Soft drink vending machines in schools are popular with students, but draw criticism from some nutritional experts VIDEO CNN's Eileen O'Connor reports on the controversy over soda machines in public schools. Windows Media 28K 80K    School lunch makeover suggestions: Choose 1% or fat-free milk Choose low-fat or fat-free cheese on sandwiches Switch from fatty luncheon meats to low-fat alternatives Include at least one serving of fruit in every lunch Sneak vegetables onto sandwiches Use whole grain bread for sandwiches Limit sweet baked goods Pack baked or low-fat snacks If you pack juice, make sure it's 100% juice Source: Center for Science in the Public Interest Details

September 10, 1999
Web posted at: 4:18 p.m. EDT (2018 GMT)

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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- With high schools back in session, familiar sounds fill the air. There's the crunch of football, brassy band practice and, of course, the plunk of coins into soft drink vending machines.

But critics say educators who allow soda to be sold on school property -- to help pay for extra-curricular activities -- are jeopardizing the health of young people.

The Child Nutrition Act mandates that schools sell only healthful food in their cafeterias. But soft drink makers can get around that restriction by essentially giving away their product for free -- by allowing schools to keep all the vending machine profits.

Critics say the practice has contributed to a 40 percent drop in milk consumption in the last 20 years.

According to government figures, the average teen-age boy drinks one and a half cans of soft drinks a day, the equivalent of eating 15 teaspoons of sugar. "It doesn't make sense to encourage kids to consume food that is bad for their health," says Michael Jacobson of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

School administrators argue that vending machines on school grounds keep kids from going off-campus to buy soft drinks, but educators also acknowledge the lure of the money. A school can make as much as $100,000 a year from these deals.

Yurek: "Schools have to become more like entrepreneurs"

"Schools have to become more like entrepreneurs," says Stephen Yurek of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. "They need to go look and see where they can develop partnerships with other outside entities to provide funds to purchase things for schools."

Legislation, backed mainly by lawmakers from the big dairy states, already has forced schools to shut down the machines during all federally funded breakfast and lunch periods. That limits access to soft drinks to about an hour a day, cutting deeply into revenues for the schools.

A proposal endorsed by Sen. Patrick Leahy would take things a step further, by banning the "free" distribution of sodas and other snacks. "This is a loophole, big enough to drive a soda truck through, that hurts our children," says the Vermont Democrat.

The soft drink industry has denounced the allegations, saying the industry does not give away free sodas to schools. If the practice is happening, it's a decision of local officials, said Sean McBride, spokesman for the National Soft Drink Association.

Money from soft drink machines helps fund school programs

"Our soft drink companies are not encouraging that," McBride said. "In fact we discourage it from happening."

But Leahy is convinced the ultimate goal of the corporate generosity isn't charity, it's brand recognition.

"What they try to do is make sure that students get very used to one particular brand, whatever that brand might be," he told CNN.

The soft drink industry says the issue isn't exploitation or marketing, it's about providing choice. Vending machines, it says, often sell juice and water as well, leaving it up to students to make the right decision.

Correspondent Eileen O'Connor and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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