Education Policy Studies Laboratory
Health and Nutrition
Shut the Spigot on School Soda
Date:
May 8, 2006
Source:
San Francisco Chronicle
Faced with the prospect of soda bans being enacted by states across the country,
beverage giants such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi announced that that they would
voluntarily stop selling syrupy sodas in most public schools.
PDFDate:
May 3, 2006
Author:
Samantha Gross
Source:
Associated Press
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation School Beverage Policy
guidelines were voluntarily adopted by the American Beverage Association, Cadbury Schweppes PLC, Coca-Cola Co., and PepsiCo, among others.
Date:
April 15, 2006
Author:
William Saletan
Source:
The Washington Post
Legislators, lawyers, and concerned citizens have waged a new war on America's growing
obesity problem.
Date:
April 7, 2006
Author:
Libby Quaid
Source:
Associated Press
Lawmakers are expelling soda, candy bars, chips, and other junk food from the nation's schools in an
attempt to curb childhood obesity.
Date:
April 6, 2006
Author:
Marian Burros
Source:
The New York Times
Under a proposed bill, an amendment to the National School Lunch Act, high nutritional standards
would be required of all food sold on school premises.
Date:
April 1, 2006
Author:
Valerie Elliott
Source:
The Times Online (Britain)
Soft drinks were being removed from supermarket shelves last night after they were
found to be contaminated with a cancer-causing chemical.
Date:
March 27, 2006
Author:
David Goldstein
Source:
Knight Ridder Newspapers
Some leading public-health experts want education officials to ban certain soft drinks
from public schools until they are proven to be safe and free of the cancer-causing chemical benzene.
Date:
March 9, 2006
Author:
Melanie Warner
Source:
The New York Times
Data released yesterday by Beverage Digest, the industry trade publication, shows
that for the first time in 20 years, the number of cases of soda sold in the United
States declined.
Date:
March 7, 2006
Author:
Jeremy Laurance
Source:
The Statesman
On every continent childish waistlines are expanding, driven by low-energy lifestyles
and high-energy foods. According to obesity specialists, the accretion of adipose tissue
on developing bodies is already having a damaging effect on their health.
Date:
March 6, 2006
Source:
News24.com
The number of overweight children worldwide will sharply increase by the end of the
decade, a report says.
Date:
March 3, 2006
Author:
Martin Hickman
Source:
The Independent News
The signs of a profound shift in our shopping and eating habits are growing apace.
Market research shows that a sharp divide has opened up between the sales of healthy
and unhealthy foods.
Date:
March 2006
Source:
Public Health Institute
This study found indications that many
high school campuses in California are targets of food and beverage marketing from companies
and brands associated with foods that are discouraged in children's diets including soda,
sports drinks and other sugary beverages, chips, candy, and fast food.
Date:
February 21, 2006
Author:
Dayle Hayes
Source:
Nutrition for the Future, Inc.
In this tool kit, concerned citizens, health professionals, and school officials can
find all the information needed to develop, implement and manage a local school wellness program.
Date:
February 6, 2006
Author:
John F. Banzhaf III
Institution:
George Washington University
Banzhaf writes to formally offer advice concerning the imminent filing of massive
class action law suits aimed at the sale of sugary soft drinks in schools and your
inevitable involvement in these law suits as a named party or otherwise.
Date:
January 19, 2006
Author:
John F. Banzhaf III
Institution:
George Washington University
Source:
Banzhaf.net
A new law suit charging cereal giant Kellogg's and Viacom with "directly harming kids' health" is only the
latest in a growing movement to use legal action against the problem of obesity, says public interest law
professor John Banzhaf.
Date:
December 6, 2005
Author:
Caroline E. Mayer
Source:
Washington Post
Advertising junk food on television has enticed children into eating massive amounts of unhealthy
food, leading to a sharp increase in obesity and diabetes, according to a report by the Institute
of Medicine.
Date:
December 2005
Source:
Institute of Medicine of the National Academies
This report explores what is known about current food and beverage marketing practices, the influence of
these practices on the diets and health of children and youth, and public and private strategies that can
be used to promote healthful food and beverage choices in children and youth.
To read or purchase the report, visit the Nation Academies website
Date:
October 3, 2005
Author:
Janice Billingsley
Source:
HealthDay News
The number and frequency of American children eating restaurant-served fried foods are climbing at an
alarming rate, according to a new study of more than 14,000 adolescents.
Date:
September 2005
Source:
U.S. Government Accountability Office
This GAO report (1) describes the key strategies identified by experts as most important
to include in programs to prevent or reduce childhood obesity; (2) provides examples of how
selected programs implemented the key strategies identified and challenges these programs faced;
(3) describes the program elements identified by experts as most important to include in programs
to prevent or reduce childhood obesity; and (4) provides examples of how selected programs implemented
key elements identified and the challenges these programs faced.
Date:
September 2005
Source:
California Pan-Ethnic Health Network and Consumers Union
Consumers Union uses recently released data to highlight one of the key factors contributing to the obesity
epidemic: the unending barrage of food, beverage, and fast food advertising in the United States.
Date:
September 2005
Authors:
S. Bryn Austin, ScD, Steven J. Melly, MS, Brisa N. Sanchez, ScM, Aarti Patel, BA, Stephen Buka, ScD and Steven L. Gortmaker, PhD
Institution:
Source:
American Journal of Public Health
Fast-food restaurants are concentrated within a short walking distance from schools, exposing children to
poor-quality food environments in their school neighborhoods.
To purchase the article, visit the American Journal of Public Health website.
