| Vending Machines in Schools: Sodas, Juices, Chocolate | | | | Schools and High Schools: |
| Milk, and Frito Lay Seduces America's Boards of | | | | 75 percent of the drinks and 85 percent of the snacks |
| Education: 9723 Slots & only 23 For Healthy | | | | sold are high in calories and are of poor nutritional |
| Foods! | | | | value. The study, of 1,420 machines in 251 schools, |
| In an age when 30 % of children are at risk, | | | | was organized by the Center for Science in the Public |
| overweight or obese the epidemic of overeating is | | | | Interest (CSPI) and conducted by 120 volunteers: |
| even compounded more when children and teens are | | | | How Many Items Do They Buy? |
| faced not only with bad school lunches, but also with | | | | 71% reported buying sugar-sweetened sodas or other |
| machines spitting out all kinds of junk foods. Local | | | | beverages, 68% bought one to three vending machine |
| school boards have to accept whatever the Federal | | | | items and 79% of 141 students who bought four or |
| Government sends to them, but it's another whole | | | | more. |
| issue when school boards are paid off by junk food | | | | What do they Buy? |
| distributors that fill up school machines. | | | | 75 percent of drinks and 85 percent of snacks in |
| Vending Machines are Big Business: | | | | school vending machines are unhealthy with three |
| About half of the nation's schools districts have e | | | | times as many students buying sugar sweetened |
| contracts with soft drink companies to help fund | | | | beverages as compared to any other foods or drinks. |
| extracurricular activities. Some school districts receive | | | | The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) |
| hundreds of thousands of dollars up front from large | | | | reported in 2004 that of 9,723 snack slots in all the |
| corporations just to sign an exclusive contract with a | | | | vending machines surveyed, only 26 slots contained |
| company. | | | | fruits or vegetables |
| - High schools in Arizona report making $2000 a month | | | | Does Eating Fast Food Affect Vending Machine Use |
| from soft drink sales | | | | at School? |
| - A School in Michigan made $50,000 from sales of | | | | When students were asked about vending-machine |
| vending machines in a few months | | | | purchases and visits to fast-food restaurants in the |
| - Princeton City School District in Ohio received | | | | preceding week, researchers found the number of |
| $136,000 up front from Coke-Cola for a 10-year | | | | items purchased at school vending machines was |
| contract, and receives 40 percent of all sales ($18,000 | | | | directly related to the overall number of visits to fast |
| last year) from the machines. | | | | food restaurants outlets. "These findings suggest that |
| - Several schools in Alabama through the contracts | | | | school vending machines and fast-food restaurants |
| with soft drink companies and other vendors, took in | | | | make independent contributions to total |
| as much as $100,000 a year, money that pays for | | | | [sugar-sweetened beverage] intake that increase with |
| such things as computer rewiring, teacher training and | | | | repeated exposure or use," write researcher Jean |
| Black History Month activities. | | | | Wiecha, Ph.D., of the Harvard School of Public Health, |
| How Prevalent is Eating and Drinking from Vending | | | | and colleagues. |
| Machines? | | | | What Are We Doing To Reduce Vending Machine |
| The National Gallup Youth Survey found: | | | | Usage at Schools? |
| - 23% say they eat "a great deal" of junk food | | | | State by state the public thru their state legislatures |
| (defined as food that is convenient but isn't considered | | | | have begun to revolt against this situation. Arkansas |
| healthy) in a typical week; 61% say they eat some; | | | | was first to ban banned elementary school students' |
| 14% eat hardly any; 2% eat none. | | | | access to machines offering food and soda. California |
| - 67% say they buy junk food or soda from machines | | | | banned sales of carbonated beverages replaced them |
| at school. | | | | with milk, water and juice. In 2004, four states enacted |
| - 75% of the teens who describe themselves as | | | | laws regarding machines in schools out of |
| overweight say they buy junk food or soda at school, | | | | approximately 70 bills introduced in 25 states. This |
| compared with 65% of those who feel that they are | | | | includes Colorado, Louisiana, Tennessee, and |
| about right or underweight. | | | | Washington. Currently bills are pending in 28 other |
| A Nationwide Survey of Vending Machines in Middle | | | | states. |