Fresh Produce Discussion Blog

Created by The Packer's National Editor Tom Karst

Monday, October 6, 2014

State and Local Vending Machines on Government Property Mostly Stocked with Soda, Candy



58 Percent of Vended Drinks Unhealthy; Only 5 Percent of Vended Foods Healthy

WASHINGTON—A first-of-its-kind national study of 853 vending machines on 260 state and local public properties found that the machines were stocked primarily with unhealthy products like soda and other sugary beverages, candy, chips, and cookies, snack cakes, and other sweet baked goods.  The study, released today by the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest, examined vending machines in agency buildings, state university and community college buildings, recreation facilities, city and town halls, courthouses, highway rest stops, and other public spaces.  Fifty-eight percent of beverages sold were soda or other sugar-sweetened beverages, and only 42 percent were healthier options such as water (16 percent), low-calorie beverages (23 percent), and 100 percent juice (3 percent).  

As for foods, the vending machines were even worse.  Thirty-two percent of the food was candy, followed by chips (24 percent) and sweet baked goods (15 percent).  Only 5 percent of vended foods were healthy (fruits, vegetables, or nuts).

Volunteers in 37 states examined more than 20,000 slots in drink- and food-vending machines.

“Despite the progress made in schools, vending machines in other state and local facilities are serving up mostly junk, undermining the obesity- and chronic-disease-prevention efforts conducted by many of those same state and local governments,” said CSPI nutrition policy director Margo G. Wootan.  “There have been pockets of progress but too many states, counties, cities, and towns are still in the junk-food business.”

In 2010, Chicago’s Park District implemented nutrition standards for its vended foods.  A recent survey of park-goers found that 88 percent were satisfied with the healthier options, such as dried fruit and granola bars.  In fact, the leading complaint in the survey was that the new options were not healthy enough.  New York City, Boston, the District of Columbia, Tennessee, and Kansas City, MO, also have begun enacting nutrition standards for vending machines on public property.  Last week, California Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation removing a sunset provision on a prior law requiring that one-third of all beverages served in state buildings be water, milk, 100-percent juice, or a low-calorie sports drink, and requiring 35 percent of foods to meet guidelines limiting fat, saturated fat, and sugar content.

CSPI recommends that states and local governments make 100 percent of beverage and food slots on public property healthier options.  New regulations requiring calorie labeling on most vending machines, now being finalized by the Food and Drug Administration pursuant to the Affordable Care Act, could also help consumers identify and purchase healthier options.

“Implementing nutrition standards for vending machines on public property is a common-sense, low-cost strategy for officials to reduce the costs they pay to treat obesity, diabetes, and other chronic diseases,” said CSPI nutrition policy associate Katherine Bishop.  

This study focused on state and local government property, though a number of federal agencies and national parks also have been replacing unhealthy food and beverages with better options.  However, a photo circulated on Twitter by CQ Roll Call correspondent Steven Dennis showed a White House vending machine slot dispensing a Jumbo Honey Bun with 590 calories, 17 grams of saturated fat, and 30 grams of sugar—suggesting that federal facilities have room for improvement also.

Weekly Column: Farm to School Programs Create New Opportunities for Farmers - Tom Vilsack




This October, just like every other month during the school year, school menus will feature an array of products from local and regional farmers, ranchers, and fishermen. Kids of all ages will dig up lessons in school gardens, visit farms, harvest pumpkins, and don hair nets for tours of processing facilities. Science teachers – and English, math, and social studies instructors, too – will use food and agriculture as a tool in their classrooms, so that lessons about the importance of healthy eating permeate the school learning environment.

An investment in the health of America’s students through Farm to School is also an investment in the farmers and ranchers who grow the food and an investment in the health of local economies. In school year 2011-2012, schools purchased $386 million in local food from farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and food processors and manufacturers. And an impressive 56 percent of school districts report that they will buy even more local foods in future school years. Farm to school programs exist in every state in the country.

For example, the Lake County Community Development Corporation in Bozeman, Montana reports a 40 percent increase in revenues to farmers based on school sales alone. The Southwest Georgia Project, a community development non-profit, notes that “We’re actually seeing our farmers have hope. The farm to school program allows them to see an opportunity for a sustainable living for themselves and their families.” Testimonials in a USDA video released this week highlight the degree to which farm to school programs support healthy eating behaviors among children and provide positive economic impacts to local communities.

Strengthening local food systems is one of the four pillars of USDA's commitment to rural economic development, and Farm to School programs can play an important role. To support the expansion of Farm to School programs into more schools and expand opportunity for farmers and ranchers, USDA offers grants, training, and technical assistance. Since the start of our Farm to School Grant Program in fiscal year 2013, for example, USDA has awarded grants to 139 projects spanning 46 states and the District of Columbia, serving more than 16,200 schools and 4.55 million students, nearly 43% of whom live in rural communities.

