Michigan State Parks Want Healthier Food Choices

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State parks are great places to get active and enjoy the outdoors, but junk food sold at state parks can send mixed messages.

The Michigan Environmental Council recently partnered with the Healthy Kids, Healthy Michigan coalition to study how easy it is to get healthy foods in state parks and whether visitors want them.

The study found that while many visitors would like to have healthier options, the current options in vending machines, concession stands, and at camp stores are far from healthy. In fact, 86% of the snacks at concession stands were in the lowest nutritional quality category and only 1% were of high nutritional value.

The study also found that soft drinks were 63% of the the less-healthy options in the machines. Water represented 41% of the healthy options available.

Three of the state parks’ vendor contracts will expire this fall, said Jason Fleming, acting chief of Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources’ resource management section. The department will require of new contractors that a minimum of 33 percent of the products available for sale follow the healthy food standards set by the National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity.

Read more about the study and future goals.