Date

Superintendent Name

School District Superintendent

Address

Dear [X]:

As you may be aware, childhood obesity is increasing at an alarming rate; obesity rates have doubled in children and tripled in teens over the last two decades. One in seven young people are obese and one in three are overweight, putting them at increased risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes.

Despite these skyrocketing childhood obesity rates, many high-calorie, low-nutrition foods are sold in our schools. For example, many schools sell soft drinks to students through vending machines. Children today are drinking many more soft drinks than are good for their diets and health. Soft drink consumption has doubled since the 1970s. Studies show that children who drink more soft drinks consume more calories and are more likely to be overweight.

Selling low-nutrition foods in schools sends children the message that good nutrition is not important, when what they eat is, in fact, critical to their long-term health and well-being. I urge you to set nutrition standards for all foods sold or served outside of the school meal programs at schools in our district including for foods sold out of vending machines, school stores, fundraisers, and a la carte lines. Such guidelines might include:

I. The following beverages shall not be sold or served at schools:

	Soda pop, sports drinks, punches, and iced teas.
	Fruit-based drinks that contain less than 50 percent real juice or that contain added sweeteners.
	Drinks containing caffeine, excluding low-fat or fat-free chocolate milk.

II. The following beverages may be sold or served at schools:

	Fruit-based drinks that contain at least 50 percent fruit juice and that do not contain added sweeteners.
	Water or seltzer.
	Low-fat or fat-free milk, including, but not limited to, chocolate milk, soy milk, rice milk, and other similar dairy or nondairy calcium-fortified milks.

III. All snacks, sweets, or side dishes sold or served on school sites outside of the federal school meal programs shall meet all of the following standards:

	Have 30 percent or less of its total calories from fat.
	Have 10 percent or less of its total calories from saturated plus trans fat.
	Have 35 percent or less of its weight from sugars, excluding sugars occurring naturally in fruits, vegetables, and dairy ingredients.
	Be limited to the following maximum portion sizes:
	One and one-quarter ounces for chips, crackers, popcorn, cereal, trail mix, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, or jerky.
	Two ounces for cookies or cereal bars.
	Three ounces for bakery items, including, but not limited to, pastries, muffins, and donuts.
	Three fluid ounces for frozen desserts, including, but not limited to, ice cream.
	Eight ounces for non-frozen yogurt.
	Twelve ounces for beverages, excluding water.
	Entree items and side dishes, including, but not limited to, French fries and onion rings, shall be no larger than the portions of those foods served as part of the federal school meal programs.
	Fruits and vegetables shall be offered for sale at any location on the school site where foods are sold. Such guidelines would make a valuable contribution to protecting children's health. I hope that you take steps to improve the nutrition environment in our school district. Thank you for your consideration of this matter, and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or need additional information.

Sincerely,

Your name

Your title (if possible, or send the letter as a private citizen)

(Your organization)

Your address

Your phone number

Source: http://www.cspinet.org/schoolfood/