The soft drink industry’s attempt to take some of the fizz out of the soda pop sold in schools falls a little flat here in Colorado, where legislators already beat them to the punch. But we’re delighted that the industry has finally developed a responsible policy for serving (or not serving) school children.
The American Beverage Association last month unveiled voluntary policies that call for the removal of all soda from elementary schools and reduced sales in middle and high schools.
In the 1990s, with budgets sagging, more than a dozen Colorado districts signed lucrative contracts with Pepsi and Coca-Cola to sell soda in schools – as well as water and juice. But with childhood obesity reaching epidemic proportions, there have been loud calls to dump the soft drinks.
The decision to release ABA’s report at a meeting of the National Conference of State Legislators seems intended to ward off state regulation. According to an editorial in The Oregonian, 38 states already have considered bills this year to tighten school nutrition. Fifteen states already have enacted legislation, including Colorado.
Colorado’s 2004 law called for “voluntary” changes, and many districts are adhering to the policy. Denver Public Schools, which is in the third year of a five-year contract with Pepsi – valued from $8 million to $12 million – already sells only water in elementary schools, bars Pepsi vending machines in cafeterias or libraries and turns off nearby machines during lunch to limit consumption. DPS also wisely wrote into its contract that the price of soda products can’t be set any less than bottled water. The district is phasing in recommendations from Senate Bill 103, which basically calls for at least 50 percent of all vending machine items to be healthy drinks and snacks by the 2006-07 school year.
Adams County School District 14 began offering healthier fare before the law was passed, and the Poudre School District in Fort Collins already has met the standards of the law.
It’s all a good start. We understand why school officials signed these contracts, but when – if – they’re renewed, they need to be more forceful in promoting healthy alternatives. We need to be as concerned about what’s going in our children’s mouths as we are with what’s going into their minds.
