School Bake Sales: The Cookie Crumbles
You can have your cake and eat it too in California, but if you do so at a school bake sale, you might be breaking the law.
Tough new government nutrition standards that are being enforced in public schools state-wide are eliminating foods that can be sold on-site during the school day. Long-time bake sale favorites like cookies and cupcakes are disappearing because they exceed legally-mandated limits on sugar, fat and calories.
Comfort food is suddenly being wrapped in uncomfortable language like nutritional disobedience and competitive foods, as policy makers try to reduce unhealthy consumption to “do for junk food what smoking bans and taxes did for tobacco” according to one health scientist.
“The intent of the legislation was not to eliminate bake sales, but to improve the quality of food that’s available to students,” said the policy director of the California Center for Public Advocacy, one of the sponsors of the legislation. “Schools were financially dependent on selling food to kids that was fundamentally bad for them.”
But opponents of the culinary crackdown say it’s half-baked. “Bake sales are one of the quickest and easiest ways for schools to raise money,” said the president of one local California PTA. “To limit this option has a significant impact on fundraising. And as a parent, it should really be my choice if I want to buy my child a cookie or slice of pizza after school.”
While a California kindergarten offered a “Healthy Halloween vegetable platter,” as a trick-or-treat alternative, one critic questioned the larger impact of a cupcake prohibition. “Children should learn that there are many foods available, and the responsibility is theirs to choose the best and healthiest foods. Instead, through limiting their choices, we are teaching them to blindly trust whatever is placed before them and to forego individual responsibility.”
Tell us what you think: Have bake sales become nutritionally irresponsible dinosaurs? What should take priority—raising healthier children or letting them eat cake?
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When we vote for bigger government
When we vote for bigger government, we get bigger government.
We need to constantly remind our senators, representatives, the president, etc. that the American people desire to have freedom and do not wish to be told how to live our lives. This kind of nonsense will keep happening until we start to take the threat of bigger government & political correctness seriously, and demand that it stop.
Anonymous | 1 year, 2 months ago
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Good intentions, but needs to be more flexible
I think this legislation has some valuable insights and goals to alleviate pressure on cafeterias. Couldn’t a ban on commercialized junk food remain while allowing bake sales to continue? Or an exception in the calorie limits is made for foods brought by community members? I think the law is just in trying to protect kids from falling victim at a young age to the aggressive advertising and pressures of the commercial junk food industry, but bake sales shouldn’t have to be a casualty of the battle.
Anonymous | 1 year, 2 months ago
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not enough for 18 kids
I am not sure what state that family lives in Vix, but I am willing to bet that they don’t get anymore than about $4-500.00. In most states there is a limit on the children you can claim on food stamps, medicaid, and fitap or tanf payments. I should know, I’m a social worker and also a recipient of food stamps and the sad part is that my husband and I both work and get paid what I once thought to be quite well. You just have to admit there are people who need the help. And YES we are ALL responsible for sending the nation’s youth to school to be educated. Education is key in helping our youth succeed in life. Those who could not afford to send their kids to school if there were no funding available would probably be visiting their kids in jail instead of being able to raise healthy and productive individuals. Just because you have decided not to have kids does not mean you shouldn’t do your part to prevent our children from committing crime because of boredom or because they need money.
And yes we need bake sales. our schools don’t get enough from government funding. sure we can find healthier ways to bake our sweeties and keep our children fit, but we shouldn’t be forced to.
Anonymous | 1 year, 2 months ago
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funny thing
You know the schools around here don’t allow you to send baked goods, cookies, or cupcakes for birthdays and say they are promoting healthier eating. Funny thing is, that they have a potluck at every PTO meeting and I still have to eat before I leave the house because you wont find anything health conscious at those things. There are usually about 3 desserts to every saturated fat filled casserole. Why is it what is good for the goose is never good for the gander????
Anonymous | 1 year, 2 months ago
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Fat Kids
are they going to start banning fat kids from coming to school too?
Anonymous | 1 year, 2 months ago
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Educate
We are all responsible for each child’s education, whether we have children or not. It’s not just an issue of them ending up in jail, otherwise, it’s that they will be responsible for our future. They are our connection to future generations and they will be responsible for the future success of our cities, forests, animal rights, our country, everything.
Anonymous | 1 year, 2 months ago
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I do not believe you.
It used to be that children were raised by the community, a child who did something wrong would get yelled at and sent home to find the parents already knew and get yelled at again…
Now no one dares say anything to a child doing wrong for fear of being sued or just because they do not want to be involved AND you say it is the responsibility of the community to educate all youth???
I DO NOT BELIEVE YOU!
Vix | 1 year, 2 months ago
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come on!
I will only say one thing here. I don’t think any person who has been on a diet(unless its a see-food diet) who has to exclude food can say that making a food taboo makes it less desirable. I think this is silly. I say let them eat cake-its what they eat the other six days of the week that matter the most and what they eat at home. Not one cupcake at a bake sale. Not allowing them to have sweets just makes them into adults who must have sweets-because they were taboo for so long! Trust me, my mother NEVER let us eat junk food, and I have struggled every day of my adult life with them. Because my parents never taught me the importance of MODERATION. All things are ok in moderation. I consider a cupcake/piece of cake at a bake sale ok and not a big deal.
celeste good | 1 year ago
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website
Your website is nice.
jahnylah jahda hewitt | 11 months, 3 weeks ago
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Stop Bake Sales as Schools?
I do not think so because what if someone is allergic, the the school would be held responsible. Find something else like biking or racing.
Annabella | 11 months, 1 week ago
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