Date:
June 12, 2005
Author:
Melanie Warner
Source:
The New York Times
Rick Berman, a prominent Washington lobbyist, has become the face of the food industry as it tries to
beat back regulations and discourage consumer lawsuits. He runs the Center for Consumer Freedom, a
nonprofit advocacy group that is financed by the food and restaurant industries.
Date:
May 2, 2005
Author:
Melanie Warner
Source:
The New York Times
For the last 28 years, Dr. Dean Ornish has been trying to persuade people to eat healthier. Among his
advice to patients is to eat a lot of vegetables and minimally processed foods, and avoid all things
greasy. Dr. Ornish also works for the McDonald's Corporation as a paid consultant.
Date:
April 9, 2005
Author:
Kate Zernike
Source:
The New York Times
People may have laughed 16 months ago when obese teenagers unsuccessfully sued McDonald's, saying its
food made them fat. But a well-honed army of familiar lawyers who waged war against the tobacco companies
for decades and won megamillion-dollar settlements is preparing a new wave of food fights, and no one is
laughing.
Date:
March 30, 2005
Author:
Polly Curtis
Source:
The Guardian
The government today promised £220m to bring the minimum spent on school dinners to 50p. The education
secretary, Ruth Kelly, also promised to reintroduce guidelines on nutritional standards in school meals
for the first time in 20 years.
Date:
March 29, 2005
Author:
Jane E. Brody
Source:
The New York Times
It's surprising that Americans still don't have a national initiative to control what is fast emerging
as the most serious and costly health problem in America: excess weight. Are our schools, our parents,
our national leaders blind to what is happening – a health crisis that looms even larger than our
former and current smoking habits?
Date:
March 24, 2005
Source:
Campaign for Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC)
CCFC issued this press release about McDonald's latest plan to market junk food to children.
For more information, visit the CCFC Website.
Date:
March 24, 2005
Author:
Felicity Lawrence
Source:
The Guardian
Seventy-five percent of primary schools in England are spending less than 50p on food for a school meal.
Schools at the bottom of a new school meal league table, compiled by the Soil Association and published
by the Guardian today, have less than 40p allocated to ingredients for dinners, while those at the top get
up to 70p.
Date:
March 24, 2005
Author:
Felicity Lawrence
Source:
The Guardian
English primary schools spend 37p to 70p on the ingredients for school meals, with most spending less
than 50p.
Date:
March 22, 2005
Author:
Patrick Wintour
Source:
The Guardian
Providing school meals on 37p a day was tough, the education secretary Ruth Kelly admitted, as she
promised reforms, but so far no extra cash, to improve their quality.
Date:
March 21, 2005
Author:
Matthew Tempest
Source:
The Guardian
In an effort to protect children, the British government introduced a
"mini-manifesto" which pledges to improve
school dinners and create minimum standards for the amount of fat, sugar, and salt in them.
Date:
March 15, 2005
Source:
Campaign for Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC)
This CCFC statement of rights is a response to a statement made by the Alliance for American Advertisers
(a new lobbying group for major food companies and the advertising industry) "to defend the right to
advertise to children."
For more information, or to sign the statement, visit the CCFC Website.
Date:
March 5, 2005
Author:
Melvin Konner
Institution:
Emory University
Source:
American Prospect
American kids and adults are relentlessly growing fatter and, consequently, sicker, but the disaster is
not just the product of individual appetites; powerful institutions, private and public, are partly
responsible for creating and worsening the problem.
Date:
February 28, 2005
Author:
John F. Banzhaf III
Institution:
George Washington University
Under pressure from the European Commission about the epidemic of obesity among children, a second
major food company has begun restricting its advertising directed towards children--especially with
regard to fattening foods.
Date:
February 26, 2005
Author:
William L. Bainbridge
Source:
Columbus Dispatch
A panel headed by former U.S.
Surgeon General David Satcher recently released the report,
"The Learning Connection: The Value of
Improving Nutrition and Physical Activity in our Schools." Panel members examined root causes of
childhood obesity and determined there is a "strong link between nutrition, physical activity and
academic success." According to the report, "improving children's health likely improves school
performance. It may even help (financially) on the schools' bottom line."
Date:
January 28, 2005
Author:
John F. Banzhaf III
Institution:
George Washington University
Children who exercise every day will not begin to burn off the calories they consume with a typical
McDonald's meal.
For more information visit the Fast-Food Calorie Counter and the Exercise / Calorie Calculator
Date:
January 25, 2005
Author:
Tom Becker
Source:
Bloomberg.com
McDonald's Corp., the world's largest fast-food chain, must face a suit by New York teenagers who claim
the company hid the health risks of Chicken McNuggets and other foods and made them obese, an appeals
court ruled.
Using Legal Action to Help Fight ObesityDate:
January 14, 2005
Author:
Leigh Strope
Source:
Associated Press
The vending machine industry, taking heavy criticism as kids and other Americans get fatter, is
launching an anti-obesity marketing campaign to improve its image and fend off efforts to remove
machines from schools.
Date:
January 12, 2005
Source:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
The sixth edition of Dietary Guidelines for Americans places stronger emphasis on reducing calorie consumption
and increasing physical activity.
For more information, visit Dietary Guidelines for Americans
Date:
January 2005
Source:
Institute of Medicine of the National Academies
The report provides a broad-based examination of the nature, extent, and consequences of obesity in
U.S. children and youth, including the social, environmental, and dietary factors responsible for its
increased prevalence. The report's action plan lays out explicit goals and recommendations for
preventing obesity and promoting healthy weight in children and youth in various segments of society.
To read or purchase the report, go to the National Academies Press website.
