New School Food Policies in California Pay Off

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Researchers in California found rates of overweight and obesity among children have declined since the state adopted new laws in the past 10 years.

In the five years after the start of these statewide policy changes, trends in overweight/obesity leveled off among fifth-grade students at public schools in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods and declined in advantaged neighborhoods, according to the study led by researchers at San Francisco State University.

52% of a public school students in California are Latino.

The researchers looked at the effect of two state laws that restricted competitive food and beverages sold alongside meal programs in public schools.

This study is released at a time when new federal school lunch guidelines that similarly limit competitive foods and drinks will be going into effect in the next school year. This study may be an indication of how successful those new guidelines will be at helping students eat healthier at school.

Read more about the study here.