Another year has brought yet another flap over ice cream to the Peabody public schools. But now the timing couldn't be worse with the food services program peddling the frozen treat to elementary-level kids just as the Legislature is considering an outright ban on the sale of such products in those schools.
Last March, the issue was whether student groups should be able to sell ice cream sundaes in the high school cafeteria to raise money for their activities. Administrators of the school lunch program didn't like the competition, and a compromise was reached allowing sundae sales, but not during the lunch period.
Now those same administrators are offering ice cream in addition to the normal lunchtime menu in the elementary schools. They see it as a way to bring in new revenue to help balance the budget, but a number of parents have reasonably complained to the School Committee that they would rather not have their children tempted.
Food Services Director Janyce Harkins deserves credit for her imagination and initiative. She says the ice cream is just one of several "a la carte" menu items, including bottled water, that will be offered in the cafeterias on a rotating basis in an effort to make money to offset her department's expenses. They took in an extra $3,249 during the 10 days after the program began in February, and the program has yielded another $2,000 so far this month.
But we'd prefer to see those extras restricted to healthier items along the lines contemplated in a Senate bill that was expected to pass Thursday. The legislation would ban the sale of sweetened drinks and sugar-heavy foods, and encourage instead offerings like nonfat and low-fat dairy products, noncarbonated beverages, and snacks made from fruits and vegetables.
In addition to being an extra burden on their pocketbooks, parents are rightly concerned about the impact of sugary snacks on their children's health. A recent study showed a third of Massachusetts schoolchildren are overweight, which can lead to serious illness later in life.
The schools should be spearheading the effort to get kids to eat right, not tempting them with the wrong kinds of foods.
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