CA takes a giant leap regulating child-care center food

NY has led the way to a certain extent, on city-wide and state-wide changes, that impact the health of those individuals who live there. There are smoking bans, a recent requirement to post full nutritional breakdowns at fast food chains and city-wide efforts to maintain walking and running paths. California also has made an effort to promote healthful living, with no-smoking bans, and now a new bill has been proposed by Assemblywoman Julia Brownely (D-Santa Monica) to require child-care centers to follow certain minimal nutrition standards.

Specifically the bill, AB 627, would require that child-care centers:

• Serve low fat or fat free milk (not whole milk) to children over age 2


• Limit the use of sugary cereals


• Eliminate sweetened drinks


• Eliminate deep frying any foods

The bill would also establish an 18 month pilot program to evaluate the impact of implementing stronger nutrition and physical activity standards. Since child care centers, churches, community centers and other services may be locations that routinely serve more than one meal a day to chilkdren, these are places where quality of nutrition needs to be evaluated and then changed or modified based on assessments. There are better choices than fried potatoes, fruit in canned syrup, whole milk and other processed foods - and any increased expenditures for healthier food choices, can be offset with creative purchasing and bulk product opportunities.

Right now 350,000 children age 5 and under at least part time, if not full time, in child care. Los Angeles county 2230 child-care centers and 7800 family child-care centers. Those in favor of the bill feel that any center that gets federal funds, should have to comply with certain nutrition standards. Additionally, it is felt that these eating patterns establish lifelong adult patterns - so this intervention may help to impact and shift eating patterns and choices to healthier ones, long term. Currently 20.7% of the country's pre-schoolers are obese and 25% of kids ages 2-5 in California overweight or obese. A bill like this may be imperative, and currently only West Virginia and Michigan require that child-care centers in their respective states comply with federal dietary guidelines.. If the bill is passed, compliance would be required starting January of 2011, though no specific penalties would be imposed for non-compliance.