ponyboy

Elementary school vending machines are planning to get rid of pop. Great news towards better health for our young kids. Hopefully they replace it all with water and not sports drinks.

School vending machines to drop pop
Cola will still be sold in cafeterias and high schools

Sports drinks should also be pulled, experts say


KRISTIN RUSHOWY
EDUCATION REPORTER

Pop companies may have decided to pull soft drinks from vending machines in elementary and middle schools, but colas will still be available in cafeterias as well as in high schools.

The move has some questioning whether school boards should consider banning the popular sports drinks as well, saying they are low on nutrition and high in sugar and sodium.

Refreshments Canada — the industry association representing Coke, Pepsi and other beverage companies — announced yesterday that only fruit juices, water and sports drinks will be offered in vending machines in elementary and middle schools by the beginning of the next school year.

Gemma Zecchini, president of Refreshments Canada, said younger students were targeted, "the rationale being that students (at this age) need some assistance and guidance making nutritional choices."

Education Minister Gerard Kennedy welcomed the move as a "good step forward."

During the election campaign, the Liberals promised to ban junk food vending machines in elementary schools as part of a healthy living plan for the province's children.

Kennedy said the government met with cola industry representatives in December, and is pleased they are working co-operatively on this issue.

"This is a no-go zone in terms of elementary schools, and we are going to persist and continue until we have only healthy choices available."

Zecchini said while the announcement on carbonated beverages may seem sudden, it actually follows a year's worth of consultations with school boards, parents and nutrition experts.

William Wong, student trustee for the Toronto District School Board, also praised the move.

"It's nice to be pulling pop out of the machines voluntarily — not just because they're losing money, but because pop really isn't healthy for children of any age," he said, adding some U.S. jurisdictions have banned pop altogether.

Wong has been fighting the board to make public its contract with Coke, after a ruling by the privacy commissioner that such contracts should be open to the public even if boards have signed confidentiality agreements.

Under the pop companies' plan, which will be implemented by next fall, 50 per cent of choices in vending machines in elementary and middle schools will be juice or water. The other 50 per cent will be sports and juice drinks.

But Bob Goode, a physiologist at the University of Toronto, said sports drinks are also high in sugar and "they should be pulled too."


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`Pop really isn't healthy for children of any age.'

Student trustee William Wong

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Such beverages also contain sodium, which is fine for athletes who are sweating a lot and need to replace the salt they lose, he said, "but these kids aren't sweating a lot."

"They're fine for people in endurance-type activities but for the most part, they're just adding calories," he said.

"The only thing that should be in the schools is fruit juice and water — and they can drink the water from the tap."

Most students get only 30 minutes of physical education twice a week and a study found they were only active for about 11 of those minutes, said Goode, a professor in the department of physical and health education.

But Zecchini said, "sports drinks are designed for enhanced hydration, and so that is an appropriate channel where kids are active and playing."

Vending machine contracts are worth millions to schools around Greater Toronto.

In the Toronto District School Board, pop machines are only allowed in schools where parents have agreed to them.

Its cola contract does not contain any incentives or bonuses for schools to sell more pop, said Catherine Moraes, the board's senior manager of nutrition services.

"Toronto is not majorly affected" by the pop companies' decision, said Moraes.

"There are no pop vending machines in our elementary or K to 6 schools," and just 28 of the board's 58 intermediate schools — serving students in Grades 6 to 9 — have a vending machine, some of which may have pop or just juice and water, she said.

For Toronto students, the most popular item in vending machines is water, followed by iced tea. Cola ranks about fifth.

Moraes said she would look into the sugar content of sports drinks, adding the board is constantly reviewing nutritional options in schools.

However, pop will still be sold in cafeterias in middle schools, although milk and juice are available at discounted prices, she added.

Kennedy said yesterday the government is working toward a policy on setting a nutritional standard for food offered in elementary schools, which encompasses more than just pop.

"The context here is that nobody wants to be contributing to an emerging social problem" of ill health and obesity among children, he said.

Today I can do what others will not so that tomorrow I will do what others cannot.

The difference between winners and losers is that winners do things that losers don't want to do.

IainDaniel

Yeah I heard that. If they could only take out these sugar loaded drinks from all schools, to help kids make healthier choices.

