SACRAMENTO, Calif. California legislation encouraging
healthier school food and drink has Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger's backing.
The governor yesterday
urged lawmakers to approve the measure, saying the state
faces an "obesity epidemic." Schwarzenegger is also
backing a proposal to update nutritional standards for
food sold in school vending machines and snack bars.
The drink bill would only allow high schools to
sell soft drinks a half hour before and after each
school day. During the day, schools could sell water,
milk and drinks that are at least 50 percent fruit juice
with no added sweeteners, and sport drinks designed to
replace electrolytes.
California two years ago barred the sale of soft
drinks in middle and elementary schools -- the first
state to do so -- over the objections of the beverage
industry.
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