
Junk food is generally considered to be any food that has a very low nutritional value. Often this comes in conjunction with being high in calories and fat, as unusually high fat content can nutritionally counter balance any benefit from the product, like a thin dark chocolate coating on a fat-packed candy bar. The label of “junk food” is generally applied only to processed foods – chips, sodas, candies – though the term’s definition does not specifically limit its use.
Illinois has decided to apply the term more generally based on nutritional standards instead of labels. This is a much more practical way to determine what can or cannot be made available in schools than sorting through each potential food item individually. Recommended cutoffs are calories from fat exceeding 35% (excluding nuts and seeds), calories from saturated fat exceeding 10% and total calories exceeding 200 per package for individually packaged foods. This also means that foods that are generally accepted as non-junk food may not be permitted in schools due to high fat contents, though processed, lower-fat foods can still make their way in. Whole milk has made the list of unacceptable foods, with 150 calories and approximately 8 grams of fat per 8-ounce serving, more than half of which is saturated.