Chad Trivette

At every school game, community event, tournament, concert, and family night, there is a small place with a bigger influence than we often realize: the concession stand.

It may look simple. A refrigerator. A counter. A few shelves. A few posters. A line of students, parents, grandparents, coaches, and neighbors waiting between games. But that small space sends a message. It tells children what we celebrate. It tells families what is normal. It tells the community whether health is something we talk about only in classrooms and clinics, or something we actually build into everyday life.

A Concession Stand Makeover Initiative is not about taking away joy. It is not about banning every treat. It is not about making school events feel strict, joyless, or unrealistic. It is about something much more practical and much more hopeful. It is about making the healthy choice easier to see, easier to afford, and easier to choose.

Because when a student is thirsty after a game, water should not be hidden behind soda. When a parent is buying a snack for a child, healthier options should not be invisible. When a community gathers to cheer for its young people, the environment should reflect the same values we say we believe in: health, energy, confidence, learning, and care for the next generation.

The need is real. Childhood and adolescent health are public health issues, school issues, family issues, and community issues. CDC data show that about 1 in 5 children and adolescents in the United States have obesity, and obesity in childhood is associated with increased risk for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, breathing problems, joint problems, anxiety, depression, and lower self esteem. These are not abstract concerns. They affect classrooms, families, sports participation, mental health, and long term opportunity.

Food environments matter because people do not make choices in a vacuum. Children and families are influenced by what is visible, what is convenient, what is affordable, and what is promoted. The CDC notes that schools can influence children’s food choices and eating habits by ensuring that available food and beverage options help young people meet dietary recommendations for fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low fat dairy.

That is why concession stands matter. A concession stand is not just a place where food is sold. It is a health environment. It is a learning environment. It is a community environment. If posters only promote soda, candy, and junk food, then the message is clear. If candy is placed at eye level at the counter, impulse buying becomes easier. If water costs more than soda, the community is quietly discouraging the healthier choice. If healthier foods are available but hidden, then technically offering them is not enough.

A makeover would change the environment without shaming anyone. It would replace junk food advertising with posters that show healthy options available at the stand. It would place water and healthier drinks in the most visible part of the refrigerator. It would move candy and sugary snacks away from the counter so they are not the first thing children see when they pay. It would price water lower than soda so hydration becomes the easiest choice. It would add appealing options such as fruit cups, yogurt, trail mix, whole grain snacks, popcorn with less salt, turkey wraps, grilled items, low sugar drinks, and other realistic foods that families might actually buy.

Research supports this direction. The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends school based interventions that increase the availability of healthier foods and beverages. Its systematic review found sufficient evidence that these approaches can increase fruit and vegetable consumption and reduce or maintain the prevalence of obesity or overweight. The same review also describes strategies such as placing healthier foods and beverages more prominently, pricing healthier foods and beverages at lower costs, setting up fruit and vegetable displays, offering taste tests, and providing healthy eating learning opportunities.

Pricing matters too. A systematic review of food pricing strategies found that discounts on healthier foods and beverages were commonly used across intervention studies and can influence purchasing behavior. That matters because families often make quick decisions at the point of purchase. If water is cheaper than soda, and if healthier options are easy to see, the stand is no longer just selling food. It is shaping the choice architecture in a healthier direction.

There is also evidence from the exact setting this idea targets. A pilot study of healthy foods at high school concession stands found that new healthier items made up 9.2 percent of total revenue, sales of some new items increased with each game, and the healthier makeover did not reduce student satisfaction while improving parent satisfaction. That is important because one of the biggest fears is that healthier options will hurt sales or make people unhappy. This study suggests that a thoughtful approach can support both health and satisfaction.

The first step is a needs assessment. Schools, community centers, sports leagues, booster clubs, parent groups, and health partners could look at what is currently being sold, how items are priced, what is displayed, where drinks are placed, what sells well, and what families say they would buy. The goal is not to embarrass anyone. It is to understand the current environment and identify simple changes that could make a difference.

