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Objectives: We sought to determine the prevalence and distribution of state-level legislation regulating farm-to-school programmes throughout the United States of America (USA). The research is timely given national goals put forth by the Let's Move Campaign and the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act to reduce childhood obesity prevalence and improve access to local foods in schools by 2015. Design and methods: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Database of State Legislative and Regulatory Action to Prevent Obesity and Improve Nutrition and Physical Activity and the national Farm-to-School Network's database of legislation were used to conduct an online search of farm-to-school legislation in all 50 US states and the District of Columbia as of March 2012. Setting: Schools. Results: Our search identified a total of 43 bills (33 enacted bills, two pending bills, and eight vetoed or dead bills) that aimed to facilitate farm-to-school programmes. Of the enacted bills, their foci were described according to regional location and statewide or local impact, appropriation of funds, provision of other monetary incentives, establishment of a task force, and preference for purchasing local products. Conclusions: Given the successes of state-level laws regulating injury- and disease-related risk factors such as seatbelt and helmet use, tobacco use, and water fluoridation, we conclude that state-level legislation regulating dietary risk factors and, importantly, school nutrition environments may hold significant public health promise.

Background: Competitive foods are often available in school vending machines. Providing youth with access to school vending machines, and thus competitive foods, is of concern, considering the continued high prevalence of childhood obesity: competitive foods tend to be energy dense and nutrient poor and can contribute to increased energy intake in children and adolescents. Methods: To evaluate the relationship between school vending machine purchasing behavior and school vending machine access and individual-level dietary characteristics, we used population-level YouthStyles 2005 survey data to compare nutrition-related policy and behavioral characteristics by the number of weekly vending machine purchases made by public school children and adolescents (N = 869). Odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed using age- and race/ethnicity-adjusted logistic regression models that were weighted on age and sex of child, annual household income, head of household age, and race/ethnicity of the adult in study. Data were collected in 2005 and analyzed in 2008. Results: Compared to participants who did not purchase from a vending machine, participants who purchased [greater than or equal to] 3 days/week were more likely to (1) have unrestricted access to a school vending machine (OR = 1.71; 95% CI = 1.13-2.59); (2) consume regular soda and chocolate candy [greater than or equal to] 1 time/day (OR = 3.21; 95% CI = 1.87-5.51 and OR = 2.71; 95% CI = 1.34-5.46, respectively); and (3) purchase pizza or fried foods from a school cafeteria [greater than or equal to] 1 day/week (OR = 5.05; 95% CI = 3.10-8.22). Conclusions: Future studies are needed to establish the contribution that the school-nutrition environment makes on overall youth dietary intake behavior, paying special attention to health disparities between whites and nonwhites. (Contains 4 tables.)