Date:
December 1, 2004
Author:
Derrick Z. Jackson
Source:
The Boston Globe
As the federal government
prepares to declare that soda pop can help make you fat, Coca-Cola's CEO, E. Neville Isdell,
proclaims: "Carbonated soft drinks are going to be carriers of health and wellness benefits.
We don't have it now, but we're looking into it."
Date:
December 1, 2004
Authors:
Maria Boyle, Marnie Purciel, Lisa Craypo, Sarah Stone-Francisco, and Sarah E. Samuels
Source:
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
This is the final report of the National
Evaluation and Measurement Meeting about school nutrition and physical activity policies.
It includes current policies, types of evaluations and how to assess them, and recommendations.
Date:
November 28, 2004
Author:
Raja Mishra
Source:
The Boston Globe
With the federal government
considering its first-ever warning that soft drinks can cause unhealthy weight gain, soda companies –
longtime icons of the US food industry – are finding themselves increasingly on the defensive,
lobbying federal officials against the warning and publicly arguing with the growing number of
nutrition specialists who say the fizzy, sugary beverages play a major role in America's obesity
problem.
Date:
November 18, 2004
Source:
American Medical Student Association
On November 18, 2004, the AMSA held a national "No Soda" Day where medical students, residents, and
physicians alike spoke out against the detrimental effects of liquid sugar on our children, our country,
and the obesity epidemic.
Date:
November 17, 2004
Author:
Ken O'Brien
Source:
Chicago Tribune
Soft drinks will be banned from the lunch menu for high school students starting next fall in Naperville,
IL, School District 203.
Date:
November 16, 2004
Source:
UK Department of Health
This document sets out the key principles for supporting the public to make healthier and more informed choices in
regards to their health. The British Government will provide information and practical support to get people
motivated and improve emotional wellbeing and access to services so that healthy choices are easier to make.
Date:
November 16, 2004
Source:
Campaign for Commercial Free Childhood (CCFC) (Formerly Stop Commercial Exploitation of Children)
Citing the film's promotions with
Burger King, Kellogg's, and Keebler, the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) is warning parents
to beware of the excessive and harmful levels of commercialism in the new SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.
Date:
October 20, 2004
Author:
Darren Yourk
Source:
Globe and Mail
The Ontario government is doing away with sugary drinks, chocolate bars, and chips in its elementary school
vending machines.
Date:
October 20, 2004
Source:
Ontario Ministry of Education
When children are exposed to less healthy choices at school, they do not compensate by choosing more healthy choices when away from school. Our schools need to help children learn how to make the best nutritional choices and form good eating habits now to carry them through their lives.
Date:
October 5, 2004
Source:
Campaign for Commercial Free Childhood (CCFC) (Formerly Stop Commercial Exploitation of Children)
Citing concerns about exploiting children to market toxic products to their families, thirty prominent
children's and environmental organizations sent a
public letter
today to US Youth Soccer (USYS) asking them not to renew their sponsorship agreement with TruGreen/ChemLawn.
WordDate:
October 1, 2004
Author:
Rob Stein
Source:
Washington Post
To fight the epidemic of childhood obesity, the nation must launch a far-reaching campaign enlisting
virtually every aspect of society to reduce the amount of junk food that children eat and get them
exercising more, the National Academy of Sciences said yesterday.
Date:
October 1, 2004
Author:
Katie Cristol
Source:
Cavalier Daily
Coca-Cola has contracts with nearly
half of this country's school districts. There are vending machines in almost 99 percent of high schools,
nearly 75 percent of middle schools and 43 percent of elementary schools. It's no small wonder that the
number of overweight schoolchildren has tripled to 9 million, or 15 percent, since before we started
school in the late 1980s.
Date:
September 30, 2004
Author:
David Kiley
Source:
Business Week
A study sponsored by the federal
government released Sept. 30 says government, business, and families must address the alarming rate of
obesity in children. This conclusion could lead to substantial curbs on advertising to children and
distribution of junk food in public schools.
Date:
September 30, 2004
Source:
Institute of Medicine of the National Academies
Reversing the rapid rise in obesity among American children and youth will require a multipronged
approach by schools, families, communities, industry, and government that would be as comprehensive
and ambitious as national anti-smoking efforts, according to a new report from the Institute of Medicine
of the National Academies.
Date:
September 24, 2004
Author:
Ben Feller
Source:
Associated Press
Expanding waistlines are squeezing
the bottom line of the nation's schools, as poor eating and exercise subtly strip money from education, a
new study suggests.
Date:
September 23, 2004
Source:
Associated Press
Soda, many kinds of candy and fatty
snacks like chips would no longer be sold at New Jersey schools under a proposal announced Thursday by Gov.
James E. McGreevey.
Date:
September 2004
Source:
Action for Healthy Kids
The excessive rise in poor nutrition, inactivity and weight problems is adversely affecting academic
achievement and possibly costing schools millions of dollars each year. The report calls on schools
to work with partners to take immediate action to address the issue, and points to current best practices
in schools, school districts, and states.
Date:
September 2004
Source:
Institute of Medicine of the National Academies
The Institute of Medicine, through the
Food and Nutrition Board and the Board on Children, Youth, and Families, will undertake a comprehensive
study of the science-based effects of food marketing on the diets and health of children and youth in the
United States. This work is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in response
to a Congressional directive.
Date:
August 29, 2004
Author:
Dale Buss
Source:
The New York Times
IET trends aren't just for adults
anymore. A new obsession of America's food, beverage and restaurant companies is thwarting childhood obesity.
With more nutritious products, healthier menus and new activity programs, the companies have begun a big push
aimed at the youngest generation.
