Balance of Food

The American Beverage Association (ABA) would seem to represent all beverages. But maybe all beverages are not equal. The ABA has responded to accusations about childhood obesity by unveiling a voluntary ban on soft drinks in schools. Under the new proposals, companies will only sell water and 100 percent juice in elementary school vending machines. Lower calorie beverages will be allowed to go on sale to middle school students, while a variety of beverage choices go to high school students. However, no more than 50 percent of the vending selections will be soft drinks. The ABA proposal is similar to pending legislation in a number of states. Hopefully, this is a good thing because "voluntary" ensures its members won't suffer penalties for non-compliance. The announcement comes after pressure from the Center for Science in the Public Interest as well as several states acting on their own to pass regulations for schools. Even if it is only for the high schools, I can't imagine all that sugar and caffeine helps kids to learn in schools, which is why they are there in the first place.