WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Junk
food may soon be hard to buy at American public schools as the U.S.
government readies new rules requiring healthier foods to be sold beyond
the cafeteria -- a move most parents support, according to a poll
released on Thursday.
With
childhood obesity rising, the survey found most people agreed the
chips, soda and candy bars students buy from vending machines or school
stores in addition to breakfast and lunch are not nutritious, and they
support a national standard for foods sold at schools.
The
findings from the advocacy group Kids' Safe and Healthful Foods Project
came as the federal government prepares to roll out a nationwide
standard that may set up another battle among health experts, schools
and the food industry. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is expected to
issue its guidelines by June, according to some experts. These could
limit the amount of sugar, salt and fat that foods sold at schools could
contain.
Agriculture
Department Under Secretary Kevin Concannon said an important step in
addressing childhood obesity is to help make the "right choice an easy
choice" while at school. "We look forward to working with parents,
teachers, school food service professionals and the food industry to
craft workable guidelines so that healthier options are available for
our students," he said.
Many
states have already enacted their own laws mandating healthier
non-cafeteria food options. Jessica Donze Black, a dietician who leads
the Kids' Safe and Healthful Foods Project, said the results show
growing support for updating standards that surfaced in 1979.
"What
has changed in the last 30 years is that the childhood obesity epidemic
has more than tripled," she said. "The school environment has also
changed. ... Today, there are a lot of other places throughout the day
that compete with kids eating a healthy school meal."
SUPPORT FOR HIGHER STANDARDS
Eighty
percent of the 1,010 adults polled said they would support nutritional
standards limiting the calories, fat and sodium in such foods. Seventeen
percent would oppose it. Most also agreed there are now few healthy
options. Just five percent of adults said vending machines offered
totally or mostly healthy choices compared with 10 percent for school
stores and 21 percent for a la carte lunch lines.
Changes
to school foods may be controversial. New standards for more fruits,
vegetables and whole grains in traditional school meals announced in
January drew scrutiny when lawmakers blocked limits to french fries and
counted pizza as a vegetable because it contains tomato sauce.
Efforts
to give students more healthy options to help fight childhood obesity
have historically faced pressure from food and beverage companies and
even from schools themselves, who rely on such food sales for extra
cash. But health experts, pediatricians and other advocates say that is
changing as more companies and school districts come on board at a time
when more than one-third of U.S. children are overweight or obese.
"Most
people accept that soda, candy bars and other unhealthy foods just
don't deserve a place in school on a regular basis," said Margo Wootan,
head of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public
Interest. She said there are still concerns that members of Congress and
industry lobbyists could water down the proposal.
The
American Academy of Pediatrics' Laura Jana said new rules are
imperative now that kids consume more than half of their daily calories
in school. More students are getting most of their calories from snacks
and drinks, not meals, she said. "To me, it's a no-brainer. ... They
can't make that healthy choice when we stick all those temptations under
their noses," said Jana, a pediatrician based in Omaha, Nebraska, and
co-author of "Food Fights: Winning the Nutritional Challenges of
Parenthood Armed with Insight, Humor and a Bottle of Ketchup."
JUICE, GRANOLA BARS
Food
and beverage makers have expanded their portfolios to include juice,
granola bars and other healthier products. Vending machine companies
focused on nutritious offerings have also sprung up. U.S. drink
companies have already taken voluntary steps to keep sodas out of some
schools and their trade group says this has cut calories consumed from
beverages in schools by 88 percent.
Christopher
Gindlesperger, spokesman for the American Beverage Association, said
its voluntary guidelines are a good model for the government to follow.
"It's a standard that's already in place that is working. It strikes a
balance," he said.
ABA's
guidelines eliminate soda in elementary and middle schools but allow
diet sodas and low-calorie sports drinks in high school. Companies such
as The Coca-Cola Co, PepsiCo Inc, and Nestle SA either had no immediate
comment or referred questions to industry trade groups.
Mars
Inc, maker of the iconic M&M's chocolate candies, said it has
already agreed to withdraw branded vending machines from schools and
does not offer traditional candy in those settings. Mars said it has
instead developed other, lower-calorie products.
As
for schools, most now realize vending machines can help teach students
about healthy habits and boost learning even though money does loom
large, said Whitney Meagher, project director for the National
Association of State Boards of Education.
"If
you have a choice between a cookie and an apple and the cookie is going
to sell better, it's hard not to make that decision as a business
decision," she said. The Kids' Safe and Healthful Foods Project is a
joint venture by the nonprofit policy group The Pew Charitable Trusts
and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a private organization that aims
to improve Americans' health.
Its
poll surveyed 1,010 registered voters by telephone in mid-January and
has a margin-of-error of plus-or-minus 3.1 percentage points.
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