Schools must give students healthy food.

Byline: GUEST VIEWPOINT By Jim Wilcox For The Register-Guard

On Feb. 22, a Eugene School Board committee will hear from the public regarding a complex issue - healthy food in schools.

For some, it might seem odd that a decision about healthy food is anything more than common sense. After all, there is no debate that healthy food is good for children. Parents, physicians, teachers and administrators agree that growing, attentive children need nutritious, high-fiber, low-fat foods.

And there is no doubt that consumption of high-calorie, high-fat, high-sodium foods in conjunction with lack of exercise has led to alarming rates of childhood obesity. In fact, the annual Kids Count report notes that one in four Oregon children meet the definition of being overweight or obese, leading to a lower quality of life and serious health problems.

The Center for Disease Control estimates that 61 percent of overweight young people have at least one additional risk factor for heart disease, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure. Obesity is the hallmark of type 2 diabetes in children, known previously as a condition affecting only adults.

If trends continue, for the first time in history the youth of today will have a shorter life expectancy than their parents because of poor eating habits. So what challenges do our schools face when choosing good nutrition?

Money is one issue. School funding cuts have pushed the Eugene School District and others to seek revenue through sales of nonnutritious foods from vending machines and concession stands. In the short term, these sales provide a very small amount of revenue - $34,000 of the $130 million in the 2004 district budget. But districts across the nation have restocked vending machines with healthy foods and recouped initial losses, if any, by following simple marketing strategies.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture also makes it difficult for schools to make the healthy choice. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine notes that the government subsidizes meat and meat products, but not meat alternatives. This makes it twice as expensive to serve a low-fat, low-cholesterol, high-fiber veggie burger than a high-fat hamburger. And the USDA does not reimburse school districts for low-fat alternatives to milk without prior parental permission.

Despite these obstacles, individual schools are making progress. Ridgeline Montessori and The Village School have successfully negotiated with the district's food vendor to serve only healthy foods. Spencer Butte Middle School has switched to healthy drinking water in vending machines.

Making the right choice is made more difficult because of societal influences and marketing. First, children are baited with thousands of ads each year which the Institute of Medicine calls `a direct threat to the health prospects of the next generation." Then add children's natural tendency to prefer sodium, sugar and fat in junk food.

To successfully overcome these powerful forces, it is all of our responsibility to sell only healthy, nutritious food at school. A local group of concerned parents and other community members have joined in support of healthy food for healthy schoolchildren.

We encourage using locally grown foods, which supports the local economy and health. And we must give children enough time to enjoy meals in a pleasant environment.

We understand the challenges facing the school board when considering healthy foods. However, it is our responsibility to make schools safe for children, and that includes serving only wholesome, nutritious foods.

Good school nutrition is about making good choices. We urge the Eugene School District to choose children's health.

Jim Wilcox is a member of the Lane County Stand for Children School Nutrition Task Force. Jim is speaking for the Task Force, whose members assisted in the preparation of this column. Stand for Children works to support public policy that promotes children's well-being and can be reached at [e-mail] or www.stand.org.