School Children (photo courtesy of Library of Congress, circa 1899?)

Two-thirds of U.S. states have either poor nutrition policies for food from junk-food and soda sales out of vending machines, school stores, and other venues outside of school meals, or no policy at all. The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) made that assertion in its School Foods Report Card 2007.

CSPI found that only 11 states have comprehensive food and beverage standards that apply to the whole campus, the whole school day, for all grade levels. The importance of healthy school food policies was made clear in the CSPI report,

Over the last 20 years, obesity rates have tripled in children and adolescents, and only 2 percent of children eat a healthy diet, according to key nutrition recommendations by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Despite that, about a third of elementary schools, 71 percent of middle schools, and 89 percent of high schools sell items such as sugary drinks, snack cakes, candy, and chips out of vending machines, school stores, or a la carte lines in the cafeteria, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

To read the report from CSPI cited above go to: Two-thirds of States Get Poor Grades on School Food Report Card

To view the CSPI’s recent findings on school food policies go to: School Foods Report Card 2007

To view info from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cited above go to:2006 School Health Policies and Programs Study

To view previous posts on the topic go to:
1. Schools Adding Nutritious Options
2. Junk Foods a Health Risk for Kids
3. Getting Their Hands Dirty at School