Most parents don’t realize how much of a presence fast foods, snack foods and sugary drinks have in school cafeterias, vending machines, snack bars, etc. -- as well as after-school fundraisers and sports events.

The floodgates were opened only a decade ago. Facing a chronic and growing shortage of funds in the late 1990s, schools began selling soft drinks, snack foods and fast food in their vending machines and cafeterias.