SECTION 1.
The Legislature hereby finds and declares all of the following:(a) The State of California has the second highest rate of overweight and low-income children in the nation.
(b) The growing epidemic of overweight children is due to poor diet and physical inactivity, putting growing numbers of California children at risk for type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and cancer, along with psychological problems, including low self-esteem, poor body image, and symptoms of depression.
(c) Physical inactivity and nutrition-related diseases are the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States.
These diseases account for 28 percent of preventable deaths each year, which is more than AIDS, violence, car crashes, alcohol, and drugs combined.
(d) In 2001, 26.5 percent of California pupils in grades 5, 7, and 9 were overweight, with rates being even higher for African-American children (28.6 percent) and Latino children (33.7 percent). In some legislative districts, more than 35 percent of pupils are overweight. Nationally, the prevalence of overweight children and adolescents has increased nearly fourfold in the last 40 years.
(e) Obesity costs California an estimated $21.7 billion a year in medical costs and lost productivity. Medical care costs associated with obesity are greater than those associated with both smoking and problem drinking.
(f) Diabetes has also reached epidemic levels primarily as a result
of the growing obesity epidemic. Type 2 diabetes, which until recently affected only adults, now affects a growing number of children, accounting for almost 50 percent of new diabetes cases among children in some U.S. communities.
(g) Healthy eating plays an important role in learning and cognitive development. Children who do not get adequate nutrients have lower academic test scores.
(h) Because children spend approximately one-third of their day at school, schools play an important role in children’s ability to acquire adequate nutrients.
(i) A recent study found that severely overweight pupils miss nine days of school per year. The same study estimated that average size school districts in California may lose as much as one hundred sixty thousand dollars ($160,000) per year, and very large districts may lose as
much as $15 million per year as a result of reduced average daily attendance resulting from childhood obesity-related absences.
(j) Health and education leaders agree that one of the most critical steps to helping children practice healthy eating habits is to establish policies and programs that increase access to healthy foods and beverages.
(k) While the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulates the nutrient content of meals sold under its reimbursable meal programs, similar standards do not exist for “competitive foods” that are sold outside the USDA meal programs. Competitive foods are often very high in added sugar, sodium, and fat.
(l) In a 2003 survey, 94 percent of responding California school districts with a high school reported that they sell competitive foods. The most common fast food
items were chips, pizza, cookies, and soda.
(m) Only 2 percent of California youth 12 through 17 years of age consume foods that meet national dietary recommendations. Approximately 70 percent of U.S. children age 2 through 11 years consume foods that exceeded current dietary recommendations for intakes of total and saturated fat. Only 21 percent of California children meet the goal of eating five servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
(n) Soft drinks comprise the leading source of added sugar in a child’s diet. Each additional daily serving of sugar-sweetened soda increases a child’s risk for obesity by 60 percent. Twenty years ago, boys consumed more than twice as much milk as soft drinks, and girls consumed 50 percent more milk than soft drinks. By 1966, both boys and girls consumed twice as many soft drinks as milk.
(o) Teenage boys consume twice the recommended amount of sugar each day, almost one-half of which comes from soft drinks. Teenage girls consume almost three times the recommended amount of sugar, 40 percent of which comes from soft drinks.
(p) In October 2004, the USDA announced the “Healthier US Challenge” to encourage schools and parents to continue promoting healthy lifestyles for children. Schools can participate in the challenge by meeting nutritional standards that are based on California standards. The challenge is available to elementary schools during the first year and middle and high schools will be invited to participate during the second year.