Senate passes
Sosnowski bill that streamlines the definition of healthy foods that are sold
in schools
The bill (2016-S
2757) would modify
the types of healthy foods and beverages that could be sold to students in
schools during the school day by referencing the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act
of 2010. The act would also repeal the current definitions of healthier
beverages and snacks.
“This bill brings state law more in line with federal regulations,” said
Senator Sosnowski, chairwoman of the Senate Environment and Agriculture
Committee.
“We first passed this law banning junk food in schools back in 2006. Now we’re fine-tuning it to standardize the definitions of healthy food, bringing them in line with federal guidelines.”
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 is a federal law that gives the
United States Department of Agriculture the authority to set the nutritional
standards for food sold in schools during the day, including vending machines.
Under the
legislation, career and technical schools with culinary arts or food service
programs would be permitted to request an exemption that would allow the sale
of non-compliant snacks and beverages to students in school if such food was
prepared by culinary students as part of their curriculum.
Senator
Sosnowski sponsored the initial legislation in 2006 that required the phase-out
of unhealthy drinks and snacks from all public schools in Rhode Island.
A study by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
reported a dramatic increase in the number of obese children in the United
States. The study found that more than 10 percent of preschool children between
the ages of 2 and 5 are overweight, up from 7 percent in 1994.
Among children
and teens ages 6 to 19, 15 percent (almost 9 million) are overweight, triple
the figure that was reported in 1980.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention's School Health Policies
and Programs Study (SHPPS) 2000 survey concluded that 43 percent of elementary
schools, 89.4 percent of middle/junior high and 98.2 percent of high schools
had either a vending machine or a school store, canteen, or snack bar where
students could buy soda and snack foods.
The bill, which passed the Senate 33 to 4, now heads to the House of
Representatives, where similar legislation (2016-H
7657) has been introduced by Rep. Thomas A. Palangio (D-Dist. 3,
Providence).
