Schools need to start thinking outside the box – the one filled with unhealthy snacks sold to raise money for PTOs, field trips and supplies.
That was the aim of federal Smart Snack guidelines that went into effect this year. The guidelines don’t ban serving sweets to celebrate special events or selling cookie dough door-to-door as a fundraising event.
What the guidelines focus on is food sold in schools and often consumed on premises by students. The rules prohibit selling treats that have too much sugar, sodium, fat and other unhealthy ingredients.
But many schools have bucked at the rules, saying food sales are an easy and profitable source of much-needed revenues. Outgoing S.C. Superintendent of Education Mick Zais referred to the health officials promoting the changes as the “Twinkie Police.”
The federal regulation allows states to ask for a set number of exemption days when non-healthy snacks could be sold, and the S.C. Board of Education has been wrestling with how many, if any, exemptions should be allowed. On a first vote, the board allowed 90 days’ worth of exemptions per school year.
But that raised the hackles of state health leaders such as Eat Smart Move More SC and the S.C. Medical Association, as well as parents who sent emails and letters and a petition with more than 4,000 signatures to the board asking members to disallow any exemptions. As a result, the board delayed a final decision and has yet to take another vote.
South Carolina has good reason to be concerned about what its children consume both in and out of school. Almost 40 percent of those ages 10-17 are either overweight or obese, and the state ranks next to the worst among the 50 states in the rate of obesity.
No one suggests that merely banning unhealthy snacks at school fundraising events would, in itself, turn around rising obesity rates. But proponents of the Smart Snack guidelines and those who oppose any exceptions note that schools need to set the right example. They shouldn’t be teaching children one thing about nutrition in the classroom and negating that message at school fundraisers.
It’s also important to note that schools are an environment where students are a captive audience and can be especially responsive to information about healthy eating.
“Good habits learned as a child are easy to maintain, but poor habits are difficult to change,” said Dr. Bruce Snyder, past president of the S.C. Medical Association.
As for raising money, selling unhealthy food is not the only option. Some schools sponsor running events that raise money while also encouraging exercise. The wildly popular “ice bucket challenge” indicates that the social media will yield many new and innovative ways to raise money for a good cause.
The Board of Education could permit some exemptions – although 90 a year is excessive – for a short time as a transition period for schools to look for alternatives. But the eventual goal should be to ban the sale of all unhealthy snacks inside of schools.
Kids have plenty of opportunities to eat whatever their parents want to give them when not in school. But during the school day, the undiluted message should be: Eat healthy for a better life.
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