Michelle Obama Announces Nationwide Ban on Advertising Junk Food in Schools

Michelle Obama Announces Nationwide Ban on Advertising Junk Food in Schools

on Tue, 25 Feb 2014

First Lady Michelle Obama announced a ban on junk food advertising in the nation's schools Tuesday, including scoreboards in school gyms.

On February 25, Michelle Obama announced new rules banning junk food companies from advertising in schools arguing that the ban brings marketing permissions in line with school health standards that apply to school foods.

Under the new rules, school gymnasium scoreboards would only be allowed to advertise the sort of foods the Obama administration deems "healthy."

According to the Associated Press, ninety-three percent of marketing in schools is related to sugary beverages, sodas, and other drinks, and according to the USDA, soda companies spend $149 million a year on marketing to kids in schools.

The ban could mean millions of dollars eliminated from school funds.

These new rules are part of Michelle Obama's "Let's Move!" initiative aimed at eliminating purportedly bad foods from schools and promoting healthier lifestyles.

"The idea here is simple – our classrooms should be healthy places where kids aren’t bombarded with ads for junk food, because when parents are working hard to teach their kids healthy habits at home, their work shouldn’t be undone by unhealthy messages at school," Obama said during her announcement.

The First Lady's ideas on what kids should be allowed to eat in schools, however, have come under heavy fire all across the nation, and theUSDA has been forced to back off on some of its demands, allowing schools to make some of their own decisions.

Obama's school lunch standards, for instance, are being rejected by schools all around the nation.

A recent Rasmussen poll found that only 18 percent of respondents felt that regulating school food was a proper role for the federal government.