Bill advances to limit junk food in school vending machines
NASHVILLE (AP) — Legislation to limit the sale of junk food and soft drinks in Tennessee schools advanced in the General Assembly Wednesday.
Both the Senate and House education committees voted unanimously for the bill, which would authorize the state Board of Education to set nutrition standards for food sold in vending machines at schools with students in kindergarten through 8th grade. The new rules would be implemented for the 2005-2006 school year.
The bill now moves on for debate by the full membership of each chamber.
The bill’s supporters want to replace sodas, candy bars and potato chips currently sold in vending machines with more nutritious choices such as grain products, fruit and fruit juices, vegetables and vegetable juices, water, dairy products, sports drinks and nuts and seeds.
“We’re being inconsistent. We’re trying to teach kids about what foods to eat for their health while they’re in class, and then they walk out and the halls are lined with vending machines” full of unhealthy foods, said Rep. Joe Fowlkes, D-Cornersville, who sponsored the measure in the House.
According to the American Dietetic Association, children consuming soft drinks take in an average of 200 extra calories a day, which can translate to a weight gain of about 2 pounds per month.
“Vending machines are great nutritional education tools in schools,” said Nan Allison of the Tennessee Dietetic Association. “From moment to moment, hour to hour, they are reinforcement for kids” on healthy eating.
Tennessee has the nation’s third-highest rate of obesity and one of the highest rates of Type 2 diabetes among schoolchildren, according to a coalition of bill supporters that includes the Tennessee Medical Association, Tennessee Nurses Association and Tennessee School Health Coalition. Type 2 diabetes is strongly linked to poor diet and being overweight.
The bill also would require the state Board of Education to set similar nutrition standards for individual or a la carte foods sold in school cafeterias, such as Slim Jims or sports drinks.
The measure, which has been in development for about three years, was applauded by members of the Senate Education Committee.
“This is a national issue … that is timely, that is relevant, that will make a difference in the lives of a lot of people,” said Sen. Roscoe Dixon, D-Memphis.
But committee member Sen. Bill Ketron warned his colleagues that the bill, sponsored by Sen. Larry Trail, D-Murfreesboro, was just a start. For children to truly lead healthier lives, he said, schools must motivate them to exercise by reinstating physical education programs cut in recent years because of tight budgets.
“Until we do that, we’re only addressing one side of the future of our children,” said Ketron, R-Murfreesboro.
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On the Net:
Read HB2783/SB2743 at Tennessee General Assembly, www.legislature.state.tn.us