Kids Speak Out About School Candy Sales

Custom candy premiums and novelty packaging company Strottman International asked its panel of “Kid Engineers” to address the serious issue of candy sales in schools for this month’s feature.
Does your school sell candy or other snacks? If so, what kinds do they sell? When and where in school is it sold? If not, why don’t they sell it?
They used to sell candy at school, but they got rid of it ‘cuz in California there’s like a law that bans it. They can’t sell soda either, but they still sell ice cream. I don’t really get that because it has the same stuff in it [as candy], but they say ice cream has milk in it so they can sell it. But then chocolate has milk too. I think it’s unfair that they sell ice cream and not chocolate. We should make our own decisions of whether we eat healthy or unhealthy.”
—Akemi, 15
No, they have a snack bar that sells fruit snacks — those chewy fruit snacks. They don’t sell candy because the sugar rush makes the kids hyper and also kids will try to eat it on the playground, where they’re not supposed to. It’s getting hyper and the noise in class from the wrappers that are the main problems. And also candy’s not the healthiest choice. … It’s not really fair for them to have fruit snacks and not candy — fruit snacks are very much like candy. I think they should also have candy, but they should only let you eat it at lunch.”
—Sydney, 12
Yes, they sell it at snack and lunch time. They sell bags of M&Ms, single Twix bars, and Snickers. They sell them in the snack line with chips and soda. Sometimes you have a little craving for chocolate, and that helps during the day. If parents didn’t want their kids to have candy, they can just send their kids to school with lunch from home.”
—Sara, 16
They used to have a student store, but the parents complained that there was too much sugar available and they wanted the school to be healthier. I don’t think it’s going to make a difference because they still sell candy in the vending machines.”
—Katharine, 14
No, they never did. I think they’re trying to make healthier choices for kids. They used to have bigger and more fatty foods, but now they have cut down on all that sugary stuff.”
—Christian, 12
The school sells Pop Tarts and chips. They used to sell candy.”
—Johnny, 14
For more information on Strottman International and its "Kid Engineers," call Jay Zemke at (949) 623-7906 or e-mail zemke@strottman.com.