Schwarzenegger urges that soda and junk food be banned in public schools

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...DGT7AQRRK1.DTL

EDITORIAL
Banning junk food

Tuesday, January 18, 2005



GOV. ARNOLD Schwarzenegger and the California Legislature should be
able to agree on at least one thing: getting rid of junk food in the
schools.

Schwarzenegger last week criticized the Legislature for sending him a
bill last year that he vetoed because it didn't go far enough. In a
meeting with The Chronicle editorial board, he said the bill would have
required schools to label junk foods, instead of eliminating them
altogether. He implied the bill wasn't tougher because legislators were
afraid to take on a food industry that promotes unhealthy products.

"If you want to get rid of junk food, just pass a law that says you are
not going to have any junk food in the schools ... because it is
destroying our kids," he said. Such a law should tell schools "you are
going to have to sell vegetables and fresh milk and water, no more
Coca-Cola."

Schwarzenegger seems to be ahead of the Legislature on this issue. In
2003, for example, the Legislature approved a bill eliminating
sugar-laden sodas from school vending machines -- but only from
elementary and middle schools, not high schools, where most unhealthy
drinks are peddled.

Schwarzenegger said when he was head of the President's Council on
Physical Fitness and Sports 15 years ago, he found that almost every
school he visited had vending machines filled with sodas and candy, or
sold unhealthy foods such as doughnuts.

He said attempts to eliminate these products would elicit protests from
school officials who "will scream 'We're getting money from Coca-Cola
for our sports programs.' " They should be told, he said, to "find the
money somewhere else."

Schwarzenegger's advocacy of a comprehensive ban on junk food in
schools should give a boost to lawmakers such as Sens. Gloria Romero,
D-Los Angeles, and Martha Escutia, D-Whittier, who have encountered
industry resistance to even the most modest proposals to regulate food
in school.

The governor and legislators should work together in crafting
legislation that will put California at the forefront of promoting
healthier eating habits, beginning in our schools.

Page B - 6

Good for him!

--
Our family photos:
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lunachick01746/my_photos

In article ,
"Steve and/or Erin" wrote:

Good for him!

Personally, I think it's kind of funny that a Republican -- the party
that says it's for smaller government and accussed Democrats of wanting
to play nanny to everyone in the country -- is advocating more rules, in
order to protect us from our own decisions.

Wouldn't it make more sense to just let the scientific evidence speak
for itself, and turn the decisions about what is and isn't available in
school lunchrooms over to the school districts themselves? At least, if
you favor smaller government and making people responsible for their own
choices?
--
Children won't care how much you know until they know how much you care

dragonlady wrote:
In article ,
"Steve and/or Erin" wrote:

Good for him!

Personally, I think it's kind of funny that a Republican -- the party

that says it's for smaller government and accussed Democrats of
wanting
to play nanny to everyone in the country -- is advocating more rules,
in
order to protect us from our own decisions.

Wouldn't it make more sense to just let the scientific evidence speak

for itself, and turn the decisions about what is and isn't available
in
school lunchrooms over to the school districts themselves? At least,
if
you favor smaller government and making people responsible for their
own
choices?

I found it ironic he said the schools should find the money somewhere
else. Where???

The reason junk food is sold in schools is because they are struggling
for money. Give them more money from the gov't, then they won't need to
make up for it with junk food sales and programs sponsored by
advertising.

jen

wrote:

The reason junk food is sold in schools is because they are struggling
for money. Give them more money from the gov't, then they won't need to
make up for it with junk food sales and programs sponsored by
advertising.


Yup. And here's an idea -- if Coke et al. PAID THEIR FULL SHARE OF TAXES, maybe
we could fund the schools properly.

--Helen

dragonlady writes:

In article ,

Personally, I think it's kind of funny that a Republican -- the party
that says it's for smaller government and accussed Democrats of wanting
to play nanny to everyone in the country -- is advocating more rules, in
order to protect us from our own decisions.

I think the real issue is that, when you're hungry, you eat whatever in
the vending machine is least expensive, even if that food is pretty awful.