Date:
August 25, 2004
Authors:
Matthias B. Schulze, JoAnn E. Manson, David S. Ludwig, Graham A. Colditz, Meir J. Stampfer, Walter C. Willett, and Frank B. Hu
Source:
Journal of the American Medical Association
Higher consumption of sugar-sweetened
beverages is associated with a greater magnitude of weight gain and an increased risk for development of
type 2 diabetes in women, possibly by providing excessive calories and large amounts of rapidly absorbable
sugars.
Date:
July 30, 2004
Author:
Associated Press
Source:
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Soda and junk food vending machines are getting
kicked out of French schools as part of a broad public health bill passed by the parliament Friday
to combat rising obesity among youths.
Date:
July 16, 2004
Source:
Campaign for Commercial Free Childhood (CCFC) (Formerly Stop Commercial Exploitation of Children)
SCEC in conjunction with the Children's Caucus hosted a congressional briefing about what Time Magazine
calls "the burgeoning and increasingly controversial business" of marketing directly to children.
To support Senator Harkin's HeLP America Act, sign the petition.
To support Senator Harkin's HeLP America Act, sign the petition.
Date:
July 15, 2004
Source:
United States Department of Health and Human Services
A revision
in policy from HHS' Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) removes language in the Medicare Coverage
Issues Manual stating that obesity is not an illness. This step allows members of the public to request that
Medicare review medical evidence to determine whether specific treatments related to obesity would be covered
by Medicare.
Date:
June 2004
Authors:
David Foulk and Charles H. Imwold
Source:
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
This report follows a typical boy through his day at school, pointing out the ways that modern school
environments contribute to adolescent obesity. It offers suggestions for how schools can modify their
food selections and physical education programs to encourage healthier student lifestyles.
Date:
June 9, 2004
Source:
Public Health Institute
The first of four, this policy brief recommends strategies for improving the quality of foods and
beverages available at schools.
Date:
June 2, 2004
Source:
California Project LEAN
California Project LEAN's website now features "Bright Ideas": examples of successful strategies and programs
that increase student access to healthy foods or physical activity.
Date:
May 2004
Source:
Office of Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa)
The HeLP America Act of 2004 is
designed to reduce health care costs by giving Americans access to better preventive care and consumer
information to promote healthier lifestyles. Rather than focusing on sickness, this comprehensive
approach encourages healthy lifestyles and integrates healthy choices into individuals' daily lives.
Date:
May 2004
Source:
Consumers International
This report outlines major findings from studies conducted on the influence of television food ads on children
in six Asian countries: India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines and South Korea.
Date:
May 22, 2004
Source:
World Health Organization
The WHO adopted this global strategy at its 57th World Health Assembly. It addresses two of the major risk
factors responsible for the heavy and growing burden of noncommunicable disease, emphasizing the need to
limit the intake of certain fats, sugars and salt, and increase consumption of fruit and vegetables, and
levels of physical activity.
Date:
May 6, 2004
Author:
Karen McNulty Walsh
Source:
The Bulletin of the Brookhaven National Laboratory
Research results published by a Brookhaven National
Laboratory team that has been investigating the neurological basis of drug addiction reveals that
similar mechanisms may be at play in people "addicted" to food.
Date:
May 6, 2004
Author:
Laura Parker
Source:
USA Today
The movie Super Size Me, which opens Friday,
promises to raise the volume in the debate over fast food and obesity. So far, five of eight "obesity"
lawsuits have had some success in state courts, and McDonald's has made instituted changes to its menu.
At the same time, 19 states have passed legislation to ban "obesity" lawsuits, and the U.S. Senate is
considering a similar bill.
Date:
March 9, 2004
Source:
Commercial Alert
This petition calls for a global ban on junk food marketing to children twelve years of age and below, and
urges the World Health Organization to incorporate such a ban into its Global Strategy on Diet, Physical
Activity and Health.
Date:
February 2004
Source:
Parents Advocating School Accountability
San Francisco schools
have completed phasing in a bold new plan that may be the nation's most comprehensive
healthy-food policy – a "no empty calories" standard for all foods sold to students
during school. Article includes links to similar health food policies from districts
around the nation.
Date:
January 23, 2004
Authors:
Kelly D. Brownell and Marion Nestle
Source:
The New York Times
The Bush administration's critique of
the World Health Organization's global plan to fight obesity closely parallels that of American food companies,
underscoring the need for government to create a wall between itself and the food industry when establishing
nutrition and public health policy.
Date:
January 22, 2004
Author:
Jonathan Fowler
Source:
Newsday.com
The United States,
accused of kowtowing to the food industry, on Thursday welcomed a U.N. plan urging diets
lighter in sugar and fat as ways to reduce obesity and fight heart disease and diabetes,
which kill millions each year.
Date:
January 15, 2004
Author:
Marian Ublman
Source:
Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia School
District plans to impose one of the nation's toughest beverage policies later this year,
banning sodas, iced teas, and other sweetened drinks from all vending machines and school
cafeterias.
Date:
January 6, 2004
Author:
Russ Keen
Source:
Aberdeen American News
Pop and junk food vending machines are
a thing of the past at T.F. Riggs High School in Pierre.
Date:
January 2004
Author:
James Guest
Source:
Consumer Reports
James Guest, president of
Consumers Union, points out the alarm all consumers should feel towards the rapidly growing rate
of obesity among children. He points out the efforts of the Commercialism in Education Research
Unit to curb commercialism in schools.
Date:
December 23, 2003
Author:
Helen Puttick
Source:
The Herald
Coca-Cola has agreed to
remove its branding from vending machines in Scottish schools under the first deal of its kind
in the world to promote better nutrition among pupils.
