Schools can turn to healthier fundraisers

Support your school, eat a doughnut. Or buy cookie dough, candy and pizza kits.

Despite record levels of obesity in children and their family members -- and the health problems associated with excess weight -- school fundraisers regularly pressure children and their families to buy and consume junk.

It's time for that to stop.

Other aspects of the school environment are already improving. Schools are removing soft drinks from vending machines and lunchrooms are cutting the sodium and bad fats in the meals they serve.

They have to.

When Congress renewed funding for federal child nutrition programs in 2004, it for the first time required that school districts participating in the national school meals program put into place new wellness policies addressing nutrition and physical activity. Wellness policies must include guidelines for all foods served on school grounds during the day, with input from students, parents, school administrators, food-service workers, the school board and the public.

Guidelines agreed on for school districts have to conform to -- or do better than -- federal-level guidelines for healthy eating.

Foods served outside the school, however, are exempt. Though some school districts are taking steps to make changes, many continue to sell foods of low nutritional value to raise money for athletic programs, parent-teacher associations, and various clubs and other student groups.

A report published by the Center for Science in the Public Interest last month compared healthy and unhealthy school fundraisers, listing recommended fundraisers and those to avoid. (View the report at http://cspinet.org/new/ pdf/schoolfundraising.pdf).

Common school fundraisers that undermine health:

* Bake sales. Parents are too busy to bake, so they contribute ready-made, commercial cakes and cookies or use quick sugar- and bad-fat-laden mixes if they do fix their own at home.

* Junk food product sales. Chocolate and other kinds of candy, doughnuts, cookie dough, pizza dough and pizza kits are popular. Catalogs for gift wrap fundraisers often include candy, too.

* Fast-food promotions. Fast-food restaurants designate special weeknights for school fundraising and sell gift cards encouraging families to eat more fast food. Schools should be discouraging -- not encouraging -- children to eat at fast-food restaurants.

* Label redemption programs. Families collect product labels or other proofs of purchase and schools redeem them for cash or supplies. An analysis of eligible products from Campbell's and General Mills' education fundraising programs found the majority to be of low nutritional value, according to CSPI.

Better ways

Fortunately, many fundraising alternatives exist that don't harm health. In fact, some promote it.

For example:

* Rope-jumping, walk-athons and fun runs. Sponsorships generate cash for schools and teach kids that being physically active can be fun and rewarding.

* Nonfood product sales. Plants, flowers, toys, books, wrapping paper, coupon books, magazine subscriptions, calendars and candles sell well and contain no added sugar or trans fat.

* Services such as car washes or dog washes. There's an added benefit of giving children the experience of working cooperatively in teams.

* Healthy food sales. Fresh fruit, nuts, spices, bottled water and granola bars are good products.

* Sales of items with the school logo: T-shirts, sweat pants, shorts, hoodies, caps, pens and pencils, hair ties, notebooks and water bottles.

And that's just a start. New requirements for school districts to develop wellness policies don't require after-hours fundraisers to conform. But they should. Add your voice to those that are advocating for change.