School Policy in New Jersey to Take Junk Off Lunch Tray

[Q.]

School Policy in New Jersey to Take Junk Off Lunch Tray

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/07/nyregion/07junk.html

By JOHN HOLL
Published: June 7, 2005

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J., June 6 - New Jersey students will soon say goodbye to soda and other lunchtime junk foods under a new school nutrition policy announced Monday by Acting Gov. Richard J. Codey.

The policy, which will take effect on Sept. 1, 2007, will apply to all public schools and private schools that provide federally financed meals and cover students from pre-kindergarten to high school. New Jersey is the latest of a handful of states to limit or ban foods considered minimally nutritious.

Mr. Codey made the announcement at South Orange Middle School, one of several schools in the state that already prohibit junk foods. He noted that of New Jersey's 1.4 million students, roughly 20 percent were obese and that another 18 percent were overweight and faced added risks for diabetes, heart disease and even depression. The new rules, he said, will "give our children a head start on a longer, healthier and more enjoyable life."

The Codey administration is putting the new rules into effect by revising the state's school nutrition guidelines and thus avoids the need for legislative approval. In Connecticut, the Legislature recently approved its own junk food ban, but exempted diet sodas and sports drinks in high schools after hours. The legislation now goes to Gov. M. Jodi Rell.

Under the New Jersey plan, soda, candy and foods listing sugar as the first or principal ingredient will be banned from school cafeterias. Snacks and drinks with more than eight grams of total fat per serving and two grams of saturated fat will be banned, and cafeterias will have to restrict amounts of foods with trans fats.

The only beverages that can be served in amounts of 12 ounces or more will be water or milk with 2 percent fat or less.

In lesser amounts, elementary schools will be restricted to water, milk or 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice. In middle and high schools, at least 60 percent of the beverages offered, in addition to milk and water, must be 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice. Soda will still be prohibited, but sports drinks and bottled iced teas will be available.

The policy applies to all vending machines, school stores and snack bars, à la carte lines, fund-raisers during the school day, and after-school programs. There are exceptions for special events, like a classroom pizza party.

School districts must agree on a nutrition plan by Sept. 1, 2006, and put it into effect by Sept. 1, 2007. Schools that do not adopt the nutrition guidelines face the loss of state and federal financing, said Kathy F. Kuser, director of food and nutrition for the New Jersey Department of Agriculture.

Joy Johanson, senior policy associate at the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest in Washington, D.C., said that New Jersey was taking a significant step toward promoting nutrition.

"We hope that other states will follow suit," she said.

But not everyone is happy with the changes.

"I think it's whack," Malcolm Jones, 13, an eighth grader at South Orange Middle School, said while munching on a baked chicken patty sandwich. A carrot stick sat untouched on his plate. "They took away French fries, pizza, all the good stuff. A lot of students aren't happy."

In the middle school's cafeteria, many vegetables, like corn on the cob and celery sticks, were discarded in trash bins.

Robert Earl, senior director of nutrition policy for the Food Products Association in Washington, D.C., said there were flaws with the plan because it excluded many foods that children want and need as part of a whole diet.

"Things like cheeses, nuts, peanut butter, flavored milks and normal foods that are part of a healthful diet could be excluded," Mr. Earl said. "It seems like the better objective is perhaps having a lot of variety instead of restrictions."

Education officials also expressed reservations with the plan, among them the potential loss of revenue that soda vending machines can bring to school districts.

"There are some that really rely on that extra income," said Frank Belluscio, a spokesman with the New Jersey School Boards Association.

But over all, Mr. Belluscio said, the plan could help in the classroom. He said teachers had reported that students were less likely to misbehave and more likely to pay attention in class after having a nutritious meal.

State officials said schools probably would not suffer economically because soft drink companies would be able to replace their carbonated sodas with their own bottled water and fruit juices.

(c) Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company

[Alextown]

that's great news. I literally just got back from having lunch with my second grader at his school here in Va. While most of the choices for these kids are decent, there's still superfluous junk that's really not needed. And I was amazed at how many kids had a soda with them (these were ones who packed lunch), not surprisingly they were among the most hyper.

