School panel says: Ban junk food.

Byline: Anne Williams The Register-Guard

Soda pop and other foods of "minimal nutritional value" should be tossed out of all schools - including high schools, a Eugene School District advisory panel agreed Tuesday.

Such a ban would cover other sugary drinks, as well as hard and jelly candies, licorice, chewing gum and candy-coated popcorn.

The wellness policy advisory committee also recommends that all vending-machine fare meet yet-to-be-articulated "healthy snacks" guidelines, although a slight majority agreed that high schools should have three years to implement the new rule, with input from students.

Those suggestions, which would dramatically change the complexion of middle and high school cafeteria, school store and vending-machine offerings, were among the weightiest in a draft wellness policy scheduled to go to the school board in early April.

Tuesday's meeting came a week after a packed public hearing at which a majority of speakers praised the plan, calling for more stringent nutritional standards and more opportunity for physical education in the schools.

The draft proposal, the work of a 24-member panel of parents, students, district staff and community members, answers a new federal mandate that all school districts implement a wellness policy by the fall. Driving the mandate is a startling rise in childhood obesity, which boosts the risk of diabetes, heart disease, strokes and cancer.

With just 14 members present Tuesday, the group put the finishing touches on the plan, which also calls for ending the use of candy as a classroom reward; increasing the variety of nutritious foods and beverages available on campus both during and after school; providing more opportunities for physical activity during the school day; attempting to offer more organic and locally grown produce; and coming up with "healthy snack" and "healthy party" guidelines for teachers and parents.

The draft would force the school board to revisit a controversial decision in 2000 to approve contracts with Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola bottlers increasing the number of soda-pop vending machines in the high schools. Revenue from up-front payments helped pay for new artificial-turf sports fields at the high schools.

Another issue emerged Tuesday: whether the district should serve milk containing recombinant bovine growth hormone, which has been banned in Canada, Australia and numerous European countries but is commonly used in the United States. Some researchers believe the drug increases cancer risk, and the American Medical Association has recommended further study to determine whether it is safe.

The committee heard testimony on Tuesday by Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility urging a ban, but a motion to impose one garnered just three votes.

"I don't feel like we've done our homework on this," committee Chairwoman Jenny Ulum said, adding that she'd like to know what district costs would be for hormone-free milk.

Instead, the committee agreed to include a clause in the draft asking that a future advisory group provide ongoing recommendations in response to the latest scientific research.

Superintendent George Russell told the group he'd like to have the healthy snacks and parties guidelines in place by the fall, but that a time crunch may necessitate adoption of temporary guidelines.