Schoolchildren in Texas will still be able to celebrate their birthdays with cakes and cupcakes in the classroom, even if the treats aren’t healthful food choices, the state department of agriculture has decided.
Under Texas’ new policy for public school nutrition, which contains some of the strictest rules in the nation, such foods would have been banned. ( “Texas Rule Promotes Good Food,” March 17, 2004.)
But in an Aug. 26 clarification of the policy, which went into effect on Aug. 1, state officials said they were exempting classroom birthday parties-"a time-honored tradition that provides the opportunity for parental involvement in the education of their children.”
Children will be able to enjoy treats otherwise restricted by the policy for birthday parties, the statement says, but it recommends that they be served after they have eaten a nutritious lunch.