Texas return of deep fryers to schools raises obesity concerns

[June 22, 2015] By Lisa Maria Garza

DALLAS (Reuters) - A decision this week to return deep fryers and soda machines to Texas schools has raised criticism among nutrition experts who say it will worsen a childhood obesity problem in the second-most populous U.S. state.

Texas Department of Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said on Thursday putting fried foods and sugary drinks back in schools restores choices for districts who have been unable over the past 10 years to help cut down on obesity rates under present guidelines.

"They have resulted in millions of dollars of food not being eaten and thrown away, and I'm here to put an end to that," Miller said in a news release.

School lunches have been a politically charged topic for years, with states such as California banning sodas from schools and local officials sometimes criticizing the Obama administration's policy to make school food more nutritious.

On Friday, the American Heart Association (AHA) said the Texas move makes little sense and cited surveys showing most parents support nutrition standards for school meals.

"Commissioner Miller's attempt at addressing childhood obesity is well intentioned, but it fails to align with evidence-based policies that are supported by the AHA and have been a main component in reversing this epidemic such as keeping fried foods and sodas out of reach from our children," it said. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 16 percent of Texas high school children were obese as of 2013, the latest year of statistics available. That obesity rate is an increase of 2 percentage points from a decade ago.

The new changes take effect on July 1 and will be implemented in the new school year.

(Editing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Sandra Maler)

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