Junk Food Ousted From New Jersey Schools

Yet another success for the boot-junk-food-out-of-the-schools movement.

Junk food and soda are being expelled, so to speak, from New Jersey public schools, beginning with the 2007-2008 academic year. That means high-sugar and high-fat foods are out.

Hurrah to acting Gov. Richard J. Codey, who demonstrates a lot more concern about the state of our children’s health than his counterpart in Connecticut.

“We are setting New Jersey’s children on a course they can follow even as adults for longer, healthier and more enjoyable lives,” acting Gov. Codey told CNN.

Health advocates, who believe that such potentially obesity-generating candy and soft drinks shouldn’t be sold in our nation’s schools, applaud New Jersey’s historic step.

In case you’ve somehow missed the awful news — right now, teenagers get their biggest source of calories from soft drinks and other sugary drinks, usually containing high fructose corn syrup.

Michael Jacobson, Ph.D., executive director of the Center for the Science in Public Interest, rightly bemoans the fact that a mere “2 percent of children meet the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s five main recommendations for a healthy diet.”

“Particularly in light of skyrocketing rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes among children, junk foods have no place in schools,” Jacobson added.

While the new rules aren’t perfect — all drinks except lowfat milk, water and 100 percent fruit or vegetable juices have been booted from elementary schools, but some flavored ice teas and sports drinks are allowed in middle and high schools.

At least 17 states — still not nearly enough — have introduced similar but weaker proposals, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

2 thoughts on “Junk Food Ousted From New Jersey Schools”

  1. Way to go NJ! There are so many children in elementary school who are overweight and/or obese. Our school had to put a limit on the number of snacks the children buy…some kids were buying 2 or 3 snacks after lunch. I suggested that we not even serve snacks at lunch time in our school. The children are not snack starved, after all. There is no reason that snacks need to be offered with lunch. Children can have snacks at home if they need, or healthy snacks brought from home, in the classroom. The first step has been taken, however. Once the public begins to accept that schools are becoming more food concious, more and more unhealthy foods that are now being offered to our children can begin to be eliminated.

  2. I agree with Mombonana 100%
    This is good news to hear! Hopefully every single state in our country will follow! Believe me, maybe the kids won’t like it, but in the end, it’ll be very good for them. It’s a vast improvement to a major part of the equation.
    -Adam Wilk

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