May not be reprinted without permission. The fact that America's children are so hooked on nutritionally-challenged cuisine and so inadequately nourished has been turned into a criticism of America's school system, just as teachers are blamed for kids' physical inactivity. At the National Nutrition Summit in Washington, D.C. in June 2000, The American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Dietetic Association, National Medical Association, National Hispanic Medical Association, and U.S. Department of Agriculture formalized a new national partnership to promote nutrition education and healthy eating by children in schools. After ripping into school food programs, the organizations voiced their concerns and discussed what might be done to help American children make better food choices. Firms and franchises pay schools to post their logos around, which critics say gives kids the impression the school endorses their products.
Some campuses even lease on-site space to fast food outlets.
Vending machines, school stores and organizations sell nutrition-deficit snacks, directly competing with vitamins and minerals. Increasingly, school meals are prepared by outside contractors, who see food service not as an educational responsibility but as a profitable opportunity. Answer these questions by calculating your Target Heart Rate and your Body Mass Index. Track your workout progress, join the support network, get advice in our friendly forum and smile hard at The Fit Side - our comical fitness cartoon. Then tell us what you think in our viewer survey.