**OT** Mothering.com Breaking Activism Alert!

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Mothering Magazine <webmaster wrote: " Mothering Magazine "

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Mothering.com Breaking Activism Alert!

Tue, 19 Apr 2005 17:43:54 -0500

 

 

 

 

 

 

Breaking Activism Alert!

 

Take Action: Support Bill To Trim the Fat From Public Schools!

 

 

In an October, 2004 activism alert Mothering urged readers to support Senator

Ted

Kennedy’s “toughest bill yet to ban junk food in schools.”

 

Last Friday, Senator Kennedy re-introduced the bill, aimed at stopping the sale

of junk food and soda pop in public schools nationwide. The bill is called the

" Prevention of Childhood Obesity Act " (S. 799), and it has several excellent

provisions.

 

Most importantly, in schools that receive federal funds, the bill would ban

vending machines that sell " foods of poor or minimal nutritional value, "

including soda pop, some candy, chewing gum, etc. It would provide grants to

schools that prohibit advertising and marketing of " foods of poor or minimal

nutritional values such as fast foods, soft drinks and candy, " or provide food

options low in fat, calories and added sugars, such as fruits, vegetables and

whole grains. It would require daily physical activity classes, and would

encourage the consumption of water in school and in communities.

 

The bill ought to be overwhelmingly popular. According to a Wall Street Journal

poll in February, 2005, 83% of Americans " believe public schools need to do a

better job of limiting children's access to unhealthy foods like snack foods,

sugary soft drinks and fast food. "

 

Of course, our nation's obesity lobby (our largest food and beverage companies,

media conglomerates and advertising agencies) will likely do everything they can

to oppose the legislation.

 

Please take these two simple steps to get this bill co-sponsored by your US

senators:

 

1) Click here to send emails to your senators in support of the bill. Or if you

want to call your senators, the congressional switchboard phone is 202.225.3121.

 

2) Forward this email to everyone you know who cares about children, and ask

them to take action now.

 

Source:

www.commercialalert.org

 

For more information, read “The Parent's Bill Of Rights: Helping Moms and Dads

Fight Commercialism”, originally published in Mothering Magazine issue 116.

 

 

 

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" I did then what I knew then, & when I knew better, I did better. "

-Maya Angelou