In their new effort to fight childhood obesity, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has proposed new guidelines for the school snacks programs across the country.
The new "Smart Snacks in School" proposal urged schools to provide students a healthy meal lower in fat, sugar and salt and snacks that is made with whole grains or includes more fruits and vegetables. However, the new rule does not affect foods that are sold after the normal school hours. USDA also urged schools to promote healthy drinks, including low-fat or fat-free milk, pure juices or water instead of sugary drinks.
The new movement comes at a time when children eat nearly 400 billion calories of junk food every year in school, Reuters Health reported.
In the statement, the USDA urged the public to go through the proposal and provide their suggestions within 60 days. The proposal will come into effect only after considering a feedback from the public. The new guidelines will help in promoting healthy eating habits among 50 million children, studying in more than 100,000 schools across the country.
"Parents and teachers work hard to instill healthy eating habits in our kids, and these efforts should be supported when kids walk through the schoolhouse door," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, said in a USDA news release. "Good nutrition lays the groundwork for good health and academic success. Providing healthy options throughout school cafeterias, vending machines, and snack bars will complement the gains made with the new, healthy standards for school breakfast and lunch so the healthy choice is the easy choice for our kids."
This is not the first effort taken to provide a healthy environment in the school. Showing their support in the fight against childhood obesity, many elementary schools in the United States had earlier removed unhealthy sugary beverages and high-fat milk from their meal lists.
Efforts were going on from a long time to prevent the young American generation from putting on unnecessary weight. Nearly 12.5 million young children and teens are affected by obesity problems in the country.
According to the CDC, obese children are at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases like high blood pressure and cholesterol, prediabetes, bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems like stigmatization and poor self-esteem.
