Committee blocks junk food ban from taking effect

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- A plan to restrict junk food in elementary and middle schools was blocked Tuesday by a legislative committee whose members say the plan should go further and address the quality of cafeteria meals.

The Joint Committee on Administrative Rules voted 10-1 against the ban on soda, chips and candy in vending machines.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who has led the push against junk food, said he was disappointed by the vote.

"I think it's wrong, and we are going to go back to the drawing board," the Democratic governor said at a news conference on another topic.

Senate and House members on the committee said they support the State Board of Education's goal of restricting junk food but other health issues should be addressed, too.

They said the board should consider the nutrition of cafeteria foods, not just those in vending machines. They suggested the board get more input from school districts and a legislative task force devoted to children's health and nutrition.

"Members felt that a much more expansive approach dealing with food service in general, both cafeteria food services as well as vending machines, was a better strategy for ISBE to embark upon," said Rep. Larry McKeon, D-Chicago.

McKeon said it wasn't clear how soon the State Board of Education might bring a revised proposal to the committee, a bipartisan panel that reviews proposed changes in state rules and regulations.

The board's general counsel, Jonathan Furr, said he hopes revisions will be proposed in time for the ban to take effect in August.

"We are hopeful and feel that this is a need for the next school year," Furr said.

Board spokeswoman Meta Minton said the junk food plan originally included standards for some cafeteria items, but the board dropped them because of objections from schools.

The board received more than 360 e-mails and letters from administrators about the ban and held hearings for public comment, she said.

"There's been a lot of discussion that helped us modify our position," Minton said.

The current proposal would have barred schools from selling junk food to students from kindergarten to 8th grade, although children still could bring the snacks from home.

Rice cakes, pretzels or fruit chips would be allowed, but almost all other chips would be barred.

The rules on drinks would vary by age. Elementary students would be limited to beverages containing 100 percent fruit juice, while drinks for middle school students could contain as little as 50 percent juice.

School administrators opposed the rules.

"They were overly restrictive," said Ben Schwarm, spokesman for the Illinois Statewide School Management Alliance. "There was no way to know what is a banned product and what wasn't."

And the guidelines would be hard for some schools to implement because of the different restrictions for different ages, he said.

Rep. David Miller, D-Calumet City, was the lone lawmaker to vote in favor of letting the ban go forward. Miller, a dentist, said he sees the effects that sugar and soda have on children's teeth.

"Anything that the state can do to prevent this, you know, I'm all for it," Miller said.

Sen. Maggie Crotty, co-chair of the committee, said it was hard for the lawmakers to support the ban after school districts have told them they had problems with it.

"We're just going to take the summer to make sure that everybody meets ... to find out what those concerns are," Crotty said. "Most likely they can be hammered out and then we can move on."