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Okay, so the school Bake Sale is on its way out, and with that the kiddies vending machines will also be trimmed of their fat. The NY Times reports that under their new regulations the Department of Education are stocking up schools with healthier choices; "New vending machine contracts expected to be approved on Wednesday could mean less junk food — and less money for schools."
One contract will require that drinks sold in elementary and middle schools have less than 10 calories per eight ounces; in high schools it's 25 calories or less per eight ounces. On top of that, no artificial sweetener is allowed, and drinks will have to be caffeine-free or non-carbonated. As for snacks, there will be calorie, fat and sugar content limits.
The schools will take around the same cut as they have in the past, 30% of the revenue—however, they fear that healthier options will lead to fewer sales. One critic of the new policy asks: “If they were so concerned with student health, why would they focus on this instead of making sure that all students have a basic gym class?” Or, like, both!
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just a matter of time before these get coated with sugar/caramel and nuts.
you can't force students to make healthy choices nanny state. the kids will still gorge on junk food but the revenue will go to local bodegas rather than schools.
Nobody's forcing kids to do anything. I fail to see how anyone could have a problem with enabling students to make healthy choices, though.
Stand back before his knee jerks again.
did you even read the article? this is about limiting choice. banning bake sales and ALL sugary vendi drinks is not about enabling. outside the nanny bubble kids will do what they want. educating kids about healthy choices would be more effective than attempting to remove every unhealthy option, which is an unrealistic goal.
You're right about the idea that it is better to educate them to the point where they should want to make healthy choices. However, it's hard to do that if you are also selling them junk food.
To me, it's not so much a matter of choice, but a matter of the school sending mixed messages, "Hey, we want you to eat better so you'll be healthier adults... so here's some chocolate."
it is easier to think in all going to hell when change is the answer...cynicism goes hand in hand with civil decadence.
I agree with the last quote about gym class.
I'm not so sure. I remember gym classes were pretty worthless back in high school. There weren't any structured activities like in earlier grades. An awful lot of kids just stood around in their gym shirts and shorts until the class was over. Even when there was, say, dodgeball, most kids just sat on the sidelines and watched after they were "out." Ditto for softball.
True dat.
I think grade school kids should get more out of gym though, since they have a lot more energy.
man alive, i never would've survived high school without caffeine
I'm sure this makes kids more grateful for the ice cream truck parked in front of the school.
yup.
Getting food out of a machine is fucking vile-no matter the fat content. This shit is probably filled with bullshit additives and preservatives as well...
Bingo!
But see, the school's nutrition information likely comes from the USDA, which only understands trivial things like calories, fat, sodium, etc.. The public largely is clueless when it comes to what's in their food and how that translates to health (or lack thereof). Further, I'd like to add how silly it is that fat content is "regulated" when the diet fad myths about fat were dispelled long ago.
It's a step in the right direction, but I'm afraid they're walking with a blindfold on.