District bucks nation trends in favor of steady revenue from vending machines

Despite rates of obesity and diabetes in Tooele County that are above state and national averages, the Tooele County School District will continue to follow the state’s lead in offering sugary sodas and snacks laden with fat and calories to students via vending machines in schools.

According to a study released by the Centers for Disease Control earlier this month, 91 percent of secondary schools in Utah — including Tooele County School District schools — still sell junk food and soda to students despite a reduction in the number of schools selling such foods nationally. That ranks Utah No. 1 in the country for the percentage of schools selling these foods.

Only 13 percent of the schools in Utah that sell snacks and beverages do not sell pastries, baked goods, salty snacks, chocolate, other candy, and soda pop or fruit drinks with less than 100 percent fruit juice. Nationwide, 46 percent of schools forgo the selling of such fat-, sugar- and salt-laden snacks.

Terry Linares, Tooele County School District superintendent, said the district has placed some limits on the mix of products offered to students in vending machines.

“Our policy requires that 50 percent of the choices in the vending machine be healthy,” Linares said. “Carbonated sodas, drinks with caffeine or a high concentration of sugar, candy, and chips are limited to 50 percent of the offerings.”

District Food Service staff and the building principal are responsible for monitoring the contents of the machines, Linares said.

Last year, the Utah State Board of Education debated the adoption of a policy regulating snack food sales in schools. They settled on a policy requiring all local school districts to write their own policies, and send a copy of their policy to the state board of education.

The Tooele County School District created its 50-percent-healthy policy in 2005, and revised the policy to require vending machine agreements to be approved by the Tooele County School Board, to state acceptable use of vending machine income, and to require vending machine receipts and expenditures to be accounted for and reported to the district. These changes conformed with the state’s new snack foods policy adopted in December 2008.

The state policy does not ban any foods from schools but does state that school boards may prohibit foods defined as having minimal nutritional value, limit all foods to no more than 300 calories per unit, and prohibit foods that are high in fat, contain trans fats, caffeine, are more than 35 percent sugar by weight, have a sodium content greater than 200 milligrams per portion, or beverage sizes larger than 20 ounces, except water.

Tooele County School District policy does not ban any food items or beverages from vending machines, though it does adhere to the aforementioned state policy.

Which leaves vending machines in district schools dispensing traditional junk food to students while the obesity rate in Tooele County leads the state among Utah’s health districts, according to the Utah Department of Health.

District officials cite several reasons for continuing to sell junk food.

At Grantsville Junior High School, the beverage machines were originally installed to reduce truancy and tardiness, according to principal Keith Davis.

“When I took over as principal from Sandy Shephard, she told me that the beverage machines were installed because student were going to the Way Station or Handy Corner during lunch to get a drink,” Davis said. “They often would forget to come back to school or they would come back late. The machines were installed so students could get a drink without leaving school.”

The beverage machines are stocked with carbonated beverages — some containing caffeine and high fructose corn syrup — along with water, lemonade and partial juice drinks. According to district policy, the machines are only turned on during lunch after the serving line is completed and after school.

Eliminating vending machines would present a new problem, say district officials, as schools have become dependent on the money the produce.

“I hate to say it,” Davis said. “But our beverage machines produce about $1,000 a month for the school. That money is used to pay for assemblies, field trips, dances, activities and recognitions.”

According to Linares, last year the schools in the district took in $56,056 from vending machine sales.

“That money is all used for student activities and awards,” Linares said. “If we take out vending machines, the district does not have the ability to replace that income. Especially in tight budget years like we have now.”

Tim Gillie: tgillie@tooeletranscript.com