. The group’s bake sales are a big part of its yearly finances.

Some students, such as sophomore Saundra Locure are looking forward to the changes. “We should have milk and other healthy foods [at the snack bar] because it gives us more of a choice and prepares us to make better decisions when we move on to college,” she said.

The goal of “Smart Snacks” is to promote “a school environment that promotes physical and nutritional health by teaching and modeling healthy behavior that fosters academic success,” according to an MCPS regulation form.

However, the overall reaction to the new federal standards is negative. “I wouldn’t buy anything if the snack bar [regulations] changed,” freshman Allison DiFonzo said. The PTSA fears that if student satisfaction is not maintained, little to no revenue will be collected.

“Given some time, there may be a way to get food that kids would eat that is also healthy, but … we don’t have the hours and hours and hours to go research all the nutrition and all the ingredients on all the snacks we buy,” Brantner said.