Editorial: Junk food on campus

Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2003 | 8:35 a.m.

A national group recently went to Washington with a list of items contained in school vending machines. Among them: Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Hostess snack cakes, Kit Kat candy bars, Chips Ahoy!, Oreo cookies and Starburst Fruit Chews. These were just a few of the items among the dozens of other salty and sugary choices available to schoolchildren.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a private organization whose funding comes from various foundations and subscriptions to its 800,000-circulation newsletter on health issues, asked Congress to give the Agriculture Department authority over the contents of school vending machines. The group suggested replacement items such as unsweetened apple sauce, orange juice, bottled water, granola bars, Chex mix and raisins.

Although federal oversight of school vending machines seems extreme, the group's basic point should be taken to heart by school districts, including Clark County. Junk food can make students jumpy and unable to concentrate. It can add to the obesity problem. At the very least, there should be plenty of alternatives in school vending machines.