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. Most of the changes are to go into effect July 1, 2004, joining a previously approved ban on soft drinks that started January 2004.
"We have a chance to make a difference in the health of our kids," said board member Marlene Canter, who was the driving force behind the proposal. "The provisions of this motion move us in that direction in a big-time way.
"As the second biggest school district in the nation, our actions today will resonate," she said. The plan urges the district to increase the variety and accessibility of fresh fruits and vegetables. It also directs administrators to figure out how to end contracts with brand-name fast-food vendors that sell pizza and burgers on some campuses.
Monroe High School in North Hills which has banned soda sales for more than a year as part of a pilot program, has reported significant improvements in student behavior since the soda ban took effect. Lisa Jones, grant coordinator at Monroe for Linking Education Activity and Food, a program that encourages students to eat healthier foods, said the school has had a 74 percent decrease in fights and a 24 percent decrease overall in violations that lead to suspension.
"We also noticed an almost 50 percent increase in students actually eating a healthy lunch," Jones said. "Teachers are reporting that students' overall behavior in the classroom is more focused."
And while many critics of the ban thought beverage revenue would plummet, Jones said revenues were higher now selling only juices and other healthy alternatives.
Monroe students said the key to the program's success has been that the school actively sought out the student's input. Students got to sample the healthy snacks and select the ones they liked, and recently got a salad bar they lobbied for.
