West Virginia took the earliest action in the U.S. to ban the sale of junk foods in its schools. As early as 1974, state officials were concerned with mixed nutrition messages at schools and the negative effects of non-nutritious foods on student health.

Today, states across the U.S. are concluding the time for action against child obesity is now.  Many new measures are expected to be introduced in 2004.

During the 2003 legislative session, 14 states introduced measures that would study and/or adjust the nutrition content of school meals.

California	Maine	Tennessee
Connecticut	Massachusetts	Texas
Hawaii	Michigan	Vermont
Illinois	Missouri	Washington
Kentucky	New York

State policy on competitive foods and foods sold through vending machines in schools has become an issue in 23 states.

Alaska	Massachusetts	South Carolina
Arkansas	Maryland	Tennessee
California	Michigan	Texas
Connecticut	Minnesota	Utah
Hawaii	New Mexico	Vermont
Indiana	New York	Virginia
Kentucky	Oklahoma	Washington
Maine	Oregon

At least 15 states have or are considering legislation that sets, examines or adjusts physical education requirements.

Arkansas	Kentucky	North Carolina
California	Maine	New York
Connecticut	Massachusetts	Ohio
Hawaii	Mississippi	Oklahoma
Illinois	Missouri	Texas