Young people should be encouraged to eat healthy food at school. However, the best way to ameliorate their diets is not through legal actions but through local initiatives supported by state law. The first step to achieve that goal is a proposal to get sugared drinks and other unhealthy foods out of vending machines.
The proposal will soon be discussed by the state House of Representatives, just as a lawsuit is being prepared to be filed in Massachusetts that would claim damages against soft drink producers for not putting warning tags on their products. In advance of the lawsuit, e-mails to 50-100 school committee members in Massachusetts were sent by Washington lawyer John Banzhaf ''to warn of your inevitable involvement in these law suits as a named party or otherwise . . . "
School committee members have many duties, and it is unfortunate that Banzhaf's warning has added to their concerns. They should not be held responsible for learners weight gain. However, they ought to support the bill (sponsored by Representative Peter Koutoujian of Waltham) that would ban sugared soft drinks and high-fat snacks from school vending machines.
The Massachusetts Association of School Committees raised objections to the proposal on the grounds that the state already burdens districts with excessive mandates. Lurking behind the opposition is the sorry reality that some schools increase their income with money earned from the vending machines. And according to association, soft drinks are legal and easily obtainable outside of school.
An increasing epidemic of obesity among young people over 30 years has been tracked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Lack of physical activity is a crucial factor, but wrong eating habits are also to blame. To avoid having serious health problems connected with
obesity, it has to be prevented while those at risk are young.
Nancy Walser of Cambridge is school committee member who got Banzhaf's e-mail. She points with pride to activities in her city to combat obesity. Like many other communities, Cambridge has banned sugared sodas and has set up the Citysprouts program at 4 schools to teach students about healthy eating. ''What I discovered," she said, ''is that my kids will eat my vegetables if they get them raw." Messages like this must be reinforced by action, such as the vending machine restriction. Although Walser is on the board of the association, she backs up the Koutoujian bill. Its passage would tell Massachusetts school districts that they must follow the lead of Cambridge and other communities in promoting
healthy eating.
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Paul Douglas
This article was reprinted from
PharmacyCenter.org health blog.