Just this week, I visited the George Washington Carver Elementary School in Richmond, Virginia and the Virginia State Fair to announce more than $52 million in new USDA grants nationwide to support the development of the local, regional and organic food sectors. You can learn more about USDA’s investments at www.usda.gov/results.

At USDA we’re transforming school food and creating a healthier next generation. We’re happy to celebrate in October, but we’re going to be cheering for schools with farm to school programs all year long. When students have experiences such as tending a school garden or visiting a farm, they’re more likely to make healthy choices in the cafeteria. I see the change every time I visit a cafeteria; students light up when meeting their farmer. They are piling their trays full of healthy foods, they are learning healthy habits that they will carry with them for life, and they are learning an appreciation for the American farmer that they will carry with them their entire lives.

Profile America Facts for Features: Veterans Day 2014: Nov. 11

Profile America Facts for Features: Veterans Day 2014: Nov. 11
Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary marking the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and Nov. 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation in 1954 to change the name to Veterans Day as a way to honor those who served in all American wars. The day honors military veterans with parades and speeches across the nation. A national ceremony takes place at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.
Veterans
19.6 million
Number of military veterans in the United States in 2013. Source: 2013 American Community Survey
1.6 million
Number of female veterans in the United States in 2013. Source: 2013 American Community Survey
11.3%
Percent of veterans in 2013 who were black. Additionally, 79.3 percent were non-Hispanic white; 1.4 percent were Asian; 0.7 percent were American Indian or Alaska Native; 0.2 percent were Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; 1.2 percent were some other race. (The numbers for blacks, non-Hispanic whites, Asians, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders, and some other race cover only those reporting a single race.) Source: 2013 American Community Survey
6.0%
Percent of veterans in 2013 who were Hispanic. Source: 2013 American Community Survey
9.3 million
Number of veterans 65 years and older in 2013. At the other end of the age spectrum, 1.6 million were younger than 35. Source: 2013 American Community Survey
When They Served
7.0 million
Number of Vietnam-era veterans in 2013. Moreover, there were 5.2 million who served during the Gulf War Era (representing service from August 1990 to present); 1.3 million who served in World War II; 2.1 million who served in the Korean War; and 4.7 million who served in peacetime only. Source: 2013 American Community Survey
58,445
Number of living veterans in 2013 who served during the Vietnam Era and both periods of the Gulf War (August 1990 to August 2001 and September 2001 or later).
Other living veterans in 2013 who served during three wartime periods:
•    39,890 served during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam Era.
Number of living veterans in 2013 who served during two wartime periods:
•    1,006,501 served during Gulf War (August 1990 to August 2001) and Gulf War (September 2001 or later).
•    294,251 served during Gulf War (August 1990 to August 2001) and the Vietnam Era.
•    175,676 served during the Korean War and the Vietnam Era.
•    92,670 served during World War II and the Korean War.
Sources: 2013 American Community Survey
Where They Live
3
Number of states with 1 million or more veterans in 2013. These states were California (1.7 million), Texas (1.5 million) and Florida (1.5 million). Source: 2013 American Community Survey
Education
26.8%
Percent of veterans 25 years and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2013. In comparison, 29.9 percent of nonveterans had a bachelor’s degree or higher. Source: 2013 American Community Survey
29.1%
Percent of veterans 25 years and older in 2013 whose highest educational attainment was a high school diploma or equivalency in 2013, compared with 27.7 percent of the nonveteran population. Source: 2013 American Community Survey
Income
$36,381
Annual median income of veterans in 2013, compared with $25,820 for the nonveteran population. Source: 2013 American Community Survey
On the Job
7.7 million
Number of veterans 18 to 64 years old in the labor force in 2013, of those 7.1 million were employed. Source: 2013 American Community Survey
Service Connected Disabilities
3.6 million
Number of veterans with a service-connected disability rating in 2013. Of this number, 957,504 had a rating of 70 percent or higher. A “service-connected” disability is one that was a result of a disease or injury incurred or aggravated during active military service. Severity of one’s disability is scaled from 0 to 100 percent, and eligibility for compensation depends on one’s rating. Source: 2013 American Community Survey
Voting
14.7 million
Number of veterans who voted in the 2012 presidential election. Seventy percent of veterans cast a ballot in that election, compared with 61.8 percent of all U.S. citizens 18 years and older. Source: Table 13. Reported Voting and Registration, by Sex, Veteran Status, and Age: November 2012
12.4 million
Number of veterans who voted in the 2010 congressional election. Fifty-seven percent of veterans voted in that election, compared with 45.5 percent of all U.S. citizens 18 years and older. Source: Table 13. Reported Voting and Registration, by Sex, Veteran Status, and Age: November 2010