School Vending Machines: Health vs. Profits
By Michele McKay

A decade ago snack and soda vending machines in schools were rare. But as times have changed, principals and school PTAs with tight budgets have recognized their revenue potential, and many school districts now rely on vending machines to pay for computers, sports programs and after-school activities. Unfortunately, the machines are packed with sugar and fat, with profits coming at the expense of student health. Many school administrators, teachers, and health advocates believe that selling unhealthy snacks and soda is hypocritical and is a tacit endorsement of the products. In class, students learn the importance of a healthy diet, but at the vending machine they are sold junk food. "Our society should be doing everything possible to encourage kids to eat healthy diets," said Michael F. Jacobson, executive director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "Instead, what are we doing? We're bombarding them with junk food advertising. We're putting junk foods wherever they go, even in schools.”

A U.S. Department of Agriculture report recommended to Congress that all snacks sold in schools should meet the federal government's nutritional standards. A recent study has linked soft drinks to childhood obesity, a condition associated with diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and arthritis. Other research links soft drink consumption to tooth decay, caffeine dependence, and osteoporosis.

But the future is looking brighter. In Rhode Island, Stonyfield Farm is sponsoring an organic, low-fat, low-sugar pilot project. Some schools now offer string cheese, pita chips, organic yogurt, soy nuts, dried fruit, and carrots with dip, while others sell cold, bottled milk in a variety of flavors from vending machines. Although milk sells well, the dairy industry is unable to match the lucrative contracts that schools get from soda companies. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures' Health Policy Tracking Service, many schools raise as much as $100,000 a year from vending contracts. Consumer correspondent Greg Hunter reported on Good Morning America that some school districts have multimillion-dollar exclusivity contracts with vending companies. These contracts can include sales quotas; one example required the sale of 4,500 cases of soda a year—about 50 sodas per student. And schools have been known to violate federal and state laws because their contracts require that the vending machines operate all day, including the lunch hour.

The issue has become so controversial that over 20 states are considering limits or total bans on vending machine products, and about 20 already restrict students' access to junk food until after lunch.

Here in Hawai’i , proposed legislation (SB 2147 & HB 1891) would have banned beverages other that water, milk, or fruit juice in public school vending machines, and would have replaced fat- and sugar-rich foods with healthy choices. These bills did not pass, but the State Board of Education has agreed to increase the percentage of healthy drinks sold through school vending machines.