The Farmplate Blog

The Obama administration is making efforts to ban junk food from schools in an attempt to reduce childhood obesity through the overhaul of the Child Nutrition Act, the federal law that oversees school lunch and breakfast programs. Thirty-two percent of American school children are overweight or obese, putting them at significant risk for diabetes and other weight-related health problems as they age. The legislation, which will be introduced this week, would expel sugary foods and drinks from schools and require schools to offer more nutritious options.

The nuts and bolts of the new legislation were going to be announced by USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack last Monday at the National Press Club, but due to the snow in Washington, the event was canceled.

The legislation would expand school lunch programs and provide larger reimbursements for schools serving breakfast. The New York Times reports the improvements to the school food system would require a $1 billion per year increase in the budget, which is currently set at $18 billion.

Proposed improvements to the program would result in the elimination of sugary drinks and snacks, and vending machines and cafeterias would be filled with more nutritious options, including fruits, vegetables and whole-grain foods.

Though the American Beverage Association does not favor a federal ban on soda in schools, companies like Coke and Pepsi have backed off on their opposition because they would still be able to sell water and juice to schools.

The results of a new study conducted by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health could be helpful in securing the ban on soda in schools. The study shows a possible correlation between soda and pancreatic cancer. A study of more than 60,000 people in Singapore found that those who drank more than two or more sugary sodas per week had a higher risk of pancreatic cancer, reports Reuters.

Mark Pereira, who led the study, said, “The high levels of sugar in soft drinks may be increasing the level of insulin in the body, which we think contributes to pancreatic cancer cell growth.”

More National News

Feb. 8:  The USDA has a new plan for the National Animal Identification System, which will attempt to strengthen animal disease prevention.  Farm and Dairy

Feb. 7:  The proposed federal tax on soda will not be put into effect after heavy lobbying by the food and beverage industry.  Los Angeles Times

Feb. 5: The FDA is encouraging food manufacturers to better label nutritional information and reevaluate serving sizes. New York Times

Regional News

Feb. 8:  The Farm to School program has been extremely successful in Vermont. ABC News

Feb.8: The Putney General Store will be rebuilt after two separate fires destroyed the interior of the building. Burlington Free Press

Feb. 5:  The Vermont Attorney General’s office settled a lawsuit with Russell Stover Candies, Inc., which had mislabeled some of its products as “Vermont” products.  Burlington Free Press

Feb. 4: Lake Champlain has been named a national “Great Water.”  Vermont Business Magazine

Feb. 4:  Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders introduced a bill that would expand solar power options by installing 10 million solar systems on US rooftops.  Vermont Business Magazine