Pepsi will pull soda pop from high schools.

Byline: Anne Williams The Register-Guard

With the proverbial handwriting on the wall, Pepsi-Cola announced Thursday it will yank all carbonated beverages from vending machines and school stores in the Eugene School District's four high schools today.

That means students returning to school Monday after a long weekend will find no Pepsi or Diet Pepsi, Mug Root Beer, Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist or Squirt.

But they will find plenty of other Pepsi-brand choices that have long been sold alongside the soda pop: bottled water, Dole juices, Lipton tea and Gatorade, to name a few.

And if they prefer Coca-Cola, no worries - that company's vending machines will stay as they are, at least for now.

The move comes less than three weeks ahead of a scheduled school board vote on Superintendent George Russell's recommended Wellness Policy, which - if approved as is - would oust soda from all schools after this year.

"Our goal all along as a local, family-owned company has been to be cooperative and responsive to all the school districts we serve as they work to meet the guidelines of their wellness policies," said Andy Moore, co-president of Pepsi-Cola Bottlers of Eugene.

Students at Churchill High School had mixed reactions, but most took the news in stride.

"Go Coke! I don't like Pepsi," said sophomore Grant Slewitzke, who said he rarely drinks soda pop.

But Danny Evans, also a sophomore, said it's Pepsi no matter what for him. "I guess I'll just have to walk over to the store," he said.

June Clark and Jennifer Chan, also sophomores, said they prefer water and juice drinks anyway, and almost never buy soda.

"Every once in a while I drink it, but then it starts to taste disgusting," Clark said.

The district in 2000 signed controversial, eight-year contracts with both Pepsi and Coke to increase the number of vending machines in the high schools in exchange for up-front payments and ongoing sales commissions. (Only one middle school, Cal Young, still sells soda pop, and it's only available after school hours, according to the district.)

At the board's last meeting, Russell said he and his staff would talk with both companies about what the policy change might mean for those contracts, and whether they would need to be renegotiated.

Moore sent letters to Russell and other superintendents in districts Pepsi serves a year ago, saying that the company was willing to follow the district's wishes on the contents of the high school vending machines. Knowing that Eugene would soon be considering a wellness policy, "we wanted to send the message early that we were willing to do anything and everything to get that done," Moore said.

The district hadn't been clear on whether Coca-Cola would follow suit, but in a phone call this week, the company indicated it would remove soft drinks at the end of the school year, said Susan Fahey, the district's financial manager.

A company spokeswoman in California said Coca-Cola, like Pepsi, has more than enough other types of beverages to continue stocking school vending machines should soft drinks be eliminated.

That appears likely. At least one board member who approved the 2000 contracts, Chairwoman Beth Gerot, has changed her mind.

"As I talked with more people, I really think I agree with (Russell) and his comments around how it really isn't the place of schools to enable kids to practice bad habits, so I really applaud Pepsi for taking that step," said Gerot, who until recently favored keeping soft drinks at the high schools, thinking teens should be allowed to make their own choices.

One board member won't be voting on the proposed recommendations - Eric Forrest, who is co-president with Moore of the local Pepsi company.

"Certainly, if anything relates to food or beverage, I will stay clear," said Forrest, who might vote on elements of the policy dealing with physical activity, should the board decide to adopt it by section rather than as a whole.

Russell's proposal, which covers physical activity as well as nutrition, also encourages integrating more physical activity into the school curriculum, developing school gardens and incorporating organic food into the school meals program when possible. The use of candy as a reward for academic performance or good behavior would be strongly discouraged.

The Wellness Policy will fulfill a new federal mandate that all districts have such policies in place by next year.

Moore said he wouldn't be surprised if other districts take similar action to oust soda. While it may cut into sales slightly, he noted that the school market accounts for less than half a percent of all Pepsi's business. In addition, he said, noncarbonated beverages account for an increasingly large share of sales.

"We anticipate that the Eugene 4J District is a large district and will probably sort of set a trend," he said. "We'll be willing to respond in a similar fashion."