Philly Parents Patrol Corner Stores to Stop Students From Eating Junk Food

Filed under: , , ,

Hey, kids! Be careful what you eat in Philly! Credit: Getty Images

The streets of north Philadelphia are no longer safe for kids sipping sugary soft drinks and shoveling bags of potato chips and chocolate bars into their mouths, thanks to a new special victims unit on patrol for bad munchies.

With all the drama of reality TV, this team is stationed just outside food shops in close proximity to schools, ready to pounce on kids purchasing calorie-laden snacks. They are parents who consider themselves foot soldiers in the national battle over the diets of children, The New York Times reports.

Donning bright-colored safety vests and armed with walkie-talkies, this is hardly an undercover operation.

Just ask first grader Tatyana Gray, who recently was busted after stopping at the Oxford Food Shop en route to elementary school for her daily dose of chips and a sweet drink.

With 20 percent of the nation's children suffering from obesity, the United States Department of Agriculture has proposed new standards for federally subsidized school meals that call for more balanced meals and, for the first time, a limit on calories, according to The Times.

That's pushing school leaders and parents wi! th a new fervor to try to clamp down on chips, sugar and all the unhealthy eating habits of today's youth, the newspaper reports.

In Philadelphia, the obesity rate is the nation's highest, according to The Times, prompting parents to patrol the food shops near the William D. Kelley School.

Amelia Brown, principal of the kindergarten through eighth grade school, tells the newspaper the parental patrols were prompted by the student's deplorable diets, which, she says, are causing headaches and stomachaches and undermining academic achievement.

The school has expelled soda and sweet snacks, and, instead of high-calorie fruit juices, the school nurse, Wendy Fine, tells The Times: "I push water."

To match the efforts inside the school, Brown called on the owners of nearby corner stores to stop selling to students in the morning. Frustrated with the lack of compliance, she tells The Times she called on parents to help.

"It's a good thing, what they're trying to do, but I can't control who comes in," Gladys Tejada, who owns the Oxford Food Shop, tells The Times.

Nor can she control what they buy.

"They like it sweet," she tells the newspaper. "They like it cheap."

Want to get the latest ParentDish news and advice? Sign up for our newsletter!

Permalink | Email this | Comments


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jenna Lyons divorce: Lesbian lover of J Crew boss outed as Courtney Crangi

Image
Add to My Stories Share The 'other woman' thought to have been behind the split of one of America's most influential fashion executives and her husband of nine years has been revealed. J.Crew president and creative director Jenna Lyons, who is divorcing her artist husband of nine years, Vincent Mazeau, is said to be seeing top jewellery executive Courtney Crangi, 38, according to the New York Post. The pair have been photographed together repeatedly over the years, most recently this summer. Modern family: J Crew' Jenna Lyons, left, posed with her son Beckett, 5, rumored girlfriend Courtney Crangi and Crangi's daughter Coco, also 5, on a red carpet in June 2011, as her marriage was ending In June they attended the WSJ OFF DUTY Summer Solstice Celebration together, posing for photographers with Lyons' son Beckett and Crangi's daughter Coco, both five. Ms Lyons and her husband are said to be in the middle of a messy divorce after splitting in the summ
Keep reading

BAFTA TV Awards 2011: The Only Way Is Essex girls lead the glamour

Image
Add to My Stories Share It was one of the most highly-anticipated events of the year, with the biggest names from the television industry attending. But at the Philips Bafta Television Awards it wasn't a TV veteran who stole the show but a group of relative newcomers - the girls from The Only Way Is Essex. Amy Childs, Lauren Goodger, Sam Faiers and Lydia Bright led the glamour last night as they arrived for the annual ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel. Essex girls leading the way: The Only Way Is Essex stars (left to right) Amy Childs, Lauren Goodger, Lydia Bright and Sam Faiers lead the glamour at the Bafta Television Awards Stealing the show: But it was Amy Childs who stands out from the crowd in her Pia Michi gold gown And it seems that the girls had possibly co-ordinated their outfits, as they all chose sparkly metallic numbers to pose on the red carpet. More... Daisy Lowe causes a stir in a see-through dress at the BAFTA Television Awards as she cuddles up to boy
Keep reading

Small Doses of Vicodin OK for Breast-Feeding Moms, Study Says

Image
Filed under: In The News , Breast-Feeding , Research Reveals Breast-feeding pain may be eased by small doses of Vicodin, a new study shows. Credit: Getty Breast-feeding may be a healthy and economical way to feed and bond with your baby, but it also can be a real pain -- literally -- for some moms who are still cramping and sore from mega hours of labor and C-sections, not to mention the whole nipple pinching thing. But now there's good news on the lactating front: Apparently, it's safe to pop a few Vicodin while you're breast-feeding. The strong painkiller hydrocodone , better known as Vicodin, may be safe in smaller doses for women nursing newborns, U.S. researchers tell Reuters . Only traces of the drug end up in the mother's breast milk, according to findings from a study out of the University of Toronto and the University of California San Diego . Researchers say in cases where weaker painkillers such as acetaminophen ( Tylenol ) or ibuprofen ( Advil ) don't t
Keep reading