Regular colas, candy and salty snacks should not be the choice of children during school hours, and should be replaced by whole-grain crackers, low-fat yogurt, fruit and water, recommended the U.S. Institute of Medicine on Wednesday.
The institute gave new standards for school snacks and foods that would sharply limit calories, fat and sugar while encouraging more nutritious eating. The standards would not apply to bag lunches that students bring from home.
The institute is a branch of the National Academy of Sciences, an independent organization chartered by Congress to advise the government on scientific matters.
Concerned about the rise of obesity in young people, Congress asked the institute to develop the standards.
The report now goes to Congress for consideration. Copies will also go to the Departments of Agriculture, Health and Human Services and Education and will be available for state and local school boards and administrators and the food and beverage industry. Putting the recommendations into practice would involve federal, state or local laws and setting school standards and policies.
"Making sure that all foods and drinks available in schools meet nutrition standards is one more way schools can help children establish lifelong healthy eating habits," said Virginia A. Stallings, head of the committee that prepared the report.
Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said: "For the first time, we have gold-standard recommendations for school nutrition standards from one of America's most distinguished scientific bodies. And as it turns out, they are also just common sense -- promoting fruit and vegetable consumption, and also seeking to reduce things like calories, fat, and sodium."
However, the Center for Consumer Freedom worried that the report could lead to a government "no child with a fat behind" program.
The growing rate of obesity is caused by lack of physical activity rather than overeating, argued the group, which describes itself as representing restaurants, food companies and individuals.
"These decrees may seem surreal, but many schools have already implemented similar measures. Birthday celebrations are a thing of the past with cupcakes banned in classrooms across the nation. Many schools forbid parents from bringing their kids fast food," the Center said in a statement.
The report of the Institute of Medicine lists two example tiers of food. The first tier would be allowed at all grade levels during the school day and during after-school activities, and includes whole fruit, raisins, carrot sticks, whole-grain low-sugar cereals, some multigrain tortilla chips, some granola bars and nonfat yogurt with no more than 30 grams of added sugars. Drinks would be limited to plain water, skim or 1 percent milk, soy beverages and 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice.
A second tier of foods would be available only to high school students and only after school hours. These foods would be limited in calories, salt, sugar and fat; drinks could have just have five or fewer calories per portion and no caffeine.
Sports drinks would be available to students engaged in an hour or more of vigorous athletic activity, at the discretion of coaches. Fortified water should not be available in either tier.
The institute gave new standards for school snacks and foods that would sharply limit calories, fat and sugar while encouraging more nutritious eating. The standards would not apply to bag lunches that students bring from home.
The institute is a branch of the National Academy of Sciences, an independent organization chartered by Congress to advise the government on scientific matters.
Concerned about the rise of obesity in young people, Congress asked the institute to develop the standards.
The report now goes to Congress for consideration. Copies will also go to the Departments of Agriculture, Health and Human Services and Education and will be available for state and local school boards and administrators and the food and beverage industry. Putting the recommendations into practice would involve federal, state or local laws and setting school standards and policies.
"Making sure that all foods and drinks available in schools meet nutrition standards is one more way schools can help children establish lifelong healthy eating habits," said Virginia A. Stallings, head of the committee that prepared the report.
Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said: "For the first time, we have gold-standard recommendations for school nutrition standards from one of America's most distinguished scientific bodies. And as it turns out, they are also just common sense -- promoting fruit and vegetable consumption, and also seeking to reduce things like calories, fat, and sodium."
However, the Center for Consumer Freedom worried that the report could lead to a government "no child with a fat behind" program.
The growing rate of obesity is caused by lack of physical activity rather than overeating, argued the group, which describes itself as representing restaurants, food companies and individuals.
"These decrees may seem surreal, but many schools have already implemented similar measures. Birthday celebrations are a thing of the past with cupcakes banned in classrooms across the nation. Many schools forbid parents from bringing their kids fast food," the Center said in a statement.
The report of the Institute of Medicine lists two example tiers of food. The first tier would be allowed at all grade levels during the school day and during after-school activities, and includes whole fruit, raisins, carrot sticks, whole-grain low-sugar cereals, some multigrain tortilla chips, some granola bars and nonfat yogurt with no more than 30 grams of added sugars. Drinks would be limited to plain water, skim or 1 percent milk, soy beverages and 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice.
A second tier of foods would be available only to high school students and only after school hours. These foods would be limited in calories, salt, sugar and fat; drinks could have just have five or fewer calories per portion and no caffeine.
Sports drinks would be available to students engaged in an hour or more of vigorous athletic activity, at the discretion of coaches. Fortified water should not be available in either tier.
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