The assessment should ask practical questions. Is water easy to see? Is water cheaper than soda? Are healthy snacks available? Are healthier items promoted with signs or hidden behind other products? Is candy placed directly at the register? Are students seeing posters for soda and junk food instead of healthier options? Do volunteers know which healthier options are available? Are there allergies, cultural preferences, or budget concerns that need to be considered? What items can be added without creating waste or losing money?

The second step is partnership. This initiative would work best when it is done with people, not to people. School administrators, athletic directors, booster clubs, concession stand volunteers, coaches, parent organizations, student leaders, school nurses, health teachers, local public health staff, hospitals, clinics, dietitians, local grocers, farmers markets, restaurants, community centers, and youth sports organizations could all play a role.

Health departments could help provide nutrition guidance, posters, training materials, and evaluation support. Hospitals and clinics could support the effort as part of community benefit, prevention, or child health initiatives. Local businesses could sponsor water discounts, refrigerator signage, healthy snack pilots, or new display materials. Grocery stores could help identify affordable healthy products. Farmers markets or local growers could help with seasonal fruit. Students could help design posters, test taste options, and promote the new choices.

This is where the initiative becomes more than a food project. It becomes a community partnership for health.

Schools and community centers should not have to carry this alone. Many concession stands are operated by volunteers. Many raise money for teams, activities, clubs, or programs. Those funds matter. A strong initiative would respect that reality. The goal should not be to reduce revenue. The goal should be to maintain or improve revenue while making healthier options more visible and appealing.

That is why training and support are important. Concession stand workers and volunteers could receive a simple guide explaining how product placement affects choices, why water should be visible, how to talk about healthy options without judging anyone, and how to track which items sell. They do not need a complicated nutrition course. They need practical tools that work on a busy Friday night.

The design should be simple and positive. A poster could say, “Fuel Up for the Game,” and show water, fruit, whole grain snacks, and protein options. Another could say, “Hydrate First,” with water placed at the top of the cooler. Another could say, “Healthy Choices Help Students Play, Learn, and Grow.” The language should inspire, not shame. No child should feel judged for wanting a treat. No parent should feel criticized. The message should be that healthier choices belong here too.

Strategic product placement is one of the easiest changes. Put water on the top shelf of the refrigerator. Put healthier drinks at eye level. Put fruit or healthier snacks near the front. Move candy away from the payment counter. Use signs that make healthier items easy to identify. Bundle healthier options together, such as water plus popcorn or fruit plus a sandwich. Create a “student athlete fuel pack” or “family healthy snack combo.” These small changes can make the healthier option feel normal, visible, and convenient.

Affordability may be the most powerful part of the initiative. If soda is cheaper than water, the message is backwards. Water should be the most affordable drink at the stand. Schools and community centers could set water at a lower price than soda, seek local sponsorship to subsidize water, or offer a refill station where possible. The goal is simple: do not make families pay more to make the healthier choice.

This initiative also creates educational opportunities. Health classes could discuss how food marketing works. Students could study pricing, product placement, and nutrition. Business classes could analyze sales data before and after the makeover. Graphic design students could create posters. Student councils could survey classmates. Nursing, public health, and health science students could help create campaigns. Athletes could help promote hydration and better fueling. Instead of health education living only in a textbook, the concession stand becomes a real world classroom.

The initiative can also support Community Health Assessments and Community Health Improvement Plans. Many health departments identify nutrition, physical activity, obesity prevention, diabetes prevention, youth wellness, and chronic disease prevention as priorities. A concession stand makeover gives them a concrete local action they can measure. They can track how many sites participate, how many healthy options are added, whether water sales increase, whether families notice the changes, and whether partnerships grow.

This matters for rural communities. In small towns and rural areas, school events may be some of the most important community gatherings of the week. The concession stand at a game or community center may reach families who are not attending health workshops or reading public health reports. A rural concession stand makeover can be low cost, visible, and locally owned. It can involve students, parents, local grocers, farms, hospitals, clinics, extension offices, and civic groups. It can make health feel like part of community pride.

