Yes, children are getting fatter in the U.S. And reactions are ranging from none at all to borderline extreme. On the latter end of this spectrum comes the announcement that bake sales are being banned in all New York City schools. The New York Timesreports:
In an effort to limit how much sugar and fat students put in their bellies at school, the Education Department has effectively banned most bake sales, the lucrative if not quite healthy fund-raising tool for generations of teams and clubs. The change is part of a new wellness policy that also limits what can be sold in vending machines and student-run stores, which use profits to help finance activities like pep rallies and proms. The elaborate rules were outlined in a three-page memo issued at the end of June, but in the new school year, principals and parents are just beginning to, well, digest them.
Granted, all hope is not lost for sweets-craving sugar addicts:
Parent groups and Parent-Teacher Associations are conspicuously given an exception: once a month they are allowed to sell as many dark fudge brownies and lemon bars as they please, so long as lunch has ended.
Sticks of butter will also be available at a discount. Related Content: Discoblog: Researchers Discover How Ice Cream Controls Your Brain Discoblog: Let Them View Cake: Looking at Food Pics Equals Less Eating Reality Base: Will Obesity Regulation Turn the U.S. Into a Police State?Image: iStockphoto
