Americans Favor Limiting Unhealthy Foods in Schools

PRINCETON, N.J.Results of a recent Gallup poll shows two-thirds of Americans favor limiting the sale of unhealthy foods in schools, and would vote for a law that limits food sold in public schools in favor of foods with higher nutritional value if given the opportunity.

Three-quarters of parents with children currently enrolled in public school and nearly two-thirds of nonpublic school parents also supported the proposal.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) proposed such a policy as part of its mandate to raise school nutritional standards stemming from the 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. Its aim was to prevent students from foregoing cafeteria food and instead choosing "foods of minimal nutrition value" offered in snack bars and elsewhere on school grounds. The public has until early April to comment on the proposal.

The Gallup poll was conducted as part of Gallup Daily tracking March 8-9 and  It included a random telephone sampling of 1,016 adults, aged 18 and above, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

Results showed 57% of Americans supported such policies when also applied to food sold in vending machines, snack bars and at bake sales. Public-school parents were less likely than nonpublic school parents to favor the policy when it specifically mentions such "competitive foods."

Banning home-packed lunches, as one Chicago principal did at her elementary school in 2011, has yet to widely accepted, but could become the new frontline of the battle to promote healthy eating in public schools in the future. Gallup found most Americans reject the idea of banning home-packed food with 81%, including 79% of parents and 82% of non-parents, saying they would vote against a law prohibiting students from bringing packed lunches or snacks to school.

Additionally, 59% of those surveyed said the policy would be effective at reducing obesity in children, including 19% who say it would be very effective. And a little more than half said it would be effective at improving students' academic performance, including 13% calling it "very effective."

Overall, results reflected that most Americans support federal policies to set nutritional standards for all food served at public schools, the majority of which still support these when applied to snack bar foods, vending machines and bake sales. Most do not expect the proposed policies to have a major effect on childhood obesity or student performance, but believe the standards would still help somewhat. Americans do not support banning home-pack lunches limiting parents' and students' ability to determine themselves what the children eat at school.