Date:
December 8, 2003
Author:
Meg Haskell
Source:
Bangor Daily News
Does the government promote obesity? State Rep. Sean
Faircloth says, "Yes."
Date:
December 5, 2003
Author:
Matt Frazier
Source:
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Parents and teachers
overwhelmingly agree that soda and candy vending machines in schools across the nation should
be converted to provide healthy food.
Date:
November 2003
Source:
Center for Science in the Public Interest
The CSPI report identifies a plethora of
ways that companies target children in their homes, in their schools, on the web, and wherever else they go.
Date:
November 2003
Authors:
Sarah E. Samuels, Dr.PH., Lisa Craypo, M.P.H., R.D., Lori Dorman, Dr.PH., Marnie Purciel, Marion B. Standish, J.D.
Source:
The California Endowment
This report examines the relationship
between food and beverage marketing and the skyrocketing rates of obesity and diabetes among children.
Date:
October 29, 2003
Author:
Cara Mia DiMassa
Source:
Los Angeles Times
In hopes of slimming down its many chubby
students, the Los Angeles Board of Education voted unanimously to ban fried chips, candy and other junk foods
from school vending machines and student stores and to put strict limits on the amount of fat, sugar and sodium
in any snacks sold during the school day.
Date:
2003
Source:
California School Boards Association and California Project LEAN
This policy resource guide
is designed for use by school board members and school administrators who want to positively
affect the health of students. The guide offers a step-by-step approach for creating a
healthy school environment so students can practice healthy eating habits while at school.
Date:
October 10, 2003
Source:
Parents Advocating School Responsibility
While many school districts around the nation are raising standards
for food, San Francisco may be the first to adopt a "no empty calories" policy. The standard not only sets maximum
levels for fat and sugar but also requires minimum levels of nutrients in all foods sold at every school,
elementary through high school.
Date:
September 16, 2003
Source:
San Francisco Chronicle
Pity consumers–or legislators–trying to
figure out who stands for what when making up their minds on controversial issues like whether sugar-filled
sodas should be sold in our schools.
Date:
September 15, 2003
Author:
Phyllis Schlafly
Source:
Copley News Service
Public schools must take a big share of
responsibility for our epidemic of childhood obesity, not only because of the kinds of foods and drinks they
sell or give away, but because of the inducements that flow from easy availability and peer pressure.
Date:
September 12, 2003
Source:
The Arizona Republic
It's high time to kick sodas,
candy and high-fat snacks out of Arizona schools.
Date:
August 30, 2003
Author:
Kara Shire
Source:
Contra Costa Times
In an effort to curb rising obesity
in children and get ahead of expected government mandates on the healthfulness of school lunches, the West
Contra Costa school district has rid many of its middle school cafeterias of candy, soda and those
ubiquitous slices of greasy Red Baron pizza.
Date:
August 26, 2003
Author:
Nancy Wartik
Source:
The New York Times
In a report this month that points out this
discrepancy, the American Academy of Pediatrics has called on members to make obesity screening and counseling
routine parts of children's checkups, like testing reflexes or measles immunizations.
Date:
August 24, 2003
Source:
San Francisco Chronicle
When school opens this week, San Francisco will begin
implementing arguably the healthiest food regimen of any school district in the nation.
Date:
August 20, 2003
Author:
Betsy McKay
Source:
Wall Street Journal
Schoolchildren are use to getting grades
in math, science and English. Now, Arkansas state officials want to score them on their weight.
Date:
August 12, 2003
Author:
Rob Stein
Source:
Washington Post
Nearly
1 million U.S. teenagers suffer from a syndrome associated with being
overweight that makes them unusually prone to diabetes and premature heart
disease later in life.
Date:
August 8, 2003
Source:
TIME Magazine
Texas
has become the latest jurisdiction to ban sugary soft drinks in schools,
following similar moves by Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City and
other smaller jurisdictions.
Date:
August 6, 2003
Author:
Seth Lubove
Source:
Forbes Magazine
Is high-fructose corn syrup responsible for
the obesity epidemic in the United States? The debate roars on.
Date:
August 5, 2003
Author:
Jeffrey Gilbert
Source:
Houston Chronicle
The Texas Department of Agriculture will enforce new guidelines in Texas schools
which prohibit foods of minimal nutritional value from being sold during
the school day.
Date:
August 5, 2003
Author:
Neil Buckley
Source:
Financial Times
Efforts by junk food and soft drink companies to target school children as product
consumers are no longer going unnoticed, and the result has been soda
pop bans in some schools and threats of lawsuits.
Date:
August 3, 2003
Author:
David Barboza
Source:
The New York Times
Food companies that target children, through school commercialism and television
advertising, are coming under increased scrutiny and pressure to reign
in their aggressive marketing practices.
Date:
July 29, 2003
Author:
Mimi Turner
Source:
Hollywood Reporter
BBC Worldwide, the public broadcaster's commercial arm, announced that it
will no longer allow its children's television characters to be used in
fast-food sponsorship deals.
Date:
July 27, 2003
Source:
Sacramento Bee
Schools' dependence on the profits generated by the sale of sugary soft drinks
is a shame, and has revealed some unlikely foes to the passage of Senate
Bill 677, which would curtail the sale of such products in elementary
and middle schools throughout the state.
Date:
July 22, 2003
Author:
Eric Nagourney
Source:
The New York Times
A recently released government report finds that the rise in obesity among
U.S. children poses a "major public health problem."
Date:
July 22, 2003
Author:
Erica Goode
Source:
The New York Times
Experts seem to agree that as food portion sizes have steadily increased over
the past 30 years, so have Americans' waistlines. If so, perhaps there
is more to the obesity epidemic than simply a lack of self-discipline,
as fast food companies assert.