[gardener]

The only beverages that can be served in amounts of 12 ounces or more will be water or milk with 2 percent fat or less.
In lesser amounts, elementary schools will be restricted to water, milk or 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice. In middle and high schools, at least 60 percent of the beverages offered, in addition to milk and water, must be 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice.

sn’t fruit juice only marginally better than sodas? The soft drink industry has been gearing up for years against the possibility of regulation of its basically useless products, first by getting into fruit juice production and second by bottling water. And vegetable juices, label readers know, are dangeriously high in sodium.

Joy Johanson, senior policy associate at the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest in Washington, D.C., said that New Jersey was taking a significant step toward promoting nutrition.
"We hope that other states will follow suit," she said.

The CSPI has been very active in promoting good nutrition, especially through its publlications. It drives the food lobby bonkers, a state of mind it expresses at every opportunity by accusing the CSPI of dealing in “junk science.” The Grocery Manufacturers of America, another trade organization devoted entirely to soft drinks, and other pressure groups are fascinating to track. And they’ve got a lot of senators and congressmen in their hip pockets.

"I think it's whack," Malcolm Jones, 13, an eighth grader at South Orange Middle School, said while munching on a baked chicken patty sandwich. A carrot stick sat untouched on his plate. "They took away French fries, pizza, all the good stuff. A lot of students aren't happy."

For the benefit of anyone who frequents this board who is under 60, I beg to inform you that as late as 1955 90% of the American population had never tasted pizza. There were hamburgers & cheeseburgers and French fries, also milk shakes, but you got these at independently owned drive-ins or drugstore soda fountains. Soda fountains were called that because they served up chocolate sodas, strawberry sodas, and so on--delicious confections consisting of ice cream, chocolate or strawberry syrup, and carbonated water, served up by a teenager with acne known as a soda jerk.

And where did little Malcolm get his education regarding nutrition?

For the benefit of anyone who frequents this board who is under 60, I beg to inform you that as late as 1955 90% of the American population had never tasted pizza. There were hamburgers & cheeseburgers and French fries, also milk shakes, but you got these at independently owned drive-ins or drugstore soda fountains. Soda fountains were called that because they served up chocolate sodas, strawberry sodas, and so on--delicious confections consisting of ice cream, chocolate or strawberry syrup, and carbonated water, served up by a teenager with acne known as a soda jerk. And these sodas, along with malted milk shakes of a quality now known to very few, were occasional treats, once every two or three weeks, not daily stuff your moutth and fill your gut indulgences. Look at the popular magazines of the 40s and 50s--not a single fatty in sight. People that I now see daily in the grocery store would in the 1940s been in carnival freak shows,

And where did little Malcolm get his education regarding nutrition?

Robert Earl, senior director of nutrition policy for the Food Products Association in Washington, D.C., said there were flaws with the plan because it excluded many foods that children want and need as part of a whole diet.
"Things like cheeses, nuts, peanut butter, flavored milks and normal foods that are part of a healthful diet could be excluded," Mr. Earl said. "It seems like the better objective is perhaps having a lot of variety instead of restrictions."

Yeah, and isn’t catsup a veggie? The FPA is another one of those lobbies. Earl says what he’s paid to say.

“Normal foods.” I love it. Potato chips...pork skins..Heath bars..chocolate chip cookies...hard candy...

Education officials also expressed reservations with the plan, among them the potential loss of revenue that soda vending machines can bring to school districts.

“Follow the money.”

Get a kid hooked on Coke in the 3rd grade and he’ll be a lifelong customer. This educational philosophy was also used by the Jesuits.

And I just remembered. The first time I ever became aware of Jean-Paul was when he posted on MH an item about shopping with his wife and his utter horror at all the walking avoirdupois. Still have that one, Jean-Paul?

[castufari]

Some of the schools here are trying to get rid of soda machines but are dragging their feet because of loss of income. Have the kids drink water and put all of the money they'll spend on soda/etc into a general fund.