Senate panel, food companies close to a deal on snacks sold at schools

WASHINGTON — Schoolchildren will have less access to sugary snacks outside the cafeteria if a deal between key lawmakers, food companies and health organizations becomes reality.

Leaders of the Senate Agriculture Committee announced progress Thursday toward the first update of school nutrition standards in 30 years, which would replace high-calorie sodas with low-calorie drinks and shrink portion sizes for some high-calorie snacks.

Committee member Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand, D-N.Y., helped craft the deal in a campaign on fighting childhood obesity and encouraging healthier eating habits.

"This is truly a landmark agreement," Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, a former Agriculture Committee chairman and one of the chief architects of the school nutrition bill, said at a press conference. The broader legislation, which updates nutrition standards for all food sold in schools, faces a committee vote next week.

Food sold through the federal school lunch program has been subject to federal standards for years, but snacks sold in vending machines, school stores and other sources outside cafeterias were unaffected. The proposed legislation would subject those foods for the first time to federal dietary requirements.

Advocacy groups have been working on the issue for several years, but the key to the agreement was the willingness of the makers of candy and soda to accept a reduced presence in schools.

Among the companies signing on were Mars Inc., Nestle USA and the Coca-Cola Company, a key constituent of Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., the ranking Republican on the committee.

Mars, in a statement, said schools are a "unique environment."

School nutrition standards in place since the 1970s "just don't make sense anymore," said Margo G. Wootan, director of nutrition policy for the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will have final say on the food choices allowed, although the legislation directs the department to adhere to federal nutrition standards and update school food regulations as standards are updated.

In some cases, companies have voluntarily replaced high-calorie sodas with low-calorie drinks, said Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., at Thursday's announcement.