Date:
July 20, 2003
Author:
Sarah-Kate Templeton
Source:
Sunday Herald
It seems that both in the US and in the UK, legal action against school districts
which profit from the sale of sugary soft drinks and snacks appears to
be on the not-too-distant horizon.
Date:
July 19, 2003
Source:
The Washington Times
Trial lawyers plan to target school board members in Seattle who voted to extend
a soda-machine contract with Coca-Cola Co.
Date:
July 18, 2003
Source:
Seattle Post Intelligencer
The Seattle School Board recently voted 4-3 to extend its exclusive contract
to sell Coke products in its schools' vending machines.
Date:
July 18, 2003
Author:
Tan Vinh
Source:
Seattle Times
With pressure from lawyers and community activists to curb the sale of soft
drinks in its schools' vending machines, Seattle School Board members
voted to limit the sale of soft drinks to middle-schoolers. The School
Board did, however, go ahead and extend its contract with Coca-Cola, which
could possibly provoke legal action.
Date:
July 16, 2003
Author:
Alissa Quart
Source:
The New York Times
Recent efforts to curb commercial activity on school campuses will benefit students
in many ways.
Date:
July 16, 2003
Source:
BBC
Some academics predict that if McDonald's isn't careful to respond to accusations
that it is contributing to the obesity epidemic, it could become a relic
of the past.
Date:
July 15, 2003
Author:
Andrew Martin
Source:
Chicago Tribune
Many fast food chains continue to add fattier foods in larger portions to their
menus, and that has sparked threats from legislators and anti-fat lawyers
who would like to curb the trend.
Date:
July 14, 2003
Source:
CNN.com
States and school districts throughout the country are rethinking their policies
regarding vending machines in public schools which sell sugar filled drinks
and snacks to students.
Date:
July 13, 2003
Source:
Parents Advocating School Accountability
Aptos Middle School in San Francisco has shown how healthy food options on campus
can turn a profit.
Date:
July 10, 2003
Source:
Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial Board supports Philadelphia's school reform
chief Paul Vallas in his move to ban soda sales on school campuses.
Date:
July 10, 2003
Author:
Susan Snyder
Source:
Philadelphia Inquirer
While advocates of healthier foods in schools are excited over the decision
to ban soda sales in Philadelphia schools, they say more should be done
to promote healthier school lunch options and snacks.
Date:
July 10, 2003
Source:
Sacramento Bee
It appears that the California Legislature's Assembly Health Committee failed
to seek the best interest for children when it decided to remove part
of a bill which would keep soft drinks off of high school campuses.
Date:
July 5, 2003
Author:
Alanna Mitchell
Source:
The Globe and Mail
Kraft's decision to become
more calorie-conscious shouldn't have come as such a big surprise. The health campaigner who cost
the big cigarette companies billions has turned his attention to what's on the menu.
Date:
July 2, 2003
Source:
San Francisco Chronicle
California
Senate Bill 677, sponsored by Sen. Deborah Ortiz (D-Sacramento), would
prohibit the sale of soda in all public schools but high schools. It was
recently approved by the Assembly Health Committee and now moves on to
the Assembly Education Committee.
Date:
July 2, 2003
Author:
Keith Ervin
Source:
Seattle Times
This article summarizes recent legal activities aimed at keeping the Seattle
School Board from renewing its exclusive "pouring rights" contract with
Coca-Cola.
Date:
July 1, 2003
Author:
Bruce Horovitz
Source:
USA Today
With parents screaming and lawyers suing, several fast food companies are experimenting with healthier
alternatives.
Date:
July 1, 2003
Source:
Citizen's Campaign for Commercial Free Schools
The
Citizens' Campaign for Commercial-Free Schools scheduled a press conference
on Tuesday, July 1st, to alert the public to possible legal ramifications
if the school board chooses to renew its exclusive 5-year Coke contract.
Date:
July 2003
Source:
Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics
This report finds that the startling rise in the number of overweight youth
over the past 20 years in the United States poses a major public health
problem.
Date:
June 30, 2003
Source:
Citizen's Campaign for Commercial Free Schools
A Seattle Attorney has joined national anti-obesity lawyers' efforts to
keep the Seattle School Board from renewing its soft drink contract with
Coca-Cola.
Date:
June 29, 2003
Source:
San Francisco Chronicle
In spite of national trends which suggest that schoolhouse commercialism
is more a rule than an exception, Aptos Middle School in San Francisco
is showing how bucking the trend benefits students.
Date:
June 29, 2003
Source:
San Francisco Chronicle
Even with its cafeteria offering healthy options for lunch, Folsom High students still flock to the school
sponsored snack bar to buy junk food at lunch time.
Date:
June 29, 2003
Source:
San Francisco Chronicle
Arroyo High school is a good example of how healthy foods on campus have fallen
victim to the fast food craze.
Date:
June 27, 2003
Author:
Marguerite Higgins
Source:
The Washington Times
Fast food companies are fighting back against legal challenges against their
practices through ads poking fun at the trial lawyers who are taking them
to court.
Date:
June 27, 2003
Source:
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Seattle School Board members were asked to end the district's contract with Coca-Cola,
which allows the soft drink giant to sell its products in Seattle schools.
Date:
June 27, 2003
Source:
Commercial Alert
Calls
on state and local officials to protect children by prohibiting the marketing
and sale of junk food in schools.
Date:
June 25, 2003
Author:
Abby Goodnough
Source:
The New York Times
In a move to curb the "obesity epidemic" among New York City schoolchildren,
the Education Department has moved to reduce the fat content in daily
meals and ban candy, soda, and other sugary snacks from vending machines.
