About Bag the Junk

Bag the Junk is an informational website to support the NEA Health Information Network’s Healthier School Food Advocacy project. The Healthier School Food Advocacy project is a national initiative to improve the nutritional quality of snack foods and beverages sold in school vending machines, cafeteria à la carte lines, school stores and fundraisers. These foods and beverages are collectively known as “competitive foods” because they compete with school meals for students’ spending.

Many schools sell a wide variety of junk foods and sugary drinks to students and research shows that students eat less of their lunch, consume more fat, take in fewer nutrients and gain weight when schools sell such unhealthy fare outside of meals. Experts are calling for strong nutrition standards for competitive foods to help ensure all students are well-fed and prepared to learn.

The overall goal of the Bag the Junk website is to provide the school community with information and resources to help them act as informed champions for healthy snack foods and beverages in schools.

Support for this website was provided by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.