Summary

The new bill is the target of criticism from those who supported an out-and-out ban, claiming that nutritional guidelines will not help significantly decrease child and teenage obesity, a problem that the initial bill sought to rectify. Nutritional guidelines would also allow each district to decide which foods could and could not advertise in schools.

Original source:
http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-10/1114671820223330.xml&storylist=orlocal

Details

• Plans for a statewide ban on junk food and soft drinks in school died a premature death in the state Senate this week, when a panel of lawmakers instead endorsed a proposal to require schools to adopt nutrition guidelines and other "student wellness" policies.
• The Senate Education committee approved a rewritten version of a bill that originally sought to ban the sale of food or drink during school hours that is of "minimal nutritional value" according to federal guidelines.
• The new version bans no foods or beverages of any sort.
• Instead, it requires each school board to adopt a "wellness policy" that includes goals for nutrition education and physical activities and nutrition guidelines "that promote student health and reduce childhood obesity."
• The bill also requires school districts to come up with guidelines on advertising foods on school campuses and sets public-participation standards for how each district develops its guidelines.
• Vicki Walker, D-Eugene, who chairs the Senate Education Committee, said her rewrite represented a pragmatic approach to the growing concerns over how to address obesity among children.
• "I think we have a bill that can pass both chambers, that does have some teeth," she said.
• Bill Morrisette, a Springfield Democrat and chief sponsor of a more far-reaching bill regulating what foods schools can provide students, voted against the rewritten bill and said he was undecided whether to support it in the full Senate.
• "It's a feel-good bill," he told The Register-Guard of Eugene.
• Mary Lou Hennrich, executive director of the Community Health Partnership, which was pushing for increased nutrition standards statewide, said her group couldn't overcome objections from the food and soft-drink industries.

Related Articles

Popular Topics: Food, Nutrition, Ban, Diabetes, Breast cancer, Prostate cancer, Heart disease, Depression, High cholesterol, Osteoporosis, Vaccines, Autism, ADHD, Infertility, Weight loss, Cancer, Alzheimer's, Trans fats, Acrylamides, Fluoride, Mercury	Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com Email this article to a friend Share this article on: NewsVine | digg | del.icio.us Permalink to this article: http://www.naturalnews.com/007480_junk_food_public_schools.html Reprinting this article: Non-commercial use OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link. <a href = "http://www.naturalnews.com/007480_junk_food_public_schools.html">Oregon anti-junk food bill turns into nutritional guideline proposal</a>
Receive our Natural Health Newsletter for FREE Subscribe now (it's free!) to win. We randomly choose a subscriber each month to send $100 in eco-home products or a RealGoods.com gift certificate (our choice). Plus, you'll receive FREE news, articles and action alerts from NaturalNews.com editors and join over 800,000 monthly readers who report extraordinary health improvements after becoming a subscriber! Receive breaking news alerts on natural health solutions, renewable energy, the environment, global warming and more. Receive a free instant download of our $29 Secret Sources guide that reveals top sources for little-known health and diet solutions.	Your Email Address: Free Subscription Code: Enter the numbers you see: 100% free of charge. Unsubscribe anytime. Absolutely no spam. We respect your email privacy.
Recommended Special Report: Seven Words that can Change the World by Joseph R. Simonetta Read this special report now... "Seven Words That Can Change the World reveals the astonishing, simple truths that have the power to forever transform our world for the better while freeing our minds from the enslavement of limiting beliefs. This is not a text for the simple-minded; it is a guiding philosophy for the mindful, intelligent few who are wise enough to seek out -- and recognize -- the higher simplicities of truly purposeful living." - Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, editor of NaturalNews.com	More on NaturalNews.com: • Streaming Health Ranger Videos • CounterThink Cartoons • FREE Special Reports • Podcasts