Date:
June 20, 2003
Authors:
Geof Rayner and Mike Rayner
Source:
EuroHealth
Using the United States as an example, the article points out how the increase
in chronic diseases linked to obesity has created negative economic consequences
that will only worsen in the future. Additionally, they warn that unless
lawmakers and government officials act soon, European countries will likely
suffer a similar fate.
Date:
June 15, 2003
Source:
American Diabetes Association
One in three Americans born in 2000 will develop diabetes, according to a
yet to be released U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
report presented at the American Diabetes Association's 63rd Annual Scientific
Sessions in New Orleans, LA.
Date:
May 19, 2003
Source:
Health Affairs
Report finds excess medical expenditures result from treating obesity-related diseases.
Date:
May 19, 2003
Source:
San Francisco Chronicle
California Senate bill aims to ban soda sales in all public elementary schools beginning
on Sept. 1, 2005, and restrict their sale on middle and high-school campuses
beginning on Sept. 1, 2006.
Date:
May 19, 2003
Author:
Elizabeth Lee
Source:
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Financially strapped cafeterias find solution to economic woes by selling fatty foods
in large portions a la carte.
Date:
May 8, 2003
Author:
Holley Wysong
Source:
Parents Advocating School Accountability
Fundraising by selling unhealthy snacks has devastating health consequences.
Date:
May 2003
Source:
U.S. General Accounting Office
While
schools are moving toward meeting school lunch requirements, they are
still in need of more improvement, specifically in complying with the
required 30 percent limit on calories from fat in lunches. Additionally,
the report finds that more needs to be done within schools to promote
healthy eating, noting that most students have access to foods of minimal
nutritional value, including soft drinks and candy.
Date:
April 15, 2003
Author:
Marjorie Coeyman
Source:
Christian Science Monitor
Sharp decline in school-lunch nutrition sparks grassroots reform.
Date:
April 8, 2003
Author:
John Fauber
Source:
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Quality of life for children
suffering from obesity comparable to that of children undergoing chemotherapy.
Date:
April 4, 2003
Author:
Linal Ishibashi, Dana Woldow, and Caroline Grannan
Source:
San Francisco Chronicle
Banned soda sales at Aptos
Middle School, three months earlier, explodes five myths.
Date:
March 27, 2003
Authors:
Dana Woldow and Caroline Grannan
Source:
This seven-page guide, produced by parents of Aptos Middle School in San Francisco,
describes how parents can get rid of junk food at their children's schools.
It is made available by Parents Advocating School Accountability, a San
Francisco-based research and information project.
Date:
March 26, 2003
Author:
Anne Ryman
Source:
The Arizona Republic
Article reports that "55 percent of Arizona schools do not meet the U.S.
Department of Agriculture standards for nutrients over a week's time,"
reviews school nutrition policies and lunch reimbursements.
Date:
March 6, 2003
Author:
Scott Leith
Source:
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Coca-Cola Enterprises
(CCE) says "enough is enough," defends its sales in schools.
Date:
March 6, 2003
Source:
Parents Advocating School Accountability
"The commonplace nationwide
practice of selling cola and other sodas in school cafeterias at lunchtime
violates U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations." Also see links to
USDA memo and to the
62-page list of foods of minimal nutritional value.
Date:
March 5, 2003
Author:
Dan Freedman
Source:
San Francisco Chronicle
Article quotes Sen. Tom Harkin (Iowa) at hearings on the National School Lunch
Program. Also link to Letter
to the Editor (March 7, 2003) for clarifying comments by a parent.
Date:
February 13, 2003
Institution:
Aptos Middle School, San Francisco, Calif.
A media release by Aptos
Middle School in San Francisco on behalf of the school's PTSA announcing
"a pioneering pilot project to eliminate junk food sold at the school
and replace it with healthy choices."
Date:
February 11, 2003
Author:
Coletter Bancroft
Source:
St. Petersburg Times
An epidemic has overtaken
America, an epidemic that kills 300,000 people a year – obesity.
Date:
February 2003
Source:
Centers for Disease Control
This fact sheet of the
CDC's School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS) summerizes a portion
of the SHPPS 2000 national survey periodically conducted to assess school
health policies and programs at the state, district, school, and classroom
levels.
Date:
February 2003
Source:
Centers for Disease Control
This fact sheet of the CDC's School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS)
summerizes a portion of the SHPPS 2000 national survey periodically conducted
to assess school health policies and programs at the state, district,
school, and classroom levels.
Date:
February 2003
Author:
Healthy Schools Network
Source:
National Association of State Boards of Education
"The link between nutrition and learning
is well documented....Well-planned and well-implemented school nutrition
programs have been shown to positively influence students' eating habits."
Date:
January 15, 2003
Author(s):
Ray Delgado
Source:
San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Unified
School Board eliminates sale of sodas and snacks sold in school cafeterias–a
$500,000 hit to the district's food nutrition program.
Date:
January 15, 2003
Author:
John Borowski
Source:
Statesman Journal
The author says the caffeine
in soda violates the zero tolerance policy of "No-Doze" or caffeine
tablets of Salem-Keizer (Ore.) schools.
health_and_nutrition.htm
Date:
January 14, 2003
Authors:
Kim Severson and Ray Delgado
Source:
San Fransisco Chronicle
San Fransisco School Board
considers a nutrition policy that would eliminate the sale of soda and
unhealthy snacks in its 114 schools.
Date:
January 14, 2003
Author:
Gary Boyes Sr.
