School Bake Sales Threatened By New Federal Law

School bake sales – the cherished fundraiser for extra-curricular activities for generations – may now be a thing of the past thanks to new federal regulations, The Wall Street Journal is reporting.

The new regulations stem from a law passed in 2010: the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which was largely promoted by First Lady Michelle Obama as part of her “Let’s Move!” campaign (see this Inquisitr article). The law is aimed at curbing childhood obesity, and regulates such things as fat, calories, and sugar, as well as sodium and other ingredients in food served at schools. This applies to lunches, vending machines, and snacks sold on school grounds. The regulations have been taking effect gradually, before being fully implemented in 2016.

The guidelines are necessary, advocates say, to combat an emerging childhood obesity epidemic. The Centers for Disease Control reports that 17 percent of children and adolescents in the U.S. – approximately 12.5 million – aged 2-19 are obese, and those numbers are only getting higher.

This meal has foods from 4 #MyPlate food groups:oatmeal, nuts, apple, & low-fat milk. Choose veggies later as a snack pic.twitter.com/XEofvjHnW9

— USDA Team Nutrition (@TeamNutrition) July 31, 2014

So does that mean that Michelle Obama and her nutrition requirements are going to forbid school bake sales for all eternity? It largely depends on who you ask. Currently, the law allows “infrequent” bake sales; however, since the precise content of snacks baked at home can’t accurately be measured, the law effectively bans bake sales, according to CBS News. But not so fast, says Gail Sullivan in The Wall Street Journal. She states that he idea that there is a “War On Bake Sales” stems from hyperbolic Fox News coverage. States can create exemptions, and some have. For example, Tennessee allows 30 days of bake sales throughout the school year; Idaho, 10; and Illinois, 9. Other states, such as Alabama, are not allowing any at all in order to stay strictly within the new guidelines.

As of now, the matter of how vigorously the new rules are going to be enforced remains unclear. Two years ago, a school in Utah was fined $15,000 for selling sugary soda, according to The Blaze; the fine was later reduced.

In the absence of bake sales, some schools are turning to non-food fundraisers. Wrapping-paper sales, pie-throwing contests, and bowl-a-thons have been used. Principal Adam Drummond of Lincoln Elementary School in Huntington, Indiana, told the Wall Street Journal:

“We used to have a carnival with a cake walk, now we do a book walk. The students get to pick a book.”

Are these new regulations that threaten bake sales part of an aggressive federal over-reach? Or are they a necessary step in the name of public health? Let us know what you think in the Comments.

Image courtesy of: Playbill