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States
Take on Fighting Childhood Obesity Fri Feb 27, 8:29 AM ET By
ALICIA CHANG, Associated Press Writer
ALBANY,
N.Y. - The school vending machine — a source of money for schools and
unhealthy calories for kids — is under heavy attack by state lawmakers across
the country. About
two dozen states are considering total bans or limits on vending machine
products. About 20 states already restrict students' access to junk food until
after lunch. Last
year, California became the first state to ban soft drink sales at elementary
and junior high schools. Proponents pushing for a similar law in New York say
the state could potentially see savings in Medicaid costs. "As
a former teacher, I think it's the responsibility of our schools and educators
to teach good habits to our children," said Assemblywoman Sandra Galef, a
Westchester County, N.Y., Democrat and co-sponsor of the bill. Childhood
obesity has become a major public health concern as the ranks of overweight
children in the United States tripled over the last three decades. Obesity has
been associated with diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and arthritis.
Critics
argue that by focusing on school vending machines, states ignore other ways to
help children lose weight like promoting a balanced diet and increasing physical
education and nutrition classes in schools. New
York already prohibits the sale of candy and soda from school vending machines
until the last lunch period. Galef's proposal goes a step farther with an
outright ban of junk food and carbonated drinks in school vending machines, and
by encouraging schools to stock machines with healthier alternatives like
granola bars, fresh fruit, bottled water and milk. The
New York State School Board Association cautioned that more research is needed
to determine the fiscal impact of the proposed law on school districts, which
heavily rely on vending machine sales to pay for computers, sports programs and
after-school activities. Annual
income from contracts between schools and vendors varies, with some schools
raising as much as $100,000 a year, according to the National Conference of
State Legislatures' Health Policy Tracking Service. Hawaii
wants to banish vending machines from public schools unless vendors replace
fatty food with healthy choices. Massachusetts supports a ban on soft drinks in
its public and charter schools. Utah favors getting rid of junk food in vending
machines in its elementary schools. Minnesota
proposes that school districts sell milk and fruit drinks at a lower price than
non-nutritional drinks. Vermont wants districts to adopt guidelines for
nutrition in vending machines. In Indiana, where some districts make up to
$300,000 a year from vending machine contracts, there is mixed reaction to a
bill requiring that at least half the choices be healthy. The
National Soft Drink Association says parents and local school districts, not
states, should determine what children eat and drink in school. The trade group
says soft drink companies already offer a variety of drinks to students
including bottled water, juice and sports drinks. "We
don't believe that a restrictive approach where you single out a particular food
or beverage is going to work," said association spokeswoman Kathleen Dezio.
Besides
states, cities and individual school districts are taking the obesity issue into
their own hands. Last
September, New York City banished hard candy, doughnuts and soda from vending
machines in the nation's largest school system, serving about 1 million
children. School vending machines will continue to sell cookies, potato chips
and pretzels, among other snacks, along with all-juice drinks and water. Earlier
this month, the Philadelphia school district, which serves 214,000 students,
decided to halt soda sales in vending machines effective this July. |