Restricting “Junk Foods” in School Is Not the Answer

Across the United States, local regulators and school authorities have been trying to cope with demands of various advocacy groups on the issue of “competitive foods.” The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture defines “competitive foods” as foods offered at school other than meals served through USDA’s school lunch, breakfast, and after-school-snack feeding programs.

Within that definition, USDA targets two categories: (1) foods of minimal nutritional value and (2) all other foods offered for individual sale…