Why Groups can Sell Beef Jerky at School

Why beef jerky is a smart snack.

To be able to do food fundraisers on school campuses, certain nutritional standards must be met. An increasing emphasis is placed on healthier alternatives as students are offered school lunches with more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

The 'Smart Snacks in School' standards aim to help ensure that students are offered tasty and nutritional foods at school. Many have wondered if beef jerky meets those requirements. Some brands might. People's Choice beef jerky has been around since 1929 and is well known for producing healthier beef jerky options. For example, their 'Carne Seca' line contains no soy, gluten, carbs, nitrates, sugars, preservatives, or MSG. One example of this is their Hatch Green Chile Beef Jerky. Your group may be able to sell beef jerky like this during school hours as a fundraiser. But we recommend first checking with your school district to make sure.

Specific Nutritional Guidelines

The nutritional standards for foods sold on campus during school hours are particular. One of the requirements is that the first ingredient can be a protein food. However, the calories must also be limited to 200 or less. Additional nutrient requirements include:

• Sodium intake must be limited to 230 mg* or less.
• Total fat can only be 35% or less of the caloric intake.
• Saturated fat has to be less than 10% of the total calories.
• There can be no trans-fat.
• Sugar is also limited to 35% or less of the weight of total sugars in foods.

*On July 1, 2016, snack items must contain 200 mg of sodium or less per item.

'Original Beef Jerky' meets all current nutritional standards.

The Impact on In-School Fundraisers

The sale of food items that meet the nutritional requirements is not restricted. The standards don't apply during non-school hours, weekends, or off-campus events. Thus any food can be sold under these circumstances. However, offering food products that can also be sold on campus during school hours can greatly enhance buying opportunities because students can sell to teachers, staff, and each other.

See our beef jerky fundraisers.

Author Bio

Clay Boggess has been designing fundraising programs for schools and various nonprofit organizations throughout the US since 1999. He’s helped administrators, teachers, and outside support entities such as PTAs and PTOs raise millions of dollars. Clay is an owner and partner at Big Fundraising Ideas.