Talking points for Meal Quality/Obesity Prevention:

Childhood obesity has skyrocketed.  The prevalence of overweight among children ages 6 to 17 years in the US has more than doubled in the past 30 years, and most of this change has occurred since the late 1970s.  

Low-income children in California are overweight.  The prevalence of overweight among low-income California children is high – CA children have the same levels of obesity as low-income children in the rest of the nation.  Thirteen percent of California school children who live below the poverty line are obese.

Unsafe neighborhoods discourage physical activity.  Over 34% of California high school students report not participating in any vigorous physical activity.  People who perceive their neighborhoods to be unsafe are more likely to be physically inactive.

Overweight children often become overweight adults.  By age 9 or 10, most of the children who are going to be overweight as young adults are already overweight, suggesting that prevention should occur prior to that age.

More children have diabetes.  One of the most serious aspects of overweight and obesity in children is Type II diabetes.  Type II diabetes accounted for 2-4 percent of all childhood diabetes before 1992, but skyrocketed to 16 percent by 1994.  Type II Diabetes can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney failure, and blindness.     

Children are not getting the nutrition they need. Only 2 percent of school-aged children meet the Food Guide Pyramid serving recommendations for all five major food groups.  Girls, ages 14 to 18, have especially low intakes of fruits and dairy products.  Children’s diets are high in added sugars.

Soda has replaced water, natural juices and milk.  Children are heavy consumers of regular or diet soda. Twenty percent of one and two year olds drink soda.  These toddlers drink an average of seven ounces per day.  Almost half of all children between 6 and 11 drink soda and consume, on average, 15 ounces per day.  Overall, 56 to 85 percent of children consume soda on any given day.  As children drink more soda they drink less milk and less fruit juices.  They have lower intakes of important nutrients like vitamin A and calcium (from milk), and folate and vitamin C (from fruit juices).

More soda equals weak bones.  Failure to meet calcium requirements in childhood can hinder the achievement of maximal bone growth.  Children, especially adolescent girls, who drink more soft drinks and less milk or other dairy products will likely have lower calcium intakes.  Low calcium intake contributes to osteoporosis, a disease leading to fragile and broken bones.  Girls build 92% of their bone mass by age 18, but if they don’t consume enough calcium in their teenage years they cannot “catch up” later.  Getting enough calcium in the diet during childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood is important to reduce the risk for osteoporosis later in life, especially for young females.

School meals are healthy.  Every school day, nearly 3 million California children eat breakfast and/or lunch at school.  A recently published study indicates that reimbursable meals selected by students exceed dietary standards for key nutrients.  Fat and saturated fat levels declined dramatically in school breakfasts and lunches during the 1990s, while varieties of food and offerings of fruit and vegetables increased significantly.

Children eating school meals have better diets.  NSLP participants are more likely than non-participants to consume vegetables, milk and milk products, and meat and other protein-rich foods.  They also consume less soda and/or fruit drinks.     

Meal times are too short.  Numerous studies show that short lunch periods, inadequate cafeteria seating, and long lunch lines often discourage students from participating in the SLP.  Instead, students may turn to foods available at school snack bars, snack carts, fast food stands, vending machines and school stores.

No standards exist for competitive or a la carte foods.  Fast foods such as pizza, cookies, chips, ice cream and French fries are often sold “a la carte” - separate from the NSLP.  No nutrition guidelines exist for a la carte foods.  A la carte food sales at lunch are offered in less than half of all public elementary schools but in three-quarters of the middle/high schools.  Nutrition standards for reimbursable school meals target nutrient content of the overall meal, not individual items.  Some a la carte and competitive foods are healthier items that could meet nutrition guidelines if included as part of the reimbursable meal, but most would not. 

Competitive foods discourage healthy behaviors. While studies indicate that the school meal programs do contribute to better nutrition and healthier eating behaviors for children who participate, foods sold outside of these programs often weaken the nutrition goals of the programs.   

Competitive foods may contribute to obesity.  By replacing school meals with foods and beverages that are higher in calories and fat, and lower in overall nutrient content, children are putting themselves at nutritional risk; their daily dietary intake could be inadequate in key nutrients necessary for growth and learning, and may contribute to their chances of becoming overweight or obese.  In California, children who are overweight or at-risk for overweight drink more soda and are more likely to attend schools with vending machines.

Student groups and sports teams depend on competitive food sales.  For many schools, sales of competitive foods, especially carbonated beverages, also represent a source of additional income that can be spent for purposes such as extracurricular activities, athletics, and educational programs.  In 1997, sales from vending machines in American schools generated $750 million.  Soft drink contracts are among the most prevalent and fastest growing commercial activities in schools. Schools that choose not to have contract vendors can still generate revenues through activities such as T-shirt sales and auctions.

School meals are underutilized.  CA receives more than $1.6 billion annually in federal child nutrition reimbursement.  Because these programs are entitlement programs (every eligible child can participate), the federal dollars could be far greater – the number could double if the programs were to encompass all of the 5.9 million children attending California’s schools.

School meals need more money.  State funds for school meals have not grown over the years.  In fact, given inflation and the buying power of the current reimbursement rate, they have eroded drastically – by nearly 25% over the last 15 years.  At the same time that we have asked more of school food, we have provided less and less resources with which to do it.