U.S. Lawmakers Consider Sweeping Effort to Banish Junk Foods From Public Schools
- From: rpautrey2 <rpautrey2@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 3 Jul 2008 03:38:42 -0700 (PDT)
NaturalNews.com
Originally published June 30 2008
U.S. Lawmakers Consider Sweeping Effort to Banish Junk Foods From
Public Schools
by David Gutierrez
(NaturalNews) An amendment to the farm bill, currently being
considered by the Senate, would enact a widespread ban on the sale of
junk food to children on school grounds.
Under the new rules, developed with intense involvement from the
American Beverage Association and other drink and food manufacturers,
strict limits would be placed on what foods may be sold on school
campuses from vending machines, snack bars and cafeteria a la carte
lines.
In elementary schools, the only beverages allowed for sale would be
plain bottled water, eight-ounce fruit juices or low-fat milk with up
to 170 calories per serving. The milk could be flavored. Foods would
have to contain 35 percent sugar or less and be low in trans and
saturated fats and sodium. Snack foods could contain no more than 180
calories per serving.
In high schools, the same standards would apply, but snack foods could
contain up to 200 calories per serving. In addition, high school
students could purchase diet sodas and sports drinks, and any other
drink with up to 66 calories per eight-ounce serving. After five
years, other drinks would be limited to 25 calories per serving.
Occasional fund-raising projects such as Girl Scout cookie sales would
be exempt from the new rules. The rules would not affect regular
cafeteria food, which is already subject to stronger nutritional
standards.
Individual states would be barred from passing stricter regulations,
although individual school districts would be allowed to do so.
It is this last factor, along with the involvement of the food and
beverage industry, that has driven some to say that the new rules do
not go far enough, and will make it difficult to impose stricter
standards in the future.
"It's crazy to think we are going to fix children's health just by
letting companies sell schoolchildren smaller portions of Gatorade and
baked chips," said Susan Rubin, nutritionist and the founder of Better
School Food.
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