Massachusetts To Ban ‘Unhealthy’ Foods In Public Schools

The state of Massachusetts' health regulators are effectively banning the sale of foods they deem 'unhealthy' on public school grounds

Kay Lazar, writing in The Boston Globe this week, there will be some upcoming changes to the menu at all public schools in the state of Massachusetts.  Sugary soft drinks, diet sodas, and heart unhealthy food will be a thing of the past at school snack shops, vending machines, and a la carte cafeteria lines under rules unanimously approved yesterday by state health regulators.  The nutrition standards adopted by the Public Health Council take effect in the 2012-2013 school year and are believed by advocates to be among the most comprehensive in the country.

The council – an appointed panel of doctors, consumer advocates, and professors – delayed a ban on sweetened, flavored milk until August 2013 to give schools more time to find other ways to encourage children to drink milk.

“We knew that people were going to have strong feelings about this and were concerned that overall milk consumption would drop,’’ said Dr. Lauren Smith, medical director of the Department of Public Health. “We wanted to give schools time to prepare so it can be done in a seamless way.’’ Studies have shown that when flavored milk is banned, milk consumption drops slightly but then rebounds, she said.

The new rules reflect concerns about growing numbers in obese children and adolescents.  Faced with the troubling numbers, lawmakers directed the Department of Public Health last year to create a healthier menu for students. Low-fat snacks, whole-grain baked goods, fruits, and vegetables will now be prominently featured.  Studies have linked even moderate consumption of soft drinks to substantially elevated risk of heart disease and diabetes. Harvard researchers have shown, for instance, that a 20-ounce soft drink contains the equivalent of 17 teaspoons of sugar.

In some schools, nearly half of students are overweight or obese.  Meanwhile authorities learned that students chose their milk primarily based on how it was packaged. The district wanted to switch from whole to low-fat milk but worried consumption would plunge. Working with researchers from the University of Massachusetts, the district studied students’ choices and found most were selecting blue cartons, which contained the lowest-fat milk.