Lawmakers want review of nutrition standards for schools

DES MOINES - Strict new nutrition guidelines for food and drinks available in school vending machines and lunch lines will get another review by state lawmakers, who expressed confusion over what would be allowed under rules approved by education officials.

A panel of legislators on Tuesday struggled to understand which beverages would be available to students and which would be banned under the new rules, which apply mostly to vending machines and a la carte items sold to students.

On Tuesday, lawmakers on the Administrative Rules Review Committee sorted through an array of bottled sodas, juices, water, sports drinks, tea and lemonade trying to figure out which could be available to students.

Sen. Tom Courtney, D-Burlington, said he hopes guidelines can be set that allow drinks children like that also are good for them.

"I think the goal is to not have kids drinking a bunch of junk," Courtney said.

Sen. Merlin Bartz, R-Grafton, called the rules "overkill."

"I still think ultimately, the nutritional standard comes down to a parents' deciding what their child's going to eat," and eating habits are established at home, Bartz said.

After a long discussion, the panel voted to allow legislative standing committees to review the guidelines.

A special task force drew up the standards, which set limits on calories, fat content, sugar and other nutritional measures. Carbonated beverages are banned.

Caffeinated beverages and sports drinks are banned in elementary schools.

The rules do not apply to food provided by school lunch or breakfast programs, items sold at concession stands or certain fundraisers or items provided by parents, teachers or others for class events.

State lawmakers had asked the Iowa Department of Education to come up with nutrition content standards for foods and beverages sold or provided to students during the school day.

Bartz said lawmakers had good intentions when they sought new guidelines, but are now seeing the unintended consequences.

The guidelines have been criticized by local school officials.

They said schools would lose revenue if they were no longer able to sell some of the items banned by the new guidelines and argued students would simply go off campus for food and drinks they like.

The State Board of Education already has delayed most of the standards from going into effect until the 2010-2011 school year.

In other action Tuesday:

-- Lawmakers also expressed concerns about new physical activity requirements for students, but took no action to stop them from going into effect this fall. In grades K-5, students will be required to engage in physical activity for at least 30 minutes each day. The requirements for grades 6-12 is 120 minutes per week. That can be time spent in athletics, or actives such as marching band, show choir, dance, drill teams or cheerleading. Students also are required to take a CPR course, starting with the graduating class of 2012.