Roman Bystrianyk wrote:
Libby Quaid, "Junk food prevails in schools, US says", Boston Globe,
September 8, 2005,
Link:
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/wa...hools_us_says/

Candy, soda, pizza, and other snacks compete with nutritious meals in 9
out of 10 schools, a government survey found.

Already plentiful in high schools, junk food has become more available
in middle schools over the past five years, according to the Government
Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress.

''Parents should know that our schools are now one of the largest
sources of unhealthy food for their kids," Senator Tom Harkin, who
asked for the study, said in an interview.

''Would anyone advocate that we take the fences off the playground for
elementary schools and just let kids run around in the streets?"
Harkin, an Iowa Democrat, said. ''By the same token, why would we allow
schools to sort of poison our kids with junk food?"

Obesity among children and teenagers more than doubled in the past
three decades, according to the government-chartered Institute of
Medicine. Obese children will become adults with chronic health
problems, said Harkin, the senior Democrat on the Senate Agriculture,
Nutrition, and Forestry Committee.

He and other lawmakers want the government to set nutrition standards
for food throughout schools and not just in the cafeteria.

Giving children healthier options ''should not be a suggestion, it
should be a requirement," said Senator Patrick Leahy, a Vermont
Democrat on the committee. At issue are so-called competitive foods --
snacks such as candy, soda, pizza, and popcorn available in a la carte
lines in cafeterias, in vending machines, and in school stores.

Apples and milk are also competitive foods, but the GAO said candy and
other junk food crowds out healthier stuff in vending machines and
school stores. Competitive foods are largely unregulated.