Vending against obesity
YOUNG PEOPLE ought to be encouraged to eat healthier foods in school, but the best way to improve their diets is not through lawsuits but through local initiatives buttressed by state law. A bill to get sugared drinks and other unhealthy foods out of vending machines is a first step to that goal.
The bill will soon be considered by the state House of Representatives, just as a lawsuit is being prepared to be filed in Massachusetts that would claim damages against soft drink companies for not putting warning labels on their products.
In advance of the suit, Washington lawyer John Banzhaf sent an e-mail to 50-100 school committee members in Massachusetts ''to warn of your inevitable involvement in these law suits as a named party or otherwise . . . "
School committee members have many responsibilities, and it is unfortunate that Banzhaf's threat has added to their worries. They should not be held liable for students' weight gain. But they should be encouraged to support the bill, sponsored by Representative Peter Koutoujian of Waltham, that would ban sugared soft drinks and high-fat snacks from school vending machines.
The Massachusetts Association of School Committees raised objections to the proposal on the grounds that the state already burdens districts with excessive mandates. Lurking behind the opposition is the sorry reality that some schools supplement their income with money earned from the vending machines. And, the association says, soft drinks are, after all, legal, popular beverages that are easily obtainable outside of school.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has tracked a growing epidemic of obesity among young people over 30 years. Lack of exercise is a factor, but bad eating habits are also to blame. To avoid health problems associated with obesity, it has to be prevented while those at risk are young.
Nancy Walser of Cambridge was one school committee member who received Banzhaf's e-mail. She points with pride to activities in her city to combat obesity. Like many other communities, Cambridge has banned sugared sodas and has established the Citysprouts program at four schools to educate students about healthy eating. ''What I discovered," she said recently, ''is that my kids will eat my vegetables if they get them raw." Messages like this need to be reinforced by action, such as the vending machine restriction.
Although she is on the board of the association, Walser supports the Koutoujian bill. Its passage would tell Massachusetts school districts that they need to follow the lead of Cambridge and other communities in making healthy eating a continuing priority.
