Fewer American middle and high schools are selling candy and salty snacks to students, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last week.
The center’s report was based on a survey of public schools in 34 states that compared results from 2006 to 2008. The study does not report the total number of schools that have changed. Instead, it looks at the proportion of schools in each state. It found that the median proportion of secondary schools that sell the sugary or salty snacks decreased from 54 percent to 36 percent. The share of schools that sell soda and artificial fruit drinks dropped from 62 percent to 37 percent.
Some Southern states saw the most dramatic improvements. In Mississippi, the proportion of middle and high schools selling soda fell from 78 percent to 25 percent. In Tennessee, it dropped from 73 percent to 26 percent. Dramatic reductions in sales of candy and salty snacks were also reported in those two states.