It is a step in the right direction.

Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.

Michael Jordan

derekisdman

Heh I don't really agree with this... Well, for elementary I think it's fine, but not for high school. If you take away someones choice to drink something they want then what next? I think they should be able to choose for themselves if they want water or soda. Besides, they would probably just smuggle in their own drinks if this happened ;p.

Homer: Hey! I saved your life! That egg sandwich could have killed you by cholesterol.
Lenny: Pfft, forget it, Homer. While it has been established that eggs contain cholesterol, it has not yet been proven conclusively that they actually raise the level of serum cholesterol in the human
blood stream.

IainDaniel

If at high school they want to bring there own, thats fine I agree, that is there perogative and there parents. But the schools IMO should be providing the best resources, and Pop is not one of them.

It isn't saying that soft drinks are banned in schools, they just won't be available through vending machines.

Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.

Michael Jordan

Pepper

While agree kids should drink less soda, I don't see this as good news at all. What's next?

My Carb Cycling Progress - you can't hide from the numbers.

IainDaniel

What are your thoughts on this Pepper?

If kids (and there parents let them) bring pop to school they will be allowed.

One big positive out of this is keeping these large corporations from exploiting the younger generations.

Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.

Michael Jordan

Pepper

How is selling someone a Coke exploitation? Sure there are healthier things to drink, but yanking it out of the drink machines is going too far. Are they going to stop selling ice cream too?

Are they taking the salt shakers off the table?

What about when some other group comes in telling them how bad red meat is? Or meat in general?

They're kids. And there are alot more important things to worry about than whether they are drinking cola.

Curious, does this apply to Diet Soda as well? If so, then it isn't just about sugar.

My Carb Cycling Progress - you can't hide from the numbers.

NeedMuscleMass

I'd be the kid in school who brings a 12 pack and sells them for $1.50 a bottle..

I think its acceptable from grades K-5.

But Jr High and High School is rediculous. At the age of 13 you should have the choice to drink soda if you'd like..

Like someone else said what's next? Basic freedoms are slowly being taken away.

ponyboy

To me it is more important because they are children. They are growing and developing and feeding their bodies crap, giving themselves hypertension and ADD. Their bones are brittle and they are obese. Why would we want this?

If it were up to me I wouldn't have diet soda, salt, french fries, etc. in schools at all, if it meant they would grow up with less disease and physical problems.

Today I can do what others will not so that tomorrow I will do what others cannot.

The difference between winners and losers is that winners do things that losers don't want to do.

oaktownboy

I agree..this is a moral decision...it's for their own health

Chuck Norris once lost his keys and couldn't remember where he put them. So he tortured himself for half an hour until he gave up their location.

Pepper

OK...let's get rid of overthing that might damage a kid's health.
:eyeroll:

Next up: Ice cream, followed by bubble gum.

I guess we need to cancel Halloween.

My Carb Cycling Progress - you can't hide from the numbers.

ponyboy

If it was your kid, wouldn't you want it that way?

Today I can do what others will not so that tomorrow I will do what others cannot.

The difference between winners and losers is that winners do things that losers don't want to do.

IainDaniel

I don't think it is about taking everything away. A school should be providing the best working environment for the children to develop.

I think only healthy food should be available at a school. If the kids and parents don't like it, then they bring their own lunch or go out for lunch.

The Kids and parents still have choices, just the school is not going to promote negative ones.

Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.

Michael Jordan

NeedMuscleMass

give your kid a bagged lunch and no lunch money. It should be the decision of the individual not tthe whole.

BUSTINOUT

Sugar does NOT give kids ADD. Now years of drinking soda will certainly lead to problems, but again, ADD is not one of them.

I agree with you 100% on this pony. Damn people in here sound like a bunch of ACLU lovers. If a kid wants coke, either bring it from home or drink it at home. We are a nation of fatass kids and this ain't helping. Not to mention the dentists who are making a killing off the damn parents. They are there to learn, not drink cokes. Hell, I didn't have any of this stuff in school and it didn't bother me. When they are out of school and paying their own rent/health insurance/dental insurance/etc. then they can drink cokes until it comes out their arse, but right now the kids do not call the shots. I realize that is a hard concept for some to grasp...even adults.

