Marian Burros reported in Saturday's New York Times that, "In an effort to fight the rise in childhood obesity, five of the country's largest snack food producers said yesterday they would start providing more nutritious foods to schools, replacing sugary, fat-laden products in vending machines and cafeterias.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/07/education/07snack.html?_r=2&th=&oref=slogin&emc=th&pagewanted=print

"French fries, ice cream, candy, cupcakes and potato chips from the machines, lunch lines, school stores and even school fund-raising events could disappear under a voluntary agreement between the companies and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.

"The plan, which may take effect at the beginning of the next school year, is the first nationwide effort to set strict nutrition guidelines for school vending machines.

"Because the guidelines are voluntary, critics say they will not be effective.

"Both the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a frequent critic of the food industry, and the School Nutrition Association want government regulation instead."

The Times also explained that, "Under the guidelines, products could contain no more than 35 percent sugar by weight and have no more than 230 milligrams of sodium. No trans fats would be allowed. No product could get more than 35 percent of its calories from fat. The guidelines would also set calorie limits for each serving based on age: 150 calories for elementary school children, 180 calories for middle school children and 200 calories for high school students.

"The five food manufacturers - Dannon, Kraft Foods, Mars, PepsiCo and the Campbell Soup Company - agreed to make specific changes in what they sell to schools. They are the following:
* Mars has created a new line of nutritious snacks.
* Frito-Lay, a unit of PepsiCo, is reformulating several products to meet the guidelines.
* Kraft is decreasing the sodium and calories in products it sells for school vending machines.
* Campbell is promoting soups that are lower in calories, fat and sodium, and offering additional products with less sodium.
* Dannon is reducing the sugar content of its Danimals drinkable yogurt by 25 percent."

Marcelle S. Fischler, also writing in Saturday's New York Times, reported that, "Faced with a new federal law requiring school districts to outline nutrition goals this year, schools across the region have been scrambling to eliminate trans fats, toss their deep fryers and reduce the overall sugar content in food, while still keeping their pickiest clients - the students - on board.
http://select.nytimes.com/mem/tnt.html?tntget=2006/10/07/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/08Rcaf.html&tntemail0=y&emc=tnt&pagewanted=print

"The federal law, which took effect on July 1, required public school districts around the country that receive government subsidies for meals to develop 'wellness policies' outlining nutrition and exercise goals before classes began this fall. Connecticut has taken further steps by banning sugary drinks from cafeterias and vending machines in kindergarten to grade-12 school buildings. New Jersey will do the same by next fall, along with forbidding schools to sell anything that lists sugar in any form as a principal ingredient. New York has been slower to adopt such legislation, but some school districts, under pressure from parents to revamp their menus, are not waiting for state regulations.

"In many lunchrooms, school food directors have taken up the challenge. French fries are baked, if they haven't disappeared entirely. Vending machines are being restocked with bottled water and juice instead of Gatorade. Snacks like baked soy and fruit chips are replacing deep-fried potato chips. Soft pretzels are shrinking; frozen-fruit bars fill the Chipwich racks."