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From New York Times:
Former President Bill Clinton, who announced an agreement with snack producers to put healthier items in school, talked with students at A. Philip Randolph High School in Manhattan after the announcement.
In an effort to fight the rise in childhood obesity, five of the country's largest snack food producers said yesterday they would start providing more nutritious foods to schools, replacing sugary, fat-laden products in vending machines and cafeterias.
French fries, ice cream, candy, cupcakes and potato chips from the machines, lunch lines, school stores and even school fund-raising events could disappear under a voluntary agreement between the companies and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.
The plan, which may take effect at the beginning of the next school year, is the first nationwide effort to set strict nutrition guidelines for school vending machines.
Because the guidelines are voluntary, critics say they will not be effective.
Dr. Carlos Camargo, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health was more positive.
"I think it's helpful for groups that have traditionally denied any connection between snack foods and obesity or health to be acknowledging now that there are links, and that moves the agenda forward," Dr. Camargo said.
The soft drink companies account for 90 percent of soft drinks in schools, which are sold through the company distributors.
No product could get more than 35 percent of its calories from fat.
The guidelines would also set calorie limits for each serving based on age: 150 calories for elementary school children, 180 calories for middle school children and 200 calories for high school students.
"We didn't get in this fix overnight, and we won't get out of it overnight," he said.
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Posted on October 8, 2006 09:00 PM
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