Panel urges a ban on junk food in U.S. Schools

Amid growing concerns of obesity among America's school children, a scientific panel of Institute of Medicine commissioned by the Congress on Wednesday urged the government to ban sale of soft drinks, sugary snacks and other junk food in schools.

Raising incidence of obesity is opening gateways for serious health concerns such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, elevated cholesterol and blood pressure levels, it currently affects over 15 percent of American children.

Instituting new standards for school snacks and foods, panel at Institute of Medicine urged to replace regular colas, candy and salty snacks with whole-grain crackers, low-fat yogurt, fruit and water that would sharply limit calories, fat and sugar while encouraging a more nutritious eating.

The new recommendations would also ban high-sugar sports drinks from elementary and middle schools.

Listing two tiers of food, the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine read out as follows:

• The first tier including whole fruit, raisins, carrot sticks, whole-grain low-sugar cereals, some multigrain tortilla chips, some granola bars and nonfat yogurt with no more than 30 grams of added sugars will be allowed at all grade levels during the school day and during after-school activities. Drinks would be limited to plain water, skim or 1 percent milk, soy beverages and 100 percent fruit or vegetable juice.

• Second tier of foods would be limited in calories, salt, sugar and fat; drinks could have just five or fewer calories per portion and no caffeine. These would be available only to high school students and only after school hours.

• Sports drinks would be available to students engaged in an hour or more of vigorous athletic activity, at the discretion of coaches. Fortified water should not be available in either tier.

One of the four United States National Academies, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) is a not-for-profit, non-governmental American organization chartered in 1970 as a part of the National Academy of Sciences.

It provides national advice on issues relating to biomedical science, medicine, and health.

Working on a broad range of categories, spectrum of IOM includes mental health, child health, food & nutrition, aging, women’s health, education, public policy, healthcare & quality, diseases, global health, workplace, military & veterans, health sciences, environment, treatment, public health & prevention, and minority health.