Connecticut's state senate has voted to ban the sale of sodas in schools and the governor has
said that she supports and will sign the
legislation. The ban would prohibit schools from stocking anything other than low-fat, nonfat, soy and rice milks
and 100% fruit and vegetable juices in their vending machines. There would be an exception that could allow sodas, diet
sodas and sports drinks, like Gatorade, to be sold at school events, such as football games.
The idea behind the legislation is, of course, to try an promote healthier choices among students while decreasing childhood obesity and Connecticut joins several other states, including California, in passing such legislation.
The problem, as the American Council on Science and Health points out, is that the issues of poor nutrition and obesity are not as linked as many people think. Some nutritionists feel that the problem is "over nutrition," which is to say that people simply have too much food and, by and large, meet most of their nutritional needs. Is replacing a soda with juice that contains the same number of calories really going to help that problem? Would a nutrient-fortified soda be acceptable? Since the law bans diet sodas as well as regular ones, it seems that the state cannot make up its mind as to what its real goal is: encouraging good nutrition or combating obesity. A better solution might be to prohibit soda machines, encourage schools to offer healthier foods and spend more of their budget on increasing physical education, getting kids to burn off some of the calories that they consume, no matter where they originate.
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