Look what Big Brother wants to do next....

[schr8er2000]

Senators want to expel junk food from U.S. schools

By Christopher Doering

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. schools with vending machines that sell candy and soda to students could soon find the government requiring healthier options to combat childhood obesity under a bill introduced on Thursday by two senators.

While school meals must comply with U.S. dietary guidelines, there are no such rules on snacks sold outside of school lunchrooms. Many are high in fat, sugar and calories.

Senators Tom Harkin and Lisa Murkowski said their bill would allow the U.S. Agriculture Department to establish "common-sense nutrition standards" for food and beverages sold in school vending machines, stores and similar outlets.

Harkin, an Iowa Democrat, chairs the Senate Agriculture Committee, which oversees school lunch and breakfast programs that cost an estimated $11 billion a year in federal money.

U.S. child nutrition programs such as school lunches and the Women, Infants and Children feeding program are due for renewal this year. An Agriculture Committee spokesman said one option would be to include the legislation introduced today as part of the broader reauthorization later in 2009.

"Poor diet and physical inactivity are contributing to growing rates of chronic disease in the United States," said Harkin, a Democrat. "We must take preventative action now."

An estimated 32 percent of U.S. children fit the government's definition of being overweight and 16 percent are considered obese, at risk for serious health problems. Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska, said the bill was a response to "the youth obesity epidemic."

Harkin and Murkowski have offered similar legislation in prior years. The measure could have a better chance of passing this year with U.S. President Barack Obama's administration recognizing obesity as a top U.S. health threat.

Consumer and health advocacy groups including the American Dietetic Association, American Heart Association and the Center for Science in the Public Interest support the legislation.

Reginald Felton of the National School Boards Association said states and local communities should determine what is sold beyond federal programs because a "one-size fits all policy" would not sufficiently address the needs on a smaller level.

He also noted that some schools rely on snack sales to help cover costs.

"It's intrusive for the federal government to establish requirements beyond the programs that they fund, particularly when states are addressing the issue," said Felton. "If local boards want to restrict they should."

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WHEN the hell is the government going to stop telling us what we can and cant do... Now you cant get a candy bar in school...

If your kid is fat... make them a good meal at home instead of running to McD's and getting 3 cheeseburgers, two large fries, a chocolate shake and a DIET soda.....

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[original gunner]

they should just get rid of snack machines altogether. then parents can be responsible for sending their kid to school with a snack. cheeto's and coke are not part of a healthy diet, and fat kids make unhealthy adults who are a drain on the health care system.

[dc dalton]

WHEN the hell is the government going to stop telling us what we can and cant do... Now you cant get a candy bar in school...

If your kid is fat... make them a good meal at home instead of running to McD's and getting 3 cheeseburgers, two large fries, a chocolate shake and a DIET soda.....

Sorry bud but I think you are REALLY wrong on this one. Kids are eating garbage today and parents (most) are just as bad AND aren't teaching their kids how to eat properly.

I also agree with gunner here .. take all the damn vending machines out of schools. Let them buy their lunch from the caf (or bring it) and leave the rest out.

One thing I REALLY do agree with this administration on is the fact the high cost of health care is killing this country. Now along with that you have the fact that parents AREN'T making their kids 'real food' any more at home, it's 'whatever in a can or a box' and this crap diet is causing all sorts of problems in developing children. Now seeing as how the government helps fund these public schools (along with our school taxes) I completely agree they should be able to say to a school district "less junk, more real healthy food" .. absolutely agree with that 110%.

In my opinion this is NOT "the government telling us what to do" .. they are NOT saying "adults can have junk food" .. what they are saying is "The way kids eat today is causing a variety of child health problems and we would like to see them eating healthier" ... healthier kids equals healthier adults equals less future health care costs ... sorry, they are 100% right this time.

And Paul, what you may NOT realize is WE (meaning most of the people here that are parents) are a HELL of a lot different than the average families out there. In our house dinner is cooked from scratch 99% of the time. We don't eat McD or other crap unless we are out and there is no choice.

BUT THAT BEING SAID ... damn near every family we know around here is either eating take out 6 nights a week or throwing a 'meal in a box' into a microwave and they think that is 'eating healthy'.. and WHERE do they get that idea from? The stinking TV. I just about scream at the TV every time one of these "don't have time to cook a real meal, we have a REAL meal waiting for you" ... it's an unadulterated marketing LIE but these people believe it. They believe mashed potatoes from a box are "real' potatoes, that that jar of spaghetti sauce has all sorts of healthy things in it while all the while it is mostly chemicals .... take a walk through the store some time (without shopping) and make a point to see what 99% of the shoppers have in their baskets ... I watch all the time and when you see what most families are eating each and every day you soon realize why we have so many sick and overweight people.

[Atomic Dog]

If the schools don't want a soda machine they shouldn't put one in/ And if kids are getting fat tell them not to drink the stuff. I tried to give up soda a few times. I'm back on it a bit but I didn't blame my employer for having a machine on site.



Apparently people don't realize that you can walk past junk food without eating it. One of my students dropped 10 pounds on his diet and he eats better than I do. That kid can cook a mean chicken breast! Gave up pop, watched what he eats. I'm proud of him.....

[dc dalton]

Apparently people don't realize that you can walk past junk food without eating it. One of my students dropped 10 pounds on his diet and he eats better than I do. That kid can cook a mean chicken breast! Gave up pop, watched what he eats. I'm proud of him.....

We aren't talking adult here, we are talking about kids and we all know how well their brains (and willpower) work

[riverpirate]

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[Pa. Patriot]

+1 to dc dalton

I have no problem with this.

We had no snack machines, soda machines, etc. We went to school to learn. Lunch was balanced meal with your option of milk, juice or water.

Water fountains were available in every hall.

IMO, Part of the problem with kids today is that the parents (and schools) ignore that they are not mature enough to make good decisions. Putting candy bar and soda machines in schools serves no purpose and is only inviting abuse by young kids that do not know any better than to go to lunch and get lunch rather than a candy bar.

I think it is VERY irresponsible for school districts to allow that shit in the school.

Isn't that what we put kids in school for? To teach them? Minor children are not to be treated the same as adults, IMO.

[dc dalton]

We had no snack machines, soda machines, etc. We went to school to learn. Lunch was balanced meal with your option of milk, juice or water.

Water fountains were available in every hall.

I remember having vending machine in high school that had cake, ice cream bars and (I think) chips BUT when I got home from school there was a home cooked meal on the table. My mother made damn sure we ate a great breakfast too.

What some people seem to forget (and we scream about it here in a lot of other threads) is that a good 80% of the adult population are MORONS that will believe just about anything the TV tells them. To top it off a good 99% of that 80% just about ignore most of hat their kids are doing INCLUDING what they are eating. So if nothing else MAYBE we can get these kids one healthy meal a day and just MAYBE if we can change these kids eating habits at school they might actually try to eat right at home ... I'm not holding my breath on this one but I can at least hope the 'one good meal a day' thing might help a little.

[MikeB0]

Depends on the age. I don't recall machines in Elementary or Junior high. High School there were some machines, but we could also leave to eat. Of course I got my "cake" by taking cooking class in Junior High and High School. I also took shop class, but the cooking class was great for snacks before track/cross country and there was a better ratio of girls in the class - bonus.

[angus]

It's not the federal government's job to police eating habits. They have auto companies to run.