For the week of September 4 - 10, 2002

Should sodas, snack foods be banned in our schools?

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"The vending machines at each school are run individually. Each school governs what is sold."

— LAURI FROST, Blaine County School District spokesperson

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By DANA DUGAN
Express Staff Writer

Do you know what your kids are consuming while at school everyday?

`One hopes it’s the healthy sandwich and fruit snack that you packed in the morning, but chances are they’re dropping some quarters into vending machines—supplied and stocked by their schools—for items they normally wouldn’t be allowed to consume under the watchful eye of concerned parents.

Safety has become a prime issue in our nation's public schools. But students’ health does not always benefit from similar scrutiny.

A student at the Wood River Middle School opts for a fruit-based drink at one of the school’s vending machines. Express photo by Dana DuGan

According to new statistics on child obesity from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, teenagers today are almost three times as likely to be overweight as they were 20 years ago, the agency announced this year. Likewise, teens consume three times as much soda as milk on a daily basis, while 20 years ago the reverse was true.

Earlier this spring, at a public forum held by the Blaine County School District, "Promises Made, Promises Delivered," parents, educators and those interested in the process discussed various issues. One of those issues was the ubiquitous presence of vending machines in all the schools. Most parents say they don’t want to rid the schools of the machines, merely make sure that the items available are healthy ones.

Students are of a mixed opinion. Generally, they don’t want to loose their options. McKenna Peterson, a freshman at The Community School, thinks nothing should change, "That’s what the kids want and it makes money."

Her friend, Hayley Andrews, a freshman at the Wood River High School, disagreed in part. "If they’re under ten and overweight, it’s their parent’s fault for not having taught them better."

But even kids who have been taught know that changes would probably benefit the whole. "Maybe the foods should be replaced with healthier foods," said Kate Sawicz, also a freshman at WRHS. "Foods like trail mix or Nutrigrain bars would be good."

But vending machines are only half the battle. School districts routinely sign "pouring rights" contracts with companies like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo to place their soda machines in the schools. "Many of these contracts have provisions to increase the percentage of profits schools receive when sales volume increases," states a 2001 United States Department of Agriculture report. "This is a substantial incentive for schools to promote soft drink consumption by adding vending machines, increasing the times they are available, and marketing the products to students."

However, the number and use of soft drink machines in the Blaine County School District varies by school, said the district’s spokesperson, Lauri Frost.

"The vending machines at each school are run individually. Each school governs what is sold. At this time, the district will continue to provide vending machines in the schools despite a ruling in California that recently banned their usage," Frost said.

In Los Angles, which is the nation's second-largest school district, the school board voted last week to ban the sale of soft drinks at its 677 campuses by the year 2004.

The sale of soda is already prohibited at elementary schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

In Hawaii, legislators are also pushing to oust sodas from school machines, and in North Carolina, lawmakers are calling for a moratorium on "pouring rights" contracts.

According to the USDA, 88 percent of high schools, 61 percent of middle schools and 14 percent of elementary schools have food or beverage vending machines for student use. Nineteen states, including Idaho, have passed laws stricter than USDA regulations about the sale of food in vending machines, which is also referred to as competitive food. Some states have restricted the hours during which competitive foods can be sold, such as half an hour before and after school served meals.

Many parents have raised objections to the machines, but the money that the Blaine County School District receives outweighs the health risk, some feel. For instance, at the Wood River Middle School in Hailey, the money from the vending machines goes into Athletic Program coffers and pays for banquets, trophies and fees for game officials.

The WRMS only allows consumption of vending machine food in the cafeteria during school hours, never in the classrooms or hallways. Since the cafeteria is only open during lunches, this limits the amount of time when soda or snacks can be bought and consumed by students.

Some note that there also may be a social aspect to vending machines food.

One assumption is that since only children with money can purchase competitive foods, children may perceive that school meals are primarily for poor children rather than nutrition programs for all children. Because of this perception, many low-income children aren’t as willing to accept free or reduced price meals, and non-needy children may be unwilling to purchase school meals as well.

At the Wood River High School, the snack vending machine, which is 20 years old and often out of service, has doughnuts, chips, candy, nuts and granola bars. A portion of the money garnered from the school’s Coca-Cola machines and the snack machine goes to a fund controlled by the Student Council.

Last year, that money was used to initiate the Wolverine Pack, a ninth grade transition program, as well as another new program called Wolverine Pals, which pairs fourth graders with athletes as mentors and role models.

"I believe the kids need some source of dedicated funds," WRHS Principal Graham Hume said. He said he’s willing to try new items in the vending machines, but "Kids vote with their dollars."

However, the Ernest Hemingway Elementary School in Ketchum goes the other direction. There is a Pepsi machine at the school but not for the kids. In fact, it is safely hidden in the teacher’s lounge.

Interestingly, the USDA tried to ban soda and candy sales in schools more than two decades ago, but was thwarted by a federal appeals court in 1983 after the National Soft Drink Association challenged the prohibition.

Several years ago Hailey resident Jon Marvel brought the issue before the school board, but it chose not to take any action at that time. An entirely new board of trustees now represents the county’s students.

Speaking on behalf of Blaine County School District Superintendent Jim Lewis, his assistant Cathy Zaccardi said, "This matter has not been brought before the current Blaine County School board. That doesn’t mean this board won’t discuss it. For right now, things are going to stay the way it is, until the board is presented with the issue."

 

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