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SALT LAKE CITY -- A bill on Utah's Capitol Hill aims to limit junk food available in the state's schools.
Sen. Pat Jones, D-Holladay, is sponsoring a measure that gives school community councils a vote in what is offered in vending machines. The bill, which is still being drafted, would require schools to go through a council vote in a public meeting to offer things like candy and soda.
Related:
Kids skeptical about junk food bill
Salt Lake City teenagers don't seem convinced a bill in the state legislature would actually help them to eat better by getting rid of junk food in the school vending machines."I think we need to start looking at that kind of prevention so that we can save long-term on some of our health and human service needs," Jones told KSL Newsradio.
Junk food has been a moneymaker for schools, but the Salt Lake Tribune reports in recent years some like Bountiful Junior High and Riverton High School have eliminated options from vending machines that aren't as healthy.
Numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show only 18 percent of Utah middle schools and high schools in 2008 did not sell candy and high-fat snacks.
E-mail: aadams@ksl.com