Source:
A statement made to the
Salem-Keizer (Ore.) school board about the caffeine content of Pepsi and
its apparent violation of school rules and state law on drug substances.
Date:
January 13, 2003
Author:
Elizabeth Becker and Marian Burros
Source:
The New York Times
"For the first time
in five years, Congress will take up the school lunch issue this winter
[Feb 2003], writing legislation that will affect the diet of 27 million
public school children, in elementary through high school."
Date:
January 11, 2003
Author:
Emily Gersema
Source:
Associated Press/Detroit News
Physicians argue that
school lunches are partly to blame for overweight children. Agriculture
Secretary says the bulk of eating and buying decisions is done by the
parents.
Date:
January 7, 2003
Author:
Kim Severson
Source:
San Francisco Chronicle
"An overweight America
is killing itself with excess, and all that can save it is a major cultural
transformation led by individuals and families"–Surgeon General Carmona
Date:
January 6, 2004
Source:
Canada.com
Ontario is applauding a
move by the Canadian soft-drink industry to voluntarily withdraw soda from elementary schools, but
says that's only the first step towards banning all junk food from schools.
Date:
January 5, 2004
Author:
Associated Press
Source:
The Arizona Republic
Soft drinks should be eliminated
from schools to help tackle the nation's obesity epidemic and pediatricians should work with their local
schools to ensure that children are offered healthful alternatives, the American Academy of Pediatrics says.
Date:
January 4, 2004
Author:
Anne Ryman
Source:
The Arizona Republic
For years, Arizona's
cash-strapped schools have helped fund student activities by raising tens of thousands of
dollars a year through contracts with soft-drink companies.
Date:
January 1, 2004
Author:
Jen Sansbury
Source:
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
DeKalb County school
vending machines will no longer dispense soft drinks, candy, or other items not included in
the school nutrition program during the school day.
Date:
October 9, 2002
Authors:
Katherine M. Flegal, Margaret D. Carroll, Cynthia L. Ogden and Clifford L. Johnson
Source:
JAMA-Journal of the American Medical Association
The increases in the
prevalences of obesity and overweight previously observed continued in
1999-2000. The potential health benefits from reduction in overweight
and obesity are of considerable public health importance.
Date:
October 8, 2002
Source:
National Center for Health Statistics, HHS
Obesity continued to
increase dramatically during the late 1990s for Americans of all ages,
with nearly one-third of all adults now classified as obese.
Date:
October 2002
Authors:
Anthony Rodgers and Patrick Vaughan
Source:
World Health Organization
"[This report] shows
how the lifestyles of whole populations are changing around the world,
and the impact of these changes on the health of individuals, families,
communities, and whole populations."
Date:
October 2002
Source:
National Center of Health Statistics, HHS
Results from the 1999-2000
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), using measured
heights and weights, indicate that an estimated 64 percent of U.S. adults
are either overweight or obese.
Date:
September 28, 2002
Author:
Faith McLellan
Source:
The Lancet
British medical journal
describes the impact of marketing and advertising on obesity in children
and how they view their body image.
Date:
September 28, 2002
Source:
The Lancet
British medical journal
editorializes on the effects of marketing and advertising on children's
health and summarizes some solutions.
Date:
September 14, 2002
Author:
Jane E. Brody
Source:
The New York Times
"Children from kindergarten
through high school are being taught that 'nutrition' comes in boxes of
fast foods, candy wrappers, and soft-drink cans and bottles."
Date:
Fall 2002
Source:
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
The Physicians Committee
for Responsible Medicine graded the nutrition quality of the menus offered
in ten of the largest U.S. school districts participating in the USDA's
national School Lunch Program.
Date:
August 5, 2002
Author:
Peg Tyre
Source:
Newsweek
"An army is mobilizing
in a war against junk food. The combatants: doctors, lawyers, preachers,
and moms."
Date:
June 14, 2002
Source:
National Governors Association
States are using innovative food and
physical activity policies/standards, healthy community design, public education, healthcare
systems, and tax strategies to address the obesity epidemic.
Date:
Summer 2002
Authors:
Lawrence Lindner
Source:
Eating Well
An interview with Marion
Nestle, a well-respected nutritionist, who looks at why Americans are
so overfed–and so confused about what to eat. Also brief sidebar article
from her book, Food Politics.
Date:
March 22, 2002
Institution:
RAND Health
Summary of two articles
by health economist Roland Strum and psychiatrist Kenneth Wells, two RAND
researchers, examines the comparative effects of obesity, smoking, heavy
drinking and poverty on chronic health conditions and health expenditures.
Date:
March 2002
Source:
North Carolina School Nutrition Committee
The consumption, health
effects, and other issues of soft drinks and children.
Date:
December 13, 2001
Source:
Office of the Surgeon General
The US Surgeon General
says obesity among adolescents has tripled since the 1980's and calls
on schools to provide healthier and more appealing foods.
Date:
October 3, 2001
Author:
Darcia Harris Bowman
Source:
Education Week
Darcia Harris Bowman of Education Week magazine takes a look at the growing leglislative
backlash against fast food sales in schools.
Date:
June 2001
Source:
Philadelphia Nutrition Education Network
"A coordinated school
nutrition policy provides the framework for ensuring that students in
[the School District of Philadelphia] receive nutrition education messages
that are reinforced throughout the school environment."
Date:
February 17, 2001
Authors:
David S. Ludwig, Karen E. Peterson, and Steven L. Gortmaker
Source:
The Lancet
An examination of obesity
in children to the consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks in public schools
in four Massachusetts communities.
Date:
February 17, 2001
Source:
The Lancet
An editorial review of
the research by David Ludwig and colleagues on childhood obesity.