Sample Testimony to School Board
(Name of School District)
(Date)
Public comments submitted by:
(Your Name)
(Address)
(Phone/Email)
Good evening. My name is [YOUR NAME] and I am speaking today as an employee of [NAME OF YOUR SCHOOL] here in [NAME OF YOUR CITY, TOWN,or COUNTY]. I would first liketo thank the School Board for providing me with the opportunity to speak today aboutimproving the nutritional quality of snack foods and beverages offered at our schools.Childhood obesity is an urgent public health threat. Today, more than 23.5 million children and teens in the U.S. are overweight or obese.Over the past four decades, obesity rates have quadrupled in children (age 6-11) and tripled in teens (age 12-19), putting children at increased risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, cancer, and diabetes.[1]-[2]Unfortunately many schools sellhigh-calorie, low-nutrition foods andbeverages like sports drinks, soda pop, fruit drinks, chips, snack cakes, and cookies to our kidsthrough vending machines, cafeteria à la carte lines, and school stores. These practices contribute to the childhood obesity epidemic.
Statistics on what kids eat and don’t eat are staggering. Fewer than one in 10 high school students get the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables daily.[3]The top sources of calories for school-age children and teens are sugar-sweetened beverages like soda and fruit drinks, grain desserts like cakes and cookies, and pizza.[4]We also know that schools have a big impact on children’s diets—children and teens consume 35 to 50 percent of their total daily calories at school.
Selling low-nutrition foods and beverages in our schools sends children the messagethat good nutrition is not important and conflicts with what children learn in nutrition education. It also undermines the efforts schools have made—and continue to make—to offer healthier lunches.
We know that what kids eat and drink is crucialto their long-term health and well-being.Our school district should make improving the nutritional quality of foods and beverages apriority. Instead of offering soda, sports drinks, and fruit drinks with added sugar, we could offer onlywater, seltzer, 100% juice, and low-fat milk. Instead of offering candybars, potato chips, and donuts, we could offer yogurt, granola bars, whole-grain crackers,and fruit. And, instead ofà la carte pizza, cheese burgers, and fries, we could offer whole grainbreads, fajitas, and salads.
I recognize the school district runs on a tight budget and depends on food and beveragesales to help pay for some programs. However, many schools have replaced junk foods and sugary drinks with healthier fare—and they’re not losing money.Schools and school districts across the country are finding that proceeds from selling healthy snacks and beveragesand from non-food based fundraiserscan fillfunding gaps created when junk foods and sugary drinks are limited or banned on campus.[5]In fact, schools in Connecticut, California, Texas, and West Virginia found that their revenue increased or did not change after they implemented strong nutrition standards for snack foods and beverages.
Thank you for providing me the opportunity to speak to you about improving the nutritionalquality of foods and beverages offered at our schools. I’d be glad to answer any questionsor provide additional information about how we can help give our kids healthier choices.
References
Adapted from the School Foods Toolkit, Center for Science in the Public Interest.
[1] Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Curtin LR, Lamb MM and Flegal KM. “Prevalence of High Body Mass Index in US Children and Adolescents, 2007–2008.” Journal of the American Medical Association, 303(3): 242–249, 2010
[2]Ogden CL, Flegal KM, Carroll MD, et al. “Prevalence and trends in overweight among U.S. children and adolescents, 1999-2000.”Journal of the American Medical Association. 288(14):1728-1732, 2002.
[3] CDC State indicator report on Fruit and Vegetables, 2009:
[4]Reedy J,Krebs-Smith SM.Dietary sources of energy, solid fats, and added sugars among children and adolescents in the United States.J Am Diet Assoc.2010 Oct;110(10):1477-84.
[5] NEA Healthy Futures (formerly NEA Health Information Network). Healthy Rewards: Selling Healthy Snack Foods and Beverages Can be Profitable. November 2012.