Healthier food, drinks slowly enter schools

By Anupreeta Das

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Healthier food and drinks are slowly finding their way into U.S. school lunchrooms, just under a year after leading companies first voluntarily agreed to ban high-calorie, low-nutrition products from schools.

These are welcome changes since 17 percent of Americans between the ages of 2 and 19, or 12 million of them, are overweight. But nutrition experts said the food and beverage industry needs to do more.

"There are definitely healthier products in schools (today) than three years ago," said Joy Johanson, a policy analyst at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a nutrition advocacy group that has negotiated with soft drink makers for healthier beverages in schools. "But there is still a long way to go."

The first big move toward healthy products in schools came in May 2006, when Coca-Cola Co., PepsiCo Inc. and Cadbury Schweppes Plc, along with the American Beverage Association, established guidelines to provide more nutritious beverages at schools.

The agreement was brokered by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a joint initiative of the American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation.

SLOW TRICKLE

In January, Bravo! Brands Inc. started selling a 150-calorie, 8-ounce bottle of flavored milk in school vending machines through a distribution tie-up with Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc..

The Bravo alliance is part of Coke's effort to supply nutritious drinks to schools that already buy its sodas. Bravo's low-fat milks contain sucralose, a calorie-free sweetener, are fortified with vitamins and minerals and meet the Alliance guidelines.