SCHOOL NEWS
September 5, 2002
L.A. Bans Soda in Schools
Hoping to improve student health, the Los Angeles School Board votes to kick carbonated drinks out of all schools
 Students purchase soda from machines at an L.A. high school. |
Carbonated drinks have been kicked out of the Los Angeles public schools. Just days before the start of the school year, the L.A. School Board voted to ban the sale of soda in its 677 schools. The goal of the ban is to help fight childhood obesity, which can cause diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems. The decision affects about 748,000 students and will take effect in 2004.
Is Soda Responsible?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently declared that obesity is a national problem. Studies have found that an extra soda a day raises the risk for obesity by 60 percent.
But Sean McBride, a spokesperson for the National Soft Drink Association, disagreed with the ban, pointing to other ways of combating obesity. "Physical education and physical activity are by far, more important in combating obesity than banning soft drinks from students’ diets," he said.
A Matter of Money
Currently, many of the Los Angeles schools depend on soft drink sales to raise an average of $39,000 per high school and $14,000 per middle school. Soda sales have already been banned in elementary schools.
Once the new ban takes effect, middle and high schools will still be allowed to sell water, beverages that contain a minimum of 50 percent fruit juice, and low sugar sports drinks.
