Foods sold in US schools will get a long-overdue nutritional makeover if legislation introduced into the US Senate gets passed, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
The group says that the pizza, soft-drinks, so-called “energy drinks,” chips, and sweets abundantly available in schools are helping to fuel an epidemic of child obesity and type 2 diabetes.
The Bill seeks to establish common-sense school nutrition standards for foods and beverages that are sold in school vending machines and similar outlets outside of the school meal programmes.
Although school meals must comply with U.S. dietary guidelines, there are no such rules on snacks sold outside of school lunchrooms.
Read more: Press release, CSPI, 30 April 2009
Read more: Press release, US Senate, 30 April 2009
Read more: Canada.com, 1 May 2009