School vending machines going on a diet

Hillary Wicai Oct 6, 2006

TEXT OF STORY

SCOTT JAGOW: Another deal announced today has to do with what snacks American kids are eating at school. Hillary Wicai reports.


HILLARY WICAI: Today former president Bill Clinton and the American Heart Association announced a deal with Kraft, Mars and several other food giants.

Now they’ll either sell products in schools that already meet new fat and sugar guidelines or change a few recipes.

Maricela Shukie is with the group America Scores, a non-profit that uses soccer to get kids active and teach them proper nutrition. She says that can be tough when groups like hers compete with school vending machines stocked with sugary snacks, stuff that wasn’t in schools when she was growing up.

MARICELA SHUKIE: There’s such a need always to increase profits, that it seemed to just happen under our noses. I think most of us had different choices.

She says today’s announcement is great news for the 30% of kids and teens who are either overweight or at risk for becoming overweight.

I’m Hillary Wicai for Marketplace.

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