No soda sales
Earlene Ward
8-9-05

Senate Bill 19 mandates that soda pop and other foods of “minimal nutritional value” will no longer be sold at high schools during the school day. At Yosemite High School this means vending machines will not be open until after school and soda will not be sold at the cafeteria at any time.

SB 19 sets policy regarding sales of food of minimal nutritional value at schools where state and federal funds are received through the school lunch program.

YHS received approximately $50,000 last year from the federal government and $3,100 from the state government through the reimbursable school lunch program.

The California Department of Education will begin monitoring schools for compliance with the law during the 2005-06 school year. Irene Keener, YHS food service manager, says the penalties are severe for schools that do not comply.

If the state were to find soda or food of minimal nutritional value being sold anywhere on campus during the school day, the district would lose all money for reimbursable meals for that day, Keener said.

“This is significant,” she says. “Money that we could lose if we do not comply with this law would impact other programs at school because funds would have to come from other programs to pay for the operation of the cafeteria.”

She notes that even if schools should decide not to participate in the school lunch program, they are still required to feed all children who qualify for free or reduced meals, they just wouldn’t be reimbursed.
School districts are no longer allowed to purchase soda or other foods of minimal nutritional value with money from the school food service account.

Keener notes that soda may still be sold at games and other after-school events; it just cannot be sold during the school day or in the cafeteria.

She says she will be pleading with students, staff and clubs to obey this law and to not sell soda or provide it to students during the school day.
While she notes that the cafeteria will lose money when it no longer sells soda, she says the penalty for doing so would be greater than the amount of money they make on the sales.

Elementary schools have not been allowed to sell soda for several years.

Yosemite Joint Union High School District News