Legislation would ban school junk food

WASHINGTON, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- A proposed amendment to a U.S. farm bill would put strict limits on candy, soda and other less-than-healthy snacks available in school lunch rooms.

Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, chairman of the Agriculture Committee, introduced the bill to control high-calorie snacks, sugary sodas and sports drinks available to schoolchildren as the U.S. faces endemic childhood obesity levels, The New York Times reported Sunday.

Yet, observers note the bill faces obstacles in the face of corporate involvement in the proposed legislation and exemptions for certain items, such as chocolate milk, diet soda and serving size.

"This pits ideals about what children should eat at school against the political reality of large food corporations insisting their foods be available to children at all times," Marion Nestle, an author on food politics and diet, said in the Times.

The proposed bill would ban all beverages except bottled water and some fruit juice and milk choices, as well as limit food choices to options low in fat, sugar and calories.

Certain exemptions are made regarding serving size and availability of certain items to older students.