Students running the store at Oak Harbor High School have been introducing new, healthier products they hope will not only be popular with their customers, but also meet the school district’s nutritional guidelines.

They have some time to eliminate junk food from the store’s shelves. When the nutrition policy was adopted last year, students were given three years to slowly stop junk food from being sold at the school.

Students are concerned, however, that they won’t find suitable alternatives for classmates who might continue to consume junk food at school that they bring in from outside, thereby hurting school store profits.

Replacing sugary and salty junk food isn’t always easy.

“It’s harder to come up with products to sell,” said junior Arianna O’Dell, who is one of the student managers of the store.

Students have introduced such healthful items as yogurt, health bars and string cheese. However, those items haven’t been as popular as the junk they replace. Many have to be tossed out when their expiration dates arrive.

In contrast, products such as ice cream, which does meet nutritional guidelines, and a fruit-based smoothie drink are popular with students.

“We try to find things students will buy and meet nutrition guidelines at the same time,” said junior Brittany Rickman, who also manages the student store.

The student store is important to the business-oriented DECA program at Oak Harbor High School. In addition to providing students with experience in running a business, store revenues also pay for student participation in state and regional DECA competitions. This allows the DECA program to operate without using money from the ASB fund.

When the school board adopted the policy against junk food, groups that relied on food sales for fund-raising had three years to implement the changes. The goal was to offer 30 percent healthy food the first year, 60 percent the second year and 100 percent the final year.

Eric Peterson, DECA teacher who oversees the student store, said the store is in the first year of changing its products to meet the nutrition requirements. Currently between 50 percent and 60 percent of the store’s offerings meet the school district’s nutritional guidelines. But when junk food is eliminated entirely, student groups could feel the pinch.

“It could create difficulties in the next couple of years,” Peterson said.

The new guidelines prompted some interesting changes to the store selection. Surprisingly, perhaps, Nutragrain bars don’t meet nutritional requirements while Ramen noodles do.

Peterson said the store’s sales are similar to last year, but it’s difficult to compare the two years because of a price increase to keep up with rising costs.

The student store isn’t the only student operation bracing for the end of sugary food and drink sales at the high school.

The school’s ASB relies on vending machine sales to raise money for events and programs.

The ASB will receive $19,293 this year from vending machine sales. That money helps the ASB put on events that benefit the entire student body. The ASB provides money for assemblies and events such as homecoming. The ASB also subsidized the rooters’ buses during the state football championship game. That allowed students a spot on the bus for a discounted fee. It also pays for a giant flag in the school’s gym and other items that benefit the student body.

ASB Advisor Starlette Casey said there hasn’t been a noticeable change in sales since more healthy options started appearing in vending machines.

However, she too is worried about what would happen with funding once the selection changes to even healthier fare. She said students may eat and drink the same things, but buy them elsewhere.

The vending machine sales make up a significant portion of the money the ASB receives each year. The ASB is monitoring the vending machine sales as the selection changes to include healthier items. If vending machine sales drop significantly, then Casey said the ASB would go through its $160,000 reserve quickly.