Where are the kids getting the money to purchase the junk? If parents packed the kids lunches/beverages and didn't give the kids the money, they wouldn't be able to consume the junk.

Hey chicks I am going to add my two cents worth. I believe that obesity is a big problem among children and I believe that parents need to educate their children but you must do it with sensitivity or we could end up having children with big disorders. The elementary school my children went to had a home and school that was big into healthy eating. ( I was the helping hand in that) We had hot lunches that were healthy and we also implemented a fruit or veggie of the month. We also encouraged the children and the parents to put healthy things in their lunches. We have an award program called the healthy apple award for schools who promote healthy eating. The unfortunate part is that it is cheaper to feed your child junk than the healthier options. I encourage parents to get involved in their schools lunch programs to push the education department in the right direction. I have a bunch more things that our school has done but I have to leave to get the wee ones from the bus stop I will try to give you some more info later.

Kinda Laurie.

When I was in school it ws hot lunch or cold lunch. If you forgot your lunch, you had a freebie. You HAD to drink skim or regular milk. Chocolate was reseved for Fridays. Now, I went to a catholic school from 4-8th grade (no middle school in NYC) so that may have made the difference, but we also had gym class 3x a week.

I think many schools take the $$$ they should be putting into getting healthy lunches and using it elsewhere! I'm not saying take Pizza Fridays off the menu, I'm saying that there should be grilled chicken and veggie Monday and Soup and Salad Thursdays added to the mix. There has to be a dietician somewhere who looks at the menus, no?

I'm not a mom so I have no clue here I guess.

I just don't think federal legislation is needed. State? maybe. Local PTA and school boards? YES!