Cereal killer: School program not sweet
Researchers sound childhood obesity alarm on popular fundraiser
Bay State schools are participating in a fundraising program that rewards students for purchasing sugar-laden foods and makes children brand ambassadors for products that contribute to childhood launched by food obesity, according to company General Mills, researchers from Harvard gives schools 10 cents and MassGeneral Hospital for each label that has for Children. been clipped from eligible
“The bottom line is that products. But a study while schools and children published last week in the are participating in American Journal of Preventive this program, it isn’t promoting Medicine found the best health,” that fewer than a third of said one of the study’s those products — which researchers, MassGeneral’s include high-sugar cereals Chief of General and Gushers fruit snacks Academic — met nutritional standards Pediatrics set by the U.S. Department Dr. Elsie of Agriculture, Taveras. Taveras said.
“The program The doctor said she was is prompted to take a deeper leveraging look at the program when caring her daughter, who attends parents to elementary school promote in Brookline, asked to buy these unhealthy a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch at the grocery foods.” store so she could take the
Box label to her school. Tops for “She said there was a Education, competition in school, a campaign and the class who brought in the most box tops would get a pizza and ice cream party,” Taveras said. “School is an environment where children expect adults are doing the best they can to provide the highest-quality foods. It’s paradoxical.”
Taveras said she still contributes to the program but sticks to the non-food items that qualify, like Ziploc bags.
About 90,000 schools nationwide that raise money through Box Tops for Education. Nearly 2,000 schools in the Bay State, including Boston Latin School and Boston Trinity Academy, take part in the program.
Despite the criticism, General Mills has pointed out the company has reduced sodium in more than 420 of its products by 5 to 25 percent and stresses that Box Tops for Education allows many schools to buy physical education and playground equipment, “which is costly and difficult to fund through other means.”