It matters in urban communities too. In cities, families may attend large school events, recreation leagues, community center activities, tournaments, and neighborhood programs. Healthy options may exist somewhere in the city, but not always where families gather. A concession stand makeover can help bring healthier choices directly into youth spaces. It can also support equity by making water and healthier snacks affordable, visible, and available in places where children already spend time.

The benefits are broad. Students benefit because healthy options support energy, hydration, concentration, sports performance, and long term habits. Families benefit because they have better choices at events they already attend. Schools benefit because they align wellness goals with actual practice. Community centers benefit because they become more health promoting spaces. Health departments benefit because they gain a visible prevention project. Local businesses benefit because they can support youth wellness in a practical and positive way.

There are also cultural benefits. A community that changes its concession stand is saying something important. It is saying that health should not only be discussed during a health fair. It should show up on game night. It should show up at the basketball tournament. It should show up at the community center. It should show up where children are laughing, competing, performing, and growing.

Monitoring and evaluation should be simple. Sites could track sales before and after changes. They could compare water sales to soda sales. They could ask parents and students which healthy options they would buy again. They could see which posters get noticed. They could test one new item at a time. They could keep what works and remove what does not. The point is not perfection. The point is learning and improving.

A strong pilot could begin with one school or one community center. For one season, the site could move water to the top shelf, lower the price of water, add three healthier snack options, remove candy from the counter, replace soda posters with healthy choice posters, and track sales. After the season, the team could review what happened. Did water sales increase? Did parents respond well? Did revenue stay stable? Which items sold? What should change next season?

This is how public health becomes practical. Not through lectures. Not through guilt. Not through telling families they are wrong. But by changing the environment so that better choices are easier.

There will be concerns, and they should be respected. Some people will worry about losing revenue. Some will worry that healthy foods will not sell. Some will worry that volunteers already have too much to do. Some will worry that students will reject the changes. Those concerns are real. That is why the initiative should be gradual, flexible, and data informed. Start small. Test items. Track sales. Keep popular choices. Do not remove every traditional item overnight. Make the healthy choice more visible first.

The deeper purpose is not just nutrition. It is prevention. It is leadership. It is community design. It is teaching children that health is not something adults mention once a year. It is something communities build into ordinary places.

A concession stand makeover can be done without a large grant. It can begin with a few posters, a new refrigerator layout, a lower water price, a small menu change, and a group of partners willing to try. It can grow from one stand to many. It can become part of school wellness plans, community health improvement work, youth leadership projects, and local prevention efforts.

The moral message is simple. We cannot tell young people to be healthy and then surround them with choices that make health harder. We cannot talk about student wellness and then make water less visible than soda. We cannot say prevention matters and then ignore one of the easiest places to act.

Every community has places where habits are formed. The concession stand is one of them.

So let us make it better. Let us make water easier to choose. Let us make healthy snacks easier to see. Let us let students help design the signs. Let us let parents and volunteers help test the menu. Let us invite health departments, hospitals, clinics, local businesses, and community organizations to support the work. Let us protect the joy of community events while making them healthier.

This initiative is not about taking something away. It is about giving families something better. Better visibility. Better options. Better prices. Better habits. Better alignment between what we say we value and what we actually make available.

A healthier concession stand will not solve every health problem. But it is a start. And sometimes a community changes not only through one giant reform, but through many visible decisions that say to children: your health matters here.

Sources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Childhood Obesity Facts

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Competitive Foods in Schools

Community Preventive Services Task Force, Healthier Food and Beverage Interventions in Schools

Wethington and colleagues, Healthier Food and Beverage Interventions in Schools

Gittelsohn and colleagues, Pricing Strategies to Encourage Availability, Purchase, and Consumption of Healthy Foods and Beverages

Concession Stand Makeovers: A Pilot Study of Offering Healthy Foods at High School Concession Stands