If Kids Can't Get Candy and Sodas, Will They Still Buy Lunch at School?
What happens when a school district replaces junk food with healthier choices? Will it lose money in food sales? Starting January 1, 2003, the San Francisco School District stopped selling sodas, chips, sweets and other low-nutrient foods in its cafeterias that serve over 59,000 students. This was a result of a new law called the California Childhood Obesity Prevention Act.
Researchers at the Department of Pediatrics, University of California/San Francisco, studied the effect of the new rules on sales. They found that more students participated in the free lunch programs, partly because more were eligible in 2003. However, sales dropped 9% on lunches at regular price. The schools' ala carte or snack bars in particular lost money: an average of $13,000 per school per year. The snack bars no longer sold foods like mega burgers, burritos and cookies. Instead, they offered sushi, low-fat cookies, smaller sized burgers and other healthy foods.
Altogether there was a small increase in lunch sales after the changes, mostly due to increased participation in the free lunch program. Researchers found that 46% of students believed that the new food choices tasted better.
Many school districts throughout the country are making similar changes to their menus. The authors of the study noted that the United States ranks third in the world for its children's consumption of soda, candy and chocolates. This study appeared in the September 2006 issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
Researchers at the Department of Pediatrics, University of California/San Francisco, studied the effect of the new rules on sales. They found that more students participated in the free lunch programs, partly because more were eligible in 2003. However, sales dropped 9% on lunches at regular price. The schools' ala carte or snack bars in particular lost money: an average of $13,000 per school per year. The snack bars no longer sold foods like mega burgers, burritos and cookies. Instead, they offered sushi, low-fat cookies, smaller sized burgers and other healthy foods.
Altogether there was a small increase in lunch sales after the changes, mostly due to increased participation in the free lunch program. Researchers found that 46% of students believed that the new food choices tasted better.
Many school districts throughout the country are making similar changes to their menus. The authors of the study noted that the United States ranks third in the world for its children's consumption of soda, candy and chocolates. This study appeared in the September 2006 issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
Labels: healthy_eating, junk food, schools
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