Feds' bill would nix junk food in LI schools

Students on Long Island will find it tougher to get junk food at school if the Obama administration gets its wish and Congress approves new measures to fight childhood obesity.

The legislative initiative will include provisions to rid school vending machines of junk food, The Associated Press said. On Long Island and across the country, schools rely on vending machines and on sales of snacks high in sugar, fat and salt as revenue streams.

School officials on the Island said Monday they have already begun to take childhood nutrition more seriously and offered reactions that ranged from skepticism about any new rules to full-throated support.

Several stressed that additional money should accompany new standards, especially if they restrict revenue from vending machines and other types of snack sales that schools use as sources of income.

"We can't balance our budget as it is," said Adrianne Goldenbaum, food service director of the West Babylon School District. "And if they take away the foods kids like, they are going to have to help us out."

The new standards are to be part of the Child Nutrition Act's scheduled overhaul and dovetail with first lady Michelle Obama's crusade to improve the eating habits of young people. Tuesday, she is slated to announce a campaign against youth obesity.

The final legislation, one part of that effort, is still being developed and details are few, according to stakeholders tracking the push. They added that a separate attempt to upgrade nutrition standards for federally subsidized school lunches is under way at the Department of Agriculture.

New York State education law already prohibits the sale of certain sweetened foods such as soda, chewing gum and candy from the beginning of the school day until the end of the last scheduled meal period.

In 2008, Newsday reviewed Long Island school districts. In two-thirds of the 42 districts examined, snack sales made up more than 25 percent of school food program revenue in 2006-07. In Garden City, snack sales accounted for more than 70 percent of all sales.

Any new rules that curb income from snack sales could be a problem, said Kevin Hannon, food service director for the Long Beach School District.

"They need to get schools the proper funding," said Hannon, who has worked to provide students better food options. "A healthier program costs a lot more money."

Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said President Barack Obama's proposed budget has a $1 billion increase for childhood nutrition programs, an unprecedented hike.

Though school officials will need more funding to serve healthier meals, it costs no money to switch from candy to a granola bar in a vending machine, plus it sends a message, she said. "You can't be teaching kids about nutrition in the classroom and selling them soda and candy bars in the hallways," Wootan said.

That lesson has been adopted by Paul Casciano, superintendent of the William Floyd school district. This school year, he said, the district announced a "Floyd Gets Fit!" drive that includes a focus on healthy eating.

Casciano called tougher nutrition rules a "great idea."

Newsday's look at LI school lunches
In October 2008, Newsday published a series of stories examining school lunch programs on Long Island. Among the findings:

No support: Money is often an obstacle to making school food better. While they get small federal and state reimbursements for every meal they serve, cafeteria programs get virtually no financial support from the local taxes residents pay.

Snack sales: School food programs rely on the sale of snacks such as cookies and chips to break even. Sales of snacks produced between 8 percent and 58 percent of total revenue in the 42 districts that provided complete financial information.

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