BTW, they are talking about doing the very same thing here in AZ.

Stickboy

Well, as someone who has kids in elementary, I wish they would do it here. Isn't soda one of the worst things you can put in your body? (I also agree with the French Fries, chips, candy bars, etc.)

My kids rarely drink it, simply because we don't keep soda in the house.

You can argue freedom of choice.....some parents do.

When my kids are 18, and in their own place, then they can do whatever they want. Until then - my house, my money, my rules. They are my responsiblity until then, so again......my rules.

"Sure, but you can't stop them from eating or drinking it when you're not around, can you?"

You better believe it. One, they don't take money to school unless I give it to them, and IF I give them money - they KNOW it better go to what it was given for. (Field trip, book, whatever).

Might sound like I'm a hard ass, and you might be right. On the other hand, My kids aren't loading up on this crap and getting heavier by the week.

Pierzin

Damn straight pony!
that's a fuckin awesome idea. When I was growin up, I hardly ever had soda. It was milk, juice, water, cocoa, etc. at our house.
Going to school people thought I was weird for wanting juice.
It's about time people actually thought about nutrition and are taking action for it, rather than bowing down to the cola companies.
BTW, like the others have said, nobody is forcing anybody to buy anything. every move we make is a choice.

Determined.
Eating like a pig gone wild.

BUSTINOUT

I just think it's amazing that Canada is enacting a law that actually runs the risk of offending someone. lol

Jenny

This is great news!
School should not provide things like that! If the parents allow their kids to bring soda then that's fine, I just hope parents would be smarter than that. Unfortionately that is probably not the case

ponyboy

I'm sure that we're just copying the example of some other country and we'll apologize for it soon.

We usually don't apologize to small children and elderly people. Screw 'em.

Today I can do what others will not so that tomorrow I will do what others cannot.

The difference between winners and losers is that winners do things that losers don't want to do.

andyo

It's not so much the soda as it is a lack of PE classes these days, anyone agree?

To achieve Success is certaily tough..but keeping it, much tougher!

Pepper

Absolutely not. In fact, I have three. They drink soda at times and I see nothing wrong with it.

My Carb Cycling Progress - you can't hide from the numbers.

Pepper

I don't mean to offend you, but what the heck is wrong with a 10 year old boy having a Coke?

Some of you are going way to far on this. These are kids for crying out loud.

Every once in a while, this site gets a little to extreme for me. My kids drink soda, occasionally, I see nothing wrong with it. We have a bottled water cooler so that is what they drink most of the time. I prefer my daughter NOT drink juice, too many calories.

My Carb Cycling Progress - you can't hide from the numbers.

Pepper

The problem with overweight kids is MOSTLY inactivity. Kids today play Playstation, Gameboy, etc and spend less time outside running.

We require our kids to participate in one organized sport and strongly encourage them to do two, even if the 2nd is just an offseason version of the first. At least two days a week during the seasons, they are running their butts off (they play basketball and communist kickball aka soccer)

My Carb Cycling Progress - you can't hide from the numbers.

Jenny

Not offended at all

If it happens on weekends under parents control, sure, let them have one. Everyday in school? No way in my eyes. Do you know how much sugar there is in soda?? Do you know what it does to people?
Yes, they are just kids and that is exactly WHY soda has no place in school! Why do we have so many obese kids these days? One reason is that they drink sugar loaded soda instead of milk and eat candy bars. In my opinion candy bars shouldn't be sold in school either. 10 year old kids are getting diabetes type 2, formerly known as "elderly diabetes". It's friggin scary if you ask me!
When I have kids I will allow them to have soda and candy on satudays and not more than that.

Juice has many calories, but soda hasn't? At least juice has some nutrients if it's the natural kind.

I'm not trying to offend you either btw

Jenny

No one is questioning your role as a parent, I'm sure you are a great dad! I'm glad you make your kids exercise

But, I don't agree on the fact that inactivity is the biggest reason for obese kids. Their diets are, in combination with lack of activity. I blame parents for over weight kids, I believe in setting the right examples from the beginning and teach the kids the basics of nutrition (on a fun, kiddie level of course) right away. Which of course can be hard since a lot of parents don't know much about nutrition.