California's Gradual Ban on Unhealthy Food in School

By Harper Baum

California’s New Food Laws

It isn’t a mystery that new rules have come into play at JLS when it comes to food. Over the course of this school year, teachers have stopped giving out candy, homemade items haven’t been brought to class, reminders about not sharing food have been posted, and more. But why are there so many changes? Let’s take a closer look. 

After some further research, I found that California has been implementing a gradual food ban on ultra processed food, artificial dyes, and more. They plan on banning certain ingredients entirely from school lunches. Governor Newsom’s official Website states, “The law is based on a simple, common-sense idea: schools should not serve students products that can harm their health or interfere with their ability to learn.” California takes pride in being one of the first states to really act on students’ health regarding school food, but what does this mean for school districts? Many cafeterias have started experimenting with newer, fresher, and cleaner ingredients and recipes, but many have begun taking things a step further with rules of their own. 

NBC News says that schools are required to start removing these foods from students’ diets by 2029 at the latest and must be fully finished by 2035. With this rather strict deadline, many schools may begin taking the initiative to phase out certain foods as soon as possible in order to get a “head start”.  

It’s clear that JLS has made healthy food a priority for a period of time now, but there seems to have been an additional district-wide set of rules put into place. Rules that weren’t required by the state? But what was the purpose and why does this seem to be so sudden?  

What’s Happening at JLS?

While the state’s new healthy food laws aren’t overly restricting, it seems that JLS has been establishing its own new restrictions.

Exact rules aren’t incredibly clear to students at the moment, but it seems that homemade items, sugary candy, or snacks aren’t allowed to be brought to school with the intent to share. These new rules at JLS are most likely not related to the food laws in California, but have still seemed to cause a bit of a russell. Teachers who used to give out candy as small rewards to their students have stopped, and teachers have seemingly stopped asking students to bring snacks for class parties. There have been occasional reminders and discussions about new rules, however, they haven’t been strictly enforced by staff members. This has seemed to cause a disruption with teachers and students, but what do people really think about PAUSD’s new snack restrictions? (Specific restrictions are listed here: https://go.boarddocs.com/ca/pausd/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=BLNA2W25A1B2#)

One student says, “...the candy ban seems unnecessary since we didn’t receive very much candy in class before either. Even the teachers seem disappointed since they used to use it as a reward for great behavior or participation.” Even though rules like these are established in favor of students’ health and well being, many negative opinions are surfacing due to confusion. Many just simply don’t understand the purpose of banning sweet treats all together. Some students feel that they weren’t given warning, however, there was a superintendent letter sent out. 

The superintendent’s letter from October 3rd, says that “Non-food celebrations encouraged: Activities such as games, music, art projects, and special privileges make classroom and school celebrations fun, inclusive, and supportive of social connections.” Many teachers and students have made the rules out to be stricter than they really are. Being able to celebrate without food should be normalized, however, sometimes students want to be able to share themselves through their food. 

What To Expect?

Class celebration dynamics will most likely change over the course of the school year,  and while the district’s new rules are reasonable many will be disappointed. Sometimes students appreciate being able to share homemade goods with each other. Food brings people together and is a great way to educate others about culture, lifestyle, and religion. Understandably, allergies are a concern and most likely one of the other contributing factors to the reason homemade goods aren’t permitted, but without the feeling of pride you get from making something for someone else, celebrations tend to feel empty. 

I hope that students are able to find fun, creative, and inclusive ways to share food with each other afterall. The one thing that you should always aspire to do is to make the best with what you have and hopefully JLS’s new food restrictions will spark creativity in children all across the district.