A lot of times, the "healthy" food in vending machines consists of stale
sandwiches and prefab peanut butter crackers with a ton of artificial
ingredients in them.

I think the only way to change what's in the vending machines is to have a
government agency or a huge customer go to the vending machine company and
force it to put things like raisins, bags of plain peanuts, bags of
yoghurt-covered raisins, etc. in the vending machine. Otherwise, even if
that's what all the students really wanted to eat, that type of food would
never end up in the machines.

Al Bell wrote:
dragonlady writes:

In article ,

Personally, I think it's kind of funny that a Republican -- the
party
that says it's for smaller government and accussed Democrats of
wanting
to play nanny to everyone in the country -- is advocating more
rules, in
order to protect us from our own decisions.

I think the real issue is that, when you're hungry, you eat whatever
in
the vending machine is least expensive, even if that food is pretty
awful.

A lot of times, the "healthy" food in vending machines consists of
stale
sandwiches and prefab peanut butter crackers with a ton of artificial

ingredients in them.

I think the only way to change what's in the vending machines is to
have a
government agency or a huge customer go to the vending machine
company and
force it to put things like raisins, bags of plain peanuts, bags of
yoghurt-covered raisins, etc. in the vending machine. Otherwise, even
if
that's what all the students really wanted to eat, that type of food
would
never end up in the machines.

There are no vending machines in DD10's grade school. In DD12's middle
school, there are two. One serves nothing but bottled water. The other
has ice cream bars. In the first week, DD12 spent her allowance money
to have an ice cream bar at lunch every day. Finally I sat her down and
asked her to think it through - how many calories in that ice cream
bar? Is this going to be good for your face, which is starting to get
acne? What would be a reasonable amount of ice cream bars in a month?
She decided one a week as a treat and has kept to that (at least to my
knowledge!!).

jen

(H Schinske) wrote in
:

wrote:

The reason junk food is sold in schools is because they are
struggling for money. Give them more money from the gov't,
then they won't need to make up for it with junk food sales
and programs sponsored by advertising.


Yup. And here's an idea -- if Coke et al. PAID THEIR FULL
SHARE OF TAXES, maybe we could fund the schools properly.

what?! you want to end corporate welfare? how un-American!
besides, we elected the wrong president for *that* to happen.
he's going to give his big business cronies even more breaks.
lee

"shinypenny" wrote in message
oups.com...

Al Bell wrote:
dragonlady writes:

In article ,

Personally, I think it's kind of funny that a Republican -- the
party
that says it's for smaller government and accussed Democrats of
wanting
to play nanny to everyone in the country -- is advocating more
rules, in
order to protect us from our own decisions.

I think the real issue is that, when you're hungry, you eat whatever
in
the vending machine is least expensive, even if that food is pretty
awful.

A lot of times, the "healthy" food in vending machines consists of
stale
sandwiches and prefab peanut butter crackers with a ton of artificial

ingredients in them.

I think the only way to change what's in the vending machines is to
have a
government agency or a huge customer go to the vending machine
company and
force it to put things like raisins, bags of plain peanuts, bags of
yoghurt-covered raisins, etc. in the vending machine. Otherwise, even
if
that's what all the students really wanted to eat, that type of food
would
never end up in the machines.

There are no vending machines in DD10's grade school. In DD12's middle
school, there are two. One serves nothing but bottled water. The other
has ice cream bars. In the first week, DD12 spent her allowance money
to have an ice cream bar at lunch every day. Finally I sat her down and
asked her to think it through - how many calories in that ice cream
bar? Is this going to be good for your face, which is starting to get
acne? What would be a reasonable amount of ice cream bars in a month?
She decided one a week as a treat and has kept to that (at least to my
knowledge!!).

jen


When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Good for you. You are smart, and
I love the way you are with your DD. I guess they call this a "teachable
moment."

Is this going to be good for your face, which is starting to get
acne?

Junk food does not give you acne.. the rest was a good point though.

Tori

--
Bonnie 3/20/02
Xavier 10/27/04