Schoolchildren have access to milk and sugary drinks at lunch, but not water

Some school districts around the country have taken drastic measures to improve childhood health by banning sugary soda beverages from their cafeterias, but according to the Los Angeles Times millions of California schoolchildren -- and probably millions of children in other states as well -- currently have no access to drinking water during lunchtime.

Schools are required to have a certain number of water fountains on campus per number of students, but in many cases, they are not located in or near school lunchrooms. So the only lunchtime drink options for many children is either plain or chocolate pasteurized milk, and maybe some sweetened juice product.

In California, 40 percent of school districts that responded to a California Food Policy Advocates (CFPA) survey indicated that their students have no access whatsoever to free drinking water during lunch. And among those who at least have water fountains in or near their cafeterias, the water is often not clean or desirable to drink. Read more...

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