Action delayed on junk food ban in schools

The state school board's hard line against junk food in school vending machines momentarily blurred some Friday, and final action on a proposed sweets ban action was delayed at least another month.

Friday, board members Greg Haws and Mark Cluff, in the name of local control, sought to turn the proposed ban into a recommendation for school districts instead.

"I will not support a rule that usurps local control," Cluff said. "I think we as a state should recommend (guidelines) ... but I think it should be a recommendation to the local school boards to implement as they see fit."

The comments followed a presentation from Coke and Pepsi executives, representing the American Beverage Association, plus apparent flak from school districts fearing a shrunken wallet.

Vending machine revenues fund student activities; high schools have reported annual revenues in the $25,000 range. Statewide, schools take in $3.75 million a year in vending machine sales, a legislative audit found last year.

But the State Board of Education's Finance Committee ultimately voted against turning the ban into a recommendation before running the proposed ban by the full board of education later that morning.

However, rather than taking final action Friday, the committee asked to more specific definitions on sugars, so as to not ban that contained in fruits, and what a faculty room is.

The latter could thrill teachers statewide.

That's because faculty lounges in public schools would be exempt from the proposed vending machine junk food ban, allowing teachers to buy a Coke or Pepsi in between classes if they so choose.

Including faculty vending machines in the ban drew the ire of the director of Wasatch UniServ, a Salt Lake, Murray and Tooele branch of the Utah Education Association teachers union.

The state board proposes to ban junk food sales during the school day, limit vending machine fare to 300 calories, 35 percent fat, 10 percent of total calories from saturated fat and beverage sizes to 20 ounces. It also would ban trans fats.

It also is setting up rules for vending contracts, which would have to be approved by school boards, and for publicly reporting how vending profits are spent. Those proposed regulations are in line with recommendations from a legislative audit last year.