California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who first came to fame as a bodybuilder and later, in addition to a hugely successful movie career, served on the President’s Council for Physical Fitness, plans to introduce legislation that would, he said, “ban all the sale of junk food in the schools.”
He said that schools should be selling milk and fresh vegetables, not sodas and junk food.
According to the Contra Costa Times, “the governor's chief of staff, Pat Clarey, said the governor is supporting legislation by state Sen. Martha Escutia, D-Norwalk, to extend to high schools existing limits on the sale of sugary sodas.
“The administration is also working with school officials and food manufacturers to develop a series of bills to make more nutritious foods available on school campuses, which could lead to a ban of junk food in schools.”
He said that schools should be selling milk and fresh vegetables, not sodas and junk food.
According to the Contra Costa Times, “the governor's chief of staff, Pat Clarey, said the governor is supporting legislation by state Sen. Martha Escutia, D-Norwalk, to extend to high schools existing limits on the sale of sugary sodas.
“The administration is also working with school officials and food manufacturers to develop a series of bills to make more nutritious foods available on school campuses, which could lead to a ban of junk food in schools.”
- KC's View:
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Food manufacturers should take this very seriously. The Governator is enormously persuasive, and this is an issue on which he has more than a little credibility.
There seems to be a lot of this going around, by the way. Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has found religion in this area, losing 110 pounds by eating right and exercising – and just the other day completing the Little Rock Marathon, along with Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack. (This cuts across political lines, apparently – Vilsack is a Democrat, while Huckabee and Schwarzenegger are Republicans.) Huckabee has even written a book on the subject, and is pushing for expanded obesity education in his state.
Marketers have a choice. Embrace this trend and be part of it. Or ignore it at their own risk.
