Tuesday, June 07, 2005

Is she really going to defend junk food?

We all think schools should serve healthier foods, but are we prepared for the consequences? From the Dallas Morning News: "Dallas school district leaders decided to rid the school of all snacks, including candy bars....and lost nearly $2 million." Oh sure. A couple million may not mean much to you, but when your state politicians can't figure out school financing, it matters.

What no one talks about is how snacks help schools 1) by producing revenue that allows a cafeteria operation to pay for itself and 2) by maintaining meal purchases which in turn helps schools maintain federally subsidized meal programs. So is it fair to hold schools responsible for health issues and at the same time, deprive them of a key source of operating funds? Is it really wise to ban snacks outright? Maybe the best use of time and energy would be to pressure snack makers to offer more baked or low sodium varieties.

In the meantime, this special blend of nutritional advocacy and financial wizardry is coming to New Jersey. So watch out. Especially if you got milk.

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