LOS ANGELES, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- A junk-food ban in Los Angeles public schools is costing the district $1,000 per week and pinching funds for after-school activities.
Five months into the experiment, the drop-off in revenue from sales of soda, candy and other popular items at student stores and vending machines has chopped sales on some campuses as much as 60 percent, the Daily News reported Tuesday.
For example, San Fernando Valley schools lost $301,820 in beverage revenue in the first three months of 2004 when Los Angeles Unified School District officials banned soda sales.
Some blame the district's red tape for limiting what ought to be an appetizing selection of healthy alternatives.
"The healthy food is still working. There are lines of kids that would like to buy stuff. There's just nothing to buy. There's not a wide enough variety of products to choose from," said Lisa Jones, community outreach coordinator at James Monroe High School, which piloted a slightly less-restrictive program last year before switching to the district's new standards.
