Are health standards a good thing? I think so. Usually. With qualifications. I was reminded of those qualifications late last week. On Friday, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that two California State Senate bills were signed into law. One law sets standards for snack foods in schools, from kindergarten through high school, with limits on the calories, and fat and sugar content of individual snacks. The second law extends the ban on soft drinks to high schools and establishes standards for beverages available to students—basically restricting sugar content. This law also allocates $18 million for fruits and vegetables in school breakfast programs.
Standards are important for public health. They protect us from the predators of commerce and their minions in government. Using standards based on science creates the expectation that we—and in this case our children—are all equally safe from exposure to health risks.
What if the standard isn’t put into practice correctly? On Saturday, the Chronicle reported that the wording for the $18 million fruit and vegetable allocation was changed in the last minure. Originally, the money was for fresh produce. But the canning and processing industry prevailed, getting “fresh” changed to “nutritious” and with the change money will flow their way.
What if the standard is based is outdated science? Based on the questionable USDA standards, the snack food law limits total fat and saturated fat, both important for growing bodies, although it excludes items like nuts, seeds, eggs, and cheese. However, there is no provision for the trans-fats. Even the USDA guidelines have standards for trans-fats. And the new California standard allows snacks to be 35% sugar by weight—not carbohydrate, sugar.
If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll notice that there are no provisions for limiting the number of snacks and beverages that any child can purchase. So even though high school students, for example, will be exposed to snacks of no more than 250 calories each, 10 of those bad boys clocks up to 2500 calories, with potentially 35% made up of sugar.
There seems to be common agreement that eating fresh fruits and vegetables is a good thing. Why not make them free and freely available? Over a decade ago, the public health department in Finland conducted an experiment that provided free produce at schools and work. Not only did the free stuff get snatched up, as you’d expect, but it changed eating habits. People started buying and eating more produce at home.
OK. So you’re thinking, “Does this guy listen to his own editorials?” I just described to you how something like this Finish experiment got mangled by the food industry, but hold on.
Unlike many experiments, this Finish one IS one you should try at home. Check out what’s in the fridge, on the counter, in your cabinets, and otherwise close at hand—then make fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, cheese, and other whole food snacks what’s free and freely available. In a Finish experiment in reverse, the taste for whole foods developed at home might get carried back to school. An interesting lesson, don’t you think?
