Nutrition policies could curb classroom parties, bake sales
Sugary cupcakes, cookies, and muffins will be forbidden in Haverhill’s schools from now on. Beverly is banning all home-baked goods from school fund-raisers. And in Revere, officials are proposing food-free classroom parties and celebrations.
When students across the region head back to school this week and next, they will encounter new rules aimed at promoting healthier nutrition and more exercise. The change is prompted by a federal mandate that requires every school district that receives funding for lunch programs — and the vast majority do — to have a wellness policy in place by the first day of school or risk losing federal school lunch funding.
“When our parents hear about this, we are going to have an outcry,” said Raleigh Buchanan, superintendent of Haverhill’s public schools. The district is still finalizing sections of its wellness policy dealing with bake sales and classroom parties.
“In the history of schools in America, bake sales have been the staple of raising money,” Buchanan said. “And now bake sales have to have sugar-free cookies and muffins because of sugar content.”
The federal rule governing the changes, formally known as the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, requires that school policies include nutrition guidelines for all food available at school, including vending machines and bake sales, and directs school officials to develop plans for evaluating implementation of the policies. It also mandates that a cross-section of each community — including parents, students, the school board, and the public — craft the policies. more…
August 30th, 2006 at 3:54 pm
Our school district has had this policy for a long time now. I always thought it had something to do with the fact that you don’t know how safe home baked goods are.
August 30th, 2006 at 5:34 pm
In a perfect world, food products “sold” to the general public should be supervised or prepared by individuals certified in food safety and sanitation.
I am not sure how schools and community organizations ever got away with bake sales, spaghetti dinners or pancake breakfasts.
But I think this one is about overweight kids.