October 7, 2006: The latest in the effort to tackle rising childhood obesity is a deal that former US president Bill Clinton struck with five major companies to get junk food and high-sugar drinks out of schools in America.
Food industry giants - Dannon, Kraft Foods, Mars, PepsiCo and the Campbell Soup Company are the five companies who have agreed to sell foods & snacks that make a balanced diet to school vending machines. Various statistics reveal more than 9 million children in the U.S. above six years of age are obese, a condition that calls for serious remedial measures.
As per the new plan that will be effective from the next school year, products low on sugar, sodium, and fat would soon hit the school canteens. Food or snack supplied in schools would have following restrictions:
Sugar content will be no more than 35% by weight
Sodium content is limited to a maximum of 230mg
Trans fats strictly prohibited
Snacks with more than 35 percent of its calories from fat are not allowed.
The new guidelines has also set calorie limits per serving based on age: 150 calories for elementary school children, 180 calories for middle school children and 200 calories for high school students. As beverages, while elementary and middle schools can sell only water, low fat milk, and juice without added sugar, high schools can also sell diet soda and other low calorie drinks.
Even as the deal by Clinton's Alliance for a Healthier Generation along with the American Heart Association is getting mixed responses from people, manufacturers have already begun the course of action.
According to sources, Campbell is already promoting low-calorie, low fat, and low-sodium soups. Dannon would reduce sugar content by 25% in its products like yoghurt while Mars has already created a new line of nutritious snacks. Pepsico and Kraft are also making necessary changes according to new specifications.
Although experts doubt the success of this plan mainly because the guidelines are voluntary, more responses are positive.
“It's a great first step. By increasing awareness, children may help to influence their parents,” said Dr. Dean Ornish, founder and president, Preventive Medicine Research Institute, Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California at San Francisco.
Some of them have asserted the need to encourage increased physical activities and participation of children schools for a combined success. One can see such suggestions on abcnews.go.com.
"We can make a difference to the lives of millions of kids by getting them to eat healthier and live healthier," said Clinton, a self-declared ex-fat child, to a mix crowd of children and giants of the food industry on Friday.
