Thanks in part to new state legislation creating stronger standards for foods and beverages sold in schools, local districts are currently writing new policies regarding nutrition and wellness guidelines.
And with obesity rates in San Benito County children rising at a disturbing rate, the changes are a welcome sight.
“It’s so much easier to start good, healthy eating habits at an early age,” said Kim Dryden, Special Projects Coordinator for the San Benito County Office of Education. “There is an alarmingly high rate of obesity among children here in our county. I believe it’s one of the highest in the state, and along with that comes the related problems of poor health and low activity. There needs to be a whole change.”
The new district wellness policies must include the following state requirements: goals for nutrition education and physical activity; nutrition guidelines which promote student health and aim to reduce childhood obesity; and establishing a plan for determining how well the policies are being implemented. Additionally, districts must revise their physical education requirements to meet state standards for each grade level.
Beverage standards at elementary schools go into effect in January, 2006; at the high school level, no less than 50 percent of all beverages sold to students must meet criteria by July 1, 2007, and 100 percent compliance is expected by July, 2009. Many of the new standards for meals and snacks should go into effect by June, 2006.
“Each individual district is writing its own policies, which need to be completed by June, 2006,” Dryden said. “But the changes will be implemented gradually, beginning next year at the elementary schools. The high schools have a little longer to make certain changes.”
Once the new standards go into effect, the only foods that may be sold to a student at an elementary school during the school day are full meals and individually sold portions of nuts, nut butters, seeds, eggs, cheese packaged for individual sale, fruit, vegetables that have not been deep fried, and legumes. The state guidelines also regulate caloric intake, total fat and saturated fat intake, and the amount of sugar in each food or drink.
Allowable beverages will include water, any kind of milk, fruit juices, and fruit-based drinks that are at least 50 percent fruit juice with no added
sweeteners.
Allowable entrees, which are defined as the primary food in a meal, can include items such as sandwiches, burritos, pasta and pizza. Snacks must be considered supplemental to a meal.
Eventually, state high schools will have to remove all soda and candy vending machines from the campuses, and items such as those can only be sold 30 minutes before and after each school day.
Schools that do not have lunch programs, such as Tres Pinos School or smaller, rural schools such as Jefferson or Cienega, will not have to create nutritional policies, but are expected to revise physical education programs to reflect the state’s new wellness policies, Dryden said.
As schools embark on implementing these changes, new campaigns to spread the word about nutrition and wellness are also underway, Dryden said.
“This is happening statewide, and I really think you’ll begin to hear more and more advertisements, almost like the tobacco awareness programs,” she said. “It’s a whole society wide movement that’s beginning. But to help them